The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
- Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 4.0
SUMMARY
When troubleshooting printing problems with Windows NT 4.0, it may become
necessary to capture the .spl file from a particular print job for later
examination and test printing. When you to copy this file to a Windows NT
4.0 print queue, the output from the printer may come out as a mixture of
text and printable and nonprintable extended ASCII codes. This is most
likely because the file was spooled in the EMF format.
MORE INFORMATION
To force Windows NT to print a .spl file using EMF, follow these steps:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
- Right-click the printer in question and then click Properties.
- On the General tab, click Print Processor.
- If the option for Always Spool RAW Datatype is selected, click to clear
the check box.
- Change the Default Datatype to NT EMF 1.003.
After the print processor is switched to EMF, use the following steps to
print the .spl file:
- Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Command Prompt.
- Change to the folder where the .spl file is located.
- Use the following command to copy the spool file to the printer
in question:
copy 00002.spl \\<server_name>\<print_queue_name>.
- After the SPL file is printed, switch the Default Datatype back to the
original value. The default value is RAW.
When printing from one computer running Windows NT 4.0 to another, Windows
NT will still negotiate an EMF file even if the Default Datatype option is
set to RAW. This will only happen if the receiving workstation or server
can support EMF 1.003 and if the printing application has the ability to
use EMF. The reason that this is done is so that the operating system can
return control to the application that requested the print faster.
To override the negotiation of an EMF file and always printing using RAW
format, use the following steps:
- Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
- Right-click the print queue in question, and then click Properties.
- Click the General tab, and then click Print Processor.
- Click the Always Spool RAW Datatype option.
For more information about the enhanced metafile formatting of spool files
in Windows NT 4.0, please see the following article in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q155676
TITLE : Enhanced Metafile Spooling Architecture in Windows NT 4.0
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