Unwanted Popup Message While Printing to an LPR Printer

ID: Q185892

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0, Terminal Server Edition

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information on how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" online Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" online Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

As you print a job to an LPR printer, a popup message may occur on the server. This message can occur if the name of the printer cannot be determined by host name resolution method, such as DNS or HOSTS file.


RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows NT 4.0 or Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q152734 How to Obtain the Latest Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack

A change was made to the local spooler to optionally automatically retry and not display the popup message. You must also install the Lprmon.dll file mentioned in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

ARTICLE-ID: Q161969
TITLE : LPR Printing Device Reports an Error If Printer Not Available

To enable this feature, use Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe) to add the RetryPopup key.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" online Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

  1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit32.exe) and locate the following subkey:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Providers


  2. Add the following information:

    Value Name: RetryPopup
    Data Type: REG_DWORD
    Value: 0 to disable popup; 1 to enable popup (default is 1)



STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition. This problem was first corrected in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4.0 and Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 4.

Keywords : NT4SP4Fix kbbug4.00 kbfix4.00.sp4
Version : WinNT:4.0
Platform : winnt
Issue type : kbbug


Last Reviewed: April 10, 1999
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