You may receive an error message when you try to print a document to a network shared printer from a computer that is running Windows 2000

When you print a document to a network shared printer from a computer that is running Microsoft Windows 2000, the print job does not produce output. You may receive an error message that states that you cannot print a document or that you have an invalid printer. The exact error message varies depending on the application that you use to submit the print job. This problem does not occur if you log on to the computer by using an administrative account.

You may receive one of the following symptoms, depending on your application:

• If you try to print a document from Microsoft Internet Explorer, you receive one of the following error messages:
  
  Before you can print, you need to select a printer. If you need to install a printer, either double-click the Add Printer icon or click the Find Printer button located on the general tab of this dialog.
  You do not have permission to use the selected printer. If you need access, contact your network administrator.
• If you try to print a document from Notepad, you receive the following error message:
  
  Printer PrinterName is no longer available. Close the properties dialog box, and select another printer.
  
  Note PrinterName is a placeholder for the name of the printer.
• If you try to print a document from Microsoft Excel, you receive the following error message:
  Current printer is unavailable. Select another printer.
• If you try to print a document from Microsoft PowerPoint, you receive the following error message:
  
  No printers are installed.
• If you try to print a document from Microsoft Outlook, you receive one of the following error messages:
  No printers are installed. To install a printer, point to settings on the Windows Start Menu, click Printer, and then double-click Add Printer. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
  You do not have permission to use the selected printer. If you need access, contact your network administrator.
• If you try to print a document from Lotus Notes, you receive the following error message:
  Insufficient memory
• If you try to print a document from Microsoft Word, you may not receive any error message, but you cannot print the print job.

This problem typically occurs when the following conditions are true:

• The printer server was upgraded from Windows 2000 to Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
• You pushed the Windows Server 2003 version of the printer driver from the print server to a computer that is running Windows 2000. To do this, you use the Citrix tool or the Printui tool.
• You logged on to the computer that is running Windows 2000 by using a non-administrative account.

This problem occurs because you do not have write permissions to the Windows\System32\Spooler\Drivers\W32x86\3 folder. The Printer Spooler service cannot create or re-create a parsed binary printer description file (.bud) when the related .gpd printer file is updated.

The .bud file is not created or updated when you push the Windows Server 2003 version of the printer driver from the print server to the computer where you are running the application. When you try to use a printer when a .bud file is missing or does not match the .gpd file, the Printer Spooler service will create or re-create the .bud file. However, if you do not have the permissions to create or re-create the .bud file, the problem occurs.

Note The .bud file is a binary version of the generic printer description file (.gpd) that is included with many printer drivers. The .bud file is located in the Windows\System32\Spooler\Drivers\W32x86\3 folder.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, submit a request to Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required.

Restart requirement

You must restart the Print Spooler service after you apply the hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix replaces the hotfix that is described in the following Knowledge Base article:

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows 2000 Service Pack 4

Warning This workaround may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend this workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement this workaround at your own discretion. Use this workaround at your own risk.

To work around this problem, grant write permission to the Windows\System32\Spooler\Drivers\W32x86\3 folder and its subfolders.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.The issue is a spooler limitation that is fixed in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. There is no hotfix for the original version of Windows Server 2003.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.