Article ID: 282126 - Last Review: February 21, 2007 - Revision: 3.3

Redirecting LPT1 and then printing to PRN: from a TS Client session does not work.

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This article was previously published under Q282126

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SYMPTOMS

When you use a Windows 2000-based computer that is running Terminal Services, you can redirect LPT1 to a network printer. For example, if you use a net use lpt1: \\printserver\printer command (where printserver is the print server name and printer is the printer name), LPT1 is redirected to a network printer. If a Terminal Services client user or a program on the client tries to print to PRN, the computer may stop responding (hang).

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CAUSE

This problem occurs because there is a logic error in the code that sets up the symbolic link for the redirected device.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

260910 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260910/EN-US/ ) How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack

The English-language version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date        Time     Version        Size     File name
   -----------------------------------------------------
   1/16/2001   09:22p   5.0.2195.3144  34,576   Csrsrv.dll

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WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, print to LPT1 and not to PRN.

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STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

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MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about how to obtain a hotfix for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

265173 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265173/EN-US/ ) The Datacenter Program and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server Product

For additional information about how to install multiple hotfixes with only one reboot, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

296861 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/296861/EN-US/ ) Use QChain.exe to Install Multiple Hotfixes with One Reboot

PRN should track LPT1, so printing to PRN should work and the output should print to the device to which LPT1 is redirected. If the client prints to LPT1 rather than to PRN, printing works correctly. If you redirect LPT1 and print to PRN from the computer that is running Terminal Services, printing to PRN does work.

For example, you can use a net use lpt1: \\printserver\printer command to redirect LPT1 to a network printer.

For additional information about how to install Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 hotfixes at the same time, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

249149 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/249149/EN-US/ ) Installing Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows 2000 Hotfixes

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