stop windows from trying to connect to installed network printers
I have searched and searched for solutions to this:
I use my notebook at work and home. At work I have two printers on the network that I use. They are shared. At home I have like two other printers (via USB hookups) and also I have a simple pdf maker (the default printer). So I have like 5 or 6 printers in total installed. When I am at home (i.e. disconnected to my office network) and directly after logon (or direclty after starting the print spooler service – as this is mostly set to manual) when I view the printers (in explorer…printers and faxes) they all immediately correctly show status as being off- or on-line EXCEPT the darned network printers! For those two, Explorer says status” “opening” and after a few minutes “unable to connect”. In the meantime the IIS Admin service starts up (I have IIS installed but the FTP, web etc. sites are stopped most of the time). This waitaround while explorer…printers and faxes tries “opening” and after a few minutes tells me “unable to connect” happens EVERY TIME I try to print something. The app in question (e.g. word, wordpad, notepad, Adobe, Foxit pdf reader) freezes and when I scoot over to explorer…printers and faxes f5 (refreshing) reveals again “opening” and after a few minutes “unable to connect”. After it (once again) discoves it is “unable to connect” the app un-freezes and the print dialogue box finally is displayed and I can print no problem. If I delete these 2 work network printers, printing from an app. works immediately. So I am now at the stage of deleting these printers every evening and re-installing them again at work every day. There MUST be a better solution to STOP Explorer from trying to communicate with them each time printing is used.
NOTE: For “years” I have had unchecked the old “automatically search for network folders and printers” in explorer..tools..folder options..view…advanced settings… this is NOT the issue.
I run xp prof-SP2 with all updates (except SP3). I admit I do have some unnecessary services switched off but that seems to make a difference (when I test by restarting any of these service).
Like I said I have searched and searched for soultions to this and it must be pretty typical (unless I have something odd in my XP config that makes this happen and no one else with home / work printers choices experiences this.
thanks if you can help
Joe
