SBS 2003 – RWW – Finding and Fixing Failed Redirected Printers

Terminal Server Printer Redirection Wizard Tool

Brief Description

This tool will help resolve Terminal Server Printer Redirection errors by scanning the event log of a Terminal Server to create a custom mapping file for administrators.

Quick Details

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=9AD27BE9-40DB-484F-862E-38A094EEEAF7&displaylang=en

File Name:
TSPDRW_Package.exe

Version:
1.0.80

Knowledge Base (KB) Articles:
KB239088

Overview

The Terminal Server Printer Driver Redirection Wizard will help you troubleshoot and replace print drivers that were unsuccessfully redirected. This tool automates the process found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB239088 entitled “Windows 2000 Terminal Services Server Logs Events 1111, 1105, and 1006”

This tool will scan a server’s System Event Log and detect all events with Event ID 1111 and Source ‘TermServDevices.’ The tool will then scan the server’s registry for installed Version 3 MINI drivers, and prompt you to substitute an installed Version 3 MINI driver for each of the printers that failed printer redirection. Any changes will be written to a file named NTPrintSubs.inf which is where custom redirected printer mappings are stored.

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note that this tool will eventually ask for drivers for the printers it discovers weren’t properly redirected .  So be prepared first to run it as a method to catalog what you need to go get and then re-run it to install whatever drivers you’ve gotten and uploaded to some local directory or network share in relation to the server

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Limit SBS 2003 RWW Redirected Printer to Only Default Printer

If you have ever found it annoying that when you use RWW with SBS 2003 that you end up with a lot of printers to choose from then this tip might be something you’ll also find awesome.  How would you like it if the only printer that redirected was the one you normally print to, your default?  No longer be cluttered with Adobe .pdf printers, One Note printers, Microsoft Document Imaging printers, fax printers, …etc.

Well there is a way to do it via the registry.  The KB this comes from also referred to a hotfix; however, being that this KB is over 3 years old I’m assuming that the hotfix has been rolled up in an update or service pack by now. -

 

How to modify the registry to configure default printer redirection on a Terminal Services client

 

To configure default printer redirection on a Terminal Services client, add the RedirectDefaultPrinterOnly registry entry to the Windows registry. To do this, follow these steps:

• locate and then click the following registry subkey:

“HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR”

Note To configure default printer redirection for only the current user, locate and then click the following registry subkey instead:

HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR

• On the Edit menu (assuming the value below doesn’t yet exist), point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
• Type RedirectDefaultPrinterOnly, and then press ENTER.
• Double-click RedirectDefaultPrinterOnly, type 1 (on) in the Value data box, and then click OK.
  Note Type 0 (off) in the Value data box to disable the registry entry. Setting the value data to 0 turns off default printer redirection.

- BTW while you are in the registry at that Subkey you might consider another addition.  Another KB discussed issues regarding some printers that use a DOT4 printer port instead of a COM, USB, or LPT1 port.  This key forces all ports to be filtered for redirection.  I see no downside to doing this proactively even before a DOT4 printer is introduced – KB302361

add a DWORD value named FilterQueueType to “HKxx\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR and set its value data to FFFFFFFF”.

Fax sent but not received – SBS Sending Fax Gotcha

An issue with the SBS Fax Server I’ve recently rediscovered is that there is a condition that can render a previously outbound functioning Fax Server inoperable and you won’t receive any errors or alerts to this fact until someone doesn’t get the fax they were intended.  You will appear to successfully send the fax from the workstation but it never make it onto the phone line to the outside world.  Here’s why and how to remedy it.

Condition:
Fax Device got unplugged (intentionally or otherwise) and server reboots without it connected.  Fax device plugged back in – server stays running without rebooting.  Fax powers on and receives faxes.  When sending a fax it never gets received.

Issue:
SBS Fax uses Outgoing Routing Groups and Rules.  The previously configured Group and Rule do not automatically add the fax device that had previously been associated even when the system can recognize the device.

Solution:
Manually use the fax manager to select the Target Device for all needed associated Rules.

RWW Printing – a SBS 2003 Workaround

If every you have run into issues getting printing to work for a RWW worker, you know that the solution requires end user cooperation so that the same driver gets installed on the server and the accessing laptop or workstation.  ThinPrint has a solution, use their universal driver mechanisms as a man in the middle.

While SBS 2008 promises to remove this issue there are still going to be a lot of SBS 2003 systems in place for some time.

http://www.thinprint.com

print for Remote Web Workplace includes the following components:

• .print Desktop Engine on every workplace computer
• ThinPrint .print for SBS on the Small Business Server
• .print Client Windows (RDP) on the notebooks or home PCs

All three installation programs are Plug & Play.

Illustration: Installing ThinPrint .print components in an SBS environment with Remote Web Workplace (example)

Just the Fax – Where did it go? Post Office 2003 SP3 Blues

If you’ve deployed Office 2003 SP3 to Windows desktops you might be experiencing increased call volume today from any customers you have that were used to viewing faxes aka .tif files regularly.  Why?  Good question since it worked just fine yesterday.

To be fair Microsoft publishes a list of known issues at the moment of any update release.  How can they know the issues before it get released?  They beta test the updates.  In regards to Office 2003 SP3 they did pubish a known issue regarding Microsoft Office Document Imaging which isn’t typically installed by Office 2003 but would only be installed during a custom or complete installation.  REGARDLESS of whether or not that program is installed and regardless of whether it is the default .tif/.tiff file opening program those file types will be completely removed.

This patch may have been deployed automatically if you are using WSUS and definitely if you have the default SBS R2 Update Services configuration.  If you are in that boat get proactive.  Your customers will definitely be asking you about this.

Note that most Office 2007 users will be doing just fine; the faxes keep opening up today just as yesterday (see caveat below).  Also, Vista uses a different program, Windows Photo Gallery Viewer, and so is affected in a different way.  Vista users will need to use the Default Program GUI that Vista uniquely has to point to the correct program.  Windows 2003 does use this same program though however it is unlikely you’ll be depolying an Office patch to your server; if you did then this fix applies there too.

***edit***
As discovered late into this, you also might find it needed if you have used the SBS Outlook Web Access or Remote Web Workplace as apparently Office 2003 Web components might be installed as shown in the following picture.  I found this installed on the SBS server itself and have seen it on Office 2007 machines as well.  Even with Office 2007, a machine that was used to connect to a web page either on your intranet or on the internet that contains an Office 2003 Web Component may install this. This is alluded to in KB828950:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/828950

***end edit***

To get that frustrated staff satiated you can perhaps restore the file association.  Yes that’s right.  The entire file association for .tiff/.tif files was removed during the SP.  Why?  Don’t know right now but I’ll edit that in later.  I need this working and like NOW. 

Just know that the Microsoft Office Document Imaging program is a security risk to use and this is what started this mess.  The Windows Picture and Fax viewer is not.

I discovered some help from Leo.  Leo intructs to do this at a run/command prompt (XP only):

“regsvr32 /i shimgvw.dll”

This registers the .dll responsible for things working with Windows Picture & Fax Viewer and puts things back in place quickly.  This string also lends itself to batch file/scripting deployment.

You could also go to the file association editor/selector and having confirmed .tif and .tiff aren’t there you can manually add the .tif entry and then associate it to open with the program “Windows Picture and Fax Viewer”.

Note that this “program” is not a simple executable file.  Instead you can invoke it by running the following string (without quotations):

“rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\system32\shimgvw.dll,ImageView_Fullscreen”

Office 2003 SP3 download site lists amongst highlights, this relevant info:

“Changes have been made to the behavior of Microsoft Office Document Imaging. For more information, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 938813.” 

FYI – ***Wikipedia has a nice page on this program***