XL97: Printer Name Not Listed in Print Dialog Box

ID: Q177442

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
  • Microsoft Project 98 for Windows


WARNING: The information in this article has not been confirmed or tested by Microsoft. Some or all of the information in this article has been taken from unconfirmed customer reports. ANY USE BY YOU OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Microsoft provides this information "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, you should first make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat). Both are hidden files in the Windows folder.

SYMPTOMS

When you try to print your workbook, the printer name does not appear in the Name box in the Print dialog box. However, the same printer does appear in the Print dialog box of other Microsoft Office 97 programs. This may occur when you have just one or two printers installed.


CAUSE

This problem may occur if Microsoft Excel cannot read the printer information when either of the following exists:

  • The Devices section of the Win.ini file contains incomplete or incorrect information.

    -or-


  • User information in the Windows registry is corrupted.


Note that if you remove the Win.ini file, or if it becomes corrupted, and you then restart Windows 95, a new Win.ini file is created. However, the new Win.ini file contains only the Desktop and/or Embedding sections. The Devices section is missing.


WORKAROUND

Perform either of the following workarounds to correct this problem.

Workaround 1: Repair the Win.ini File



Do any of the following to correct this problem with the Win.ini file:

Method 1: Reinstall all Printer Drivers



Because one damaged printer driver can sometimes have damaging side-affects for the other drivers installed, remove and then reinstall the printer driver. In some cases you may need to remove all the installed printers and then reinstall them. This will recreate the required information for the Devices section as well as write the correct entries for the Ports, Printer Ports, and Windows sections in the Win.ini file.

For information on how to install a new printer driver, click the Search button in Windows 95 Help and type: 


   printer drivers, installing


Method 2: Correct the Win.ini File



Locate the Win.ini file and correct the Devices section. To do so, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Win.ini file in Notepad. The Win.ini file is located in your Windows folder.


  2. In the Win.ini file, find the [Devices] section.


  3. The Devices section should list the friendly name of the printer, followed by an equal sign, the driver name, a comma, and then the port or network path. The following is a sample [Devices] section:
    [Devices]
    HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
    HP LaserJet IIISi=HPPCL5MS,\\Server\Sharename
    Remark the line by placing a semi-colon before the printer name as in the following example:
    ;HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
    Then reinstall the printer driver to create the new entry.




Method 3: Create a New Win.ini File



If neither Method 1 nor Method 2 resolves your problem, you can create a new Win.ini file with the correct information.

Rename the Win.ini to Win.old, and reinstall Windows 95. Windows 95 detects that you are reinstalling, and a dialog box will appear with the title "Run Setup Again?" The dialog box will give you two options. Select the first option (to restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted) and reinstall Windows 95.

This method recreates a new, complete Win.ini file with all of the required sections.

Workaround 2: Rebuild the User.dat Registry



Do the following to correct this problem with the Windows registry file, User.dat:

  1. Restart Windows in MS-DOS mode. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following
    cd\<windows>
    attrib -s -h -r user.dat
    attrib -s -h -r user.da0
    where <windows> is the name of your Windows folder.


  2. Type the following line to rename the User.dat file:
    ren user.dat user.old
    ren user.da0 user.dat


  3. Restart Windows 95 as you normally do.


Additional query words: XL97 missing absent disappear blank empty available

Keywords : kbprint
Version : WINDOWS:98
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: October 30, 1999
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