No Default Printer Selection in Printer Pool

• Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server version 3.1
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.5 and 3.51
• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 3.5 and 3.51

SYMPTOMS

You cannot select a default printer when you set up a printer pool.

For example, suppose you want to set a local printer on LPT1 as the printer to which the first job into the printer pool will be printed. To do this, you specify LPT1 in the Print To option of the Printer Properties dialog box in Print Manager. Then you choose two other printer ports in the Print To Additional Ports option of the Printer Details dialog box. Accept the choices, and close the Printer Properties dialog box. When you reopen Printer Properties, LPT1 will no longer be the selected printer in the Print To option. You will not be able to direct the first print job to LPT1 by default.

CAUSE

No functionality was built-in to the Windows NT Print Manager that allows you to select a default or primary port in the printer pool. The Windows NT Print Manager selects printer ports according its own internal algorithm. Print jobs are sent to these ports on a rotational basis depending on how many print jobs are queued in the print spooler.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Create a printer in the Print Manager.

2. Select Printer Properties and assign LPT1 to the Print To port.

3. Choose the Details option.

4. Choose at least two other ports in the Print to Additional Ports option of the Printer Details dialog box.

5. Accept these setting and close the Printer Properties dialog box.

6. When you reopen Printer Properties, LPT1 no longer appears in the Print To option.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 3.1 and 3.5x. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.