Windows 95 includes a Print Troubleshooter tool. Before you perform any troubleshooting steps, try the Print Troubleshooter tool. To use the Print Troubleshooter tool, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, then click Help.
2. Click on the Contents tab, double-click the Troubleshooting topic.
3. Double-click the If You Have Trouble Printing topic.
Note that the Windows 95 Resource Kit also includes a Print Troubleshooter tool. This tool is more detailed than the Print Troubleshooter in Windows 95.
In addition to the Print Troubleshooter, there is extensive online help available in Windows 95. Click a printer option field with the right mouse button, then click "What's This?" on the menu that appears to see detailed information about that option.
If you cannot print at all in Windows 95, try the following steps:
1. Verify that the printer is turned on and is online without any printer errors.
2. Perform a self-test on the printer. The method for performing a self-test is different for different printers. Check your printer's documentation for instructions. If the self-test fails, contact your printer manufacturer for assistance.
3. If possible, set up the printer on your local computer. Verify that no printer sharing devices (A/B switch boxes) or daisy-chained devices (such as SCSI CD-ROMs) are between the computer and printer.
4. Restart your computer. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, then choose "command prompt only."
NOTE: Windows-based applications cannot print when you start Windows 95 in Safe mode.
NOTE: "Windows only" printers will not print when you do not start Windows 95.
Type the following line and then press ENTER: copy c:\autoexec.bat lpt1
For a PostScript printer, type copy c:\ Windows\SYSTEM \testps.txt lpt1
NOTE: If your printer is not connected to LPT1, substitute the correct port name in the lines above. These commands copy a file to the printer. If the file is not printed, there may be a problem with the port, the cable, or the printer. You may want to try using a different printer cable or a different printer.
1. With the printer still connected locally, restart your computer normally.
2. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, then click Notepad or WordPad. Type some text in Notepad or WordPad and then try to print the text.
1. If you cannot print from Notepad, verify that the port is set up correctly in Device Manager (for example, verify that there are no conflicts and that the port's resources are set correctly).
NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer and then click Properties on the menu that appears.
2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click "Ports (COM & LPT)", then double-click the appropriate port for your printer [for example, "Printer Port (LPT1)"].
3. Click the Resources tab and verify that the settings are correct for your printer port. For example, the input/output range for a standard LPT1 port is 0378-037A (a physical LPT2 port typically uses I/O 278). Also verify that the conflicting devices list reads "No conflicts."
1. If a conflict exists or the port's settings are incorrect, use Device Manager to remove the printer port.
NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer and then click Properties on the menu that appears.
2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click "Ports (COM & LPT)", then click the appropriate port for your printer [for example, "Printer Port (LPT1)"].
3. Click the Remove button and then restart your computer.
4. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Control Panel.
5. Double-click the Add New Hardware icon, and let Windows 95 detect the hardware in your computer.
There should be at least 3 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk that contains your temporary directory.
Remove Temporary and Spool Files:
1. Restart your computer. Press the F8 key when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, then choose "Safe mode command prompt only."
NOTE: Windows-based applications cannot print when you start Windows 95 in Safe mode.
2. Type "set" (without quotation marks) and press ENTER. Note the location of the TEMP variable.
3. Change to the directory noted in step 2. For example, if TEMP is set to C:\WINDOWS\TEMP, type the following line and then press ENTER: cd\windows\temp
4. Delete any temporary files in this directory. Temporary files typically have a .TMP extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER: del *.tmp
NOTE: You should not delete these files from within the Windows 95 graphical user interface (GUI) because Windows 95 or a Windows-based application may be using one of these files.
5. Type the following line and press ENTER to change to the spool directory: cd\windows\spool\printers
6. Delete any spool files in this directory. Spool files typically have a .SPL extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER: del *.spl
If the hard disk becomes fragmented or there are cross-linked files on the hard disk, you can encounter printing problems. To check for these problems, follow these steps:
1. Restart your computer normally.
2. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories,
point to System Tools, then click Scandisk.
3. When Scandisk is finished, click the Start button, point to
Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, then click Disk
Defragmenter.
If you can print from a command prompt but not from any Windows-based application, there may be a problem with the spool settings or with bi-directional communication.
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you are trying to print to and then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Click the Details tab, click the Spool Settings button, then click the Print Directly To The Printer option button.
4. If your printer supports bi-directional communication, click the "Disable bi-directional support for this printer" option button.
NOTE: Bi-directional printing relies on the 1284 IEEE specification. If your printer cable does not conform to this specification and is not of reasonable length, bi-directional printing does not work in Windows 95.
5. Click the OK button.
6. Try to print from Notepad or WordPad.
7. If you can print from Notepad or WordPad, try different combinations of spool settings and bi-directional support until you find a combination that works. For example, try disabling bi-directional support with RAW and EMF spool data format settings. Also, try bi-directional support with the RAW spool data format.
NOTE: RAW is the only spool data format supported for PostScript printers.
If you can print from Notepad, WordPad, and other applications, try the following steps:
1. What exactly is the printing problem? Does the application print graphics properly, or are you having problems with just one font?
2. Does the problem occur in one document only, or all documents
within the application? As a test, try to print a blank page inside
the application. If this prints, the application may have problems
with memory or fonts.
3. Are you using a 32-bit or 16-bit application? 32-bit
applications use the system registry to obtain needed information, while
16-bit applications may use .INI files. If you are having a printing
problem with a 16-bit application, perhaps an .INI file needs to be modified
to accommodate the application.
4. Reinstall the application.
5. Contact the manufacturer of the application for specific settings that might affect printing.
If you had to disable the Fast Printing Direct To Port option in Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.x, you should disable the Check Port State option in Windows 95. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Click the Details tab, click the Port Settings button, then click the Check Port Status check box to clear it.
The BIOS in some computers incorrectly reports that the printer port is busy or not available. By default, Windows 95 checks for these errors. Clearing the Check Port State check box causes Windows 95 to ignore these messages.
Note: SuperScript users you must change the current port settings to access the Port Settings button to do this do the following:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. On the Details tab, click on down arrow (Print to the following port). Select LPT1 (local port) and click on Apply.
4. Make the changes under Port Settings, go back and reset the port back to NEC's setting and click Apply.
Generic/Text Only:
If you have problems printing in Windows 95, try the Generic/Text Only printer driver. To do so, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the Generic/Text Only printer driver.
3. Try to print from your application with this driver.
Change the Printer's Emulation Mode:
Many printers have emulation modes that allow you to print with a different printer driver. Refer to the printer documentation or manufacturer about using emulation modes on your printer.
NOTE: Most printers require that you change a setting on the printer to use emulation modes.
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the printer driver for the printer that your printer emulates.
NOTE: For PostScript printers, try installing the Apple LaserWriter NTX driver (this is a PostScript driver that works with most PostScript printers).
Windows 3.1 Printer Driver:
Windows 95 supports over 800 printers directly and can also use Windows version 3.1 and 3.11 printer drivers. When you install Windows 95, if a Windows 95 printer driver is available for the printer you are using, that printer driver is installed. If there is no Windows 95 printer driver available for your printer, the Windows 3.x printer driver is left in place and should work with Windows 95.
NOTE: Windows 3.x printer drivers cannot take advantage of some of the printing enhancements in Windows 95.
NOTE: If the printing problems exist for more than one driver, the problem is most likely not driver-specific.
If the printing problem seems to be corrected by using a different printer driver, follow these steps to remove and reinstall the printer driver:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to remove, then click Delete on the menu that appears.
3. If you are prompted to remove all the files associated with the printer, click Yes.
4. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
5. Double-click the Add Printer icon and follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to reinstall the Windows 95 printer driver.
Incorrect printer property settings can cause poor or incomplete output, or can cause your printer not to print at all. Follow these steps to check the printer property settings:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to check, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Verify that the printer properties (such as printer memory and paper size) are correct.
NOTE: For PostScript printers, you must copy the TESTPS.TXT file to the printer port to determine the appropriate available printer memory setting for the Device Options tab. The TESTPS.TXT file lists a "Max Suggested VM (KB)" value for the printer. Use this value on the Device Options tab. See the "Print from an MS-DOS Prompt" section of this article for information about how to print the TESTPS.TXT file on PostScript printers.
If you have problems printing to a network printer, try these steps:
1. Print to a local printer.
2. Print to a file, then copy the file to the print server. To try this, follow these steps:
a. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
b. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
c. Click the Details tab, then click File in the Print To The Following Port box.
d. Print a document from any application. When you are prompted, enter a filename for the print job.
e. Click the Start button, point to Programs, then click MS-DOS Prompt.
f. At the MS-DOS prompt, type the following line and then press ENTER copy <path><filename> <printer port> where <path> is the location of the file you created in step D, <filename> is the name of the file you created in step D, and <printer port> is the port the printer is attached to. For example,if you created a file named PRNTEST in the root directory of drive C and the printer is attached to LPT1, type the following line: copy c:\prnttest lpt1
3. Capture a printer port for the network printer rather than using a universal naming convention (UNC) connection. To do so, follow these steps:
a. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
b. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
c. Click the Details tab, then click the Capture Printer Port button.
d. Click the port you want to capture (such as LPT2) and the path to the network printer (such as \\ServerName\PrinterShare).
NOTE: If you want this connection to be available each time you start Windows 95, click the Reconnect At Logon check box to select it.
4. Try to print the document from another computer on the network.
5. If you still cannot print to the network printer, perform standard
network troubleshooting steps, such as:
- Try to browse the print server.
- Remove and reinstall your network protocols.
Printing speed in Windows 95 is measured in one of two ways:
- Return to application (RTA) speed. This is defined as the length
of time from when you click Print to when you regain control of the system.
- Printer page drop speed. This is defined as the length of time
from when you click print to when the print job is complete.
You can affect each of these times by changing spool settings. To change spool settings, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Click the Details tab, then click the Spool Settings button.
For faster RTA speed:
a. Click "Start printing after first page is spooled."
b. In most cases, choose EMF as the spool data format.
NOTE: PostScript printers support only the RAW spool data format.
For faster printer page drop speed:
a. Click the Print Directly To The Printer option button.
-or-
b. Click "Start printing after last page is spooled." (Note that this is how the Windows 3.1 spooler works.) In some cases, this option prevents laser printer engines from turning on and off during a print job.
If you have problems printing to a local printer, try the LPT1.DOS port. This method is similar to printing to a file and then copying the file to the printer port. To enable the LPT1.DOS port, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. On the Details tab, click Add Port.
4. In the Add Port dialog box, click Other, click Local Port, click OK, then type "LPT1.DOS" (without quotation marks) in the Enter A Port Name box. Click OK.
NOTE: Printing to the LPT1.DOS port may be slower than printing to the LPT1 port.
Try the following steps to enable the Print TrueType As Graphics option:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Click the Fonts tab, then click the Print TrueType As Graphics option.
Try these steps to lower the printer's resolution:
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, then click Printers.
2. Use the right mouse button to click the printer you want to use, then click Properties on the menu that appears.
3. Click the Graphics tab, then click a lower resolution or dots per inch (DPI) for your printer.
Simplify the Document:
If you cannot print a complex document, try removing some of the graphic elements in the document, or convert all the fonts in the document to a printer-resident font such as Courier.
If a specific graphic object in a document is printed poorly, make sure the graphic object is compatible with the printer. For example, an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphic object is intended for use on PostScript printers only. On a non-PostScript printer, such a graphic object will be printed poorly in an otherwise satisfactory printout.
Try turning off the printer. After 5 to 10 seconds, turn the printer back on. Many printing problems are the result of a printer's memory being full of downloaded fonts.
If you print to a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4, change the graphics mode from Vector to Raster. This takes less memory, and is especially useful if you receive an "Error 21" (Print Over Run) error message on the printer.