Find answers to your technical support questions using our knowledgebase.
Using the seach below, enter keywords related to your technical support question. We will search our support database and find support articles related to your inquiry.
Title
Printer using ports not COM, LPT or USB
ID
0000000059
Subtitle
Printers not redirected in a remote desktop session
Description
Printers using ports that are not COM, LPT or USB are not redirected in Remote Desktop or Terminal Services session
Text
PRINTERS THAT USE PORTS THAT DO NOT BEGIN WITH COM, LPT OR USB ARE NOT REDIRECTED IN A REMOTE DESKTOP OR TERMINAL SERVICES SESSION.
When you use Remote Desktop Connection or the Terminal Services Client, version 4.0 or 5.0 to connect to another Windows-based computer from a computer that is not running Windows Server 2003, your local printers may not be redirected. As a result, your local printers are not available in the remote desktop or terminal services session.
For example, if your Windows XP-based computer has a multifunction print device using DOT4 port, it may not be redirected in a remote desktop session to a Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003-based computer.
This problem occurs because the printer port does not begin with COM, LPT or USB. By default, printer port names that do not begin with COM, LPT or USB are only redirected in Windows Server 2003. By default, multifunction print devices may not be redirected unless you are running Windows Server 2003 on your local computer because they use DOT4 ports.
Resolution
To resolve this problem on a computer that is not running Windows Server 2003, force all ports (including DOT4) on the client computer to be filtered for redirection. To do this, add a DWORD value named 'FilterQueueType' to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR and set its value data to 'FFFFFFFF'.
Follow these steps then quit Registry Editor: 1. Click 'Start', click 'Run', type 'regedit' and then click 'OK'.
2. Locate and then click the following key in the registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Terminal Server Client\Default\AddIns\RDPDR.
3. On the 'Edit' menu, point to 'New', then click 'DWORD Value'.
4. Type 'FilterQueueType', then press 'ENTER'.
5. On the 'Edit' menu, clock 'Modify'.
6. Type 'FFFFFFFF', then click 'OK' This enables all ports on the client to be redirected.
To work around this problem on a client computer that has a multifunction print device, change the port that the multifunction print device uses from DOT4 to an LPT port.
For example, to configure a multifunction print device to use an LPT port on a Windows XP-based computer, follow these steps: 1. In 'Control Panel' open 'Printers and Faxes'.
2. Right-click the local printer that is not redirected, then click "Properties'.
3. Click the 'Ports' tab, click an LPT port and then 'Apply'. The printer should now appear next to that port.
4. Close the Printer Properties window, then reconnect by using Remote Desktop.
IMPORTANT: When a multifunction printer is using a standard LPT port instead of the DOT4 port, it loses its multifunction capabilities such as scanning, faxing or copying. To regain these multifunction capabilities, the print device must use the DOT4 port.
To view the port name for your printer, or to determine if the device uses a DOT4 port, view the properties of that printer, then click the 'Ports' (or the 'Details') tab.