Use Printer Offline

In the spooler Window for a printer (any port connection) you can see the
online/offline status of the printer. Especially when using USB or TCP/IP I
noticed Windows is also setting "Use Printer Offline" which is also a setting
in the Printer menue and is a sticking state (at least sometimes).

I have three problems.
1. Can I programmatically change this on or off?
2. Why is this state sometimes changing and sometimes not?
3. When I am connecting to a print server via a Language Monitor / Port
Monitor for the print server it happens all the time that on reboot the "Use
Printer Offline" is sticky and can't be reset. You have to attach the print
server manually in the Port setup again to fix this problem. What do I have
to do to fix this?

I hope someone wil get me some answers on these questions.

Thanks in advance.

--
\Manfred

homer
Fri Jun 22 19:29:47 CDT 2007


In the windows api there are 2 ways
1 changes every printer attached to a specific port (COM,LPT1)
search for setport with a PORT_INFO_3 structure

2.changes the specific printer
search for setprinter

3 uses a script to configure the printer
search for prncnfg.vbs

cscript prncnfg.vbs -t -p printername +workoffline



On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 13:29:00 -0700, Manfred Wilner
<mwilner@noemail.noemail> wrote:

>In the spooler Window for a printer (any port connection) you can see the
>online/offline status of the printer. Especially when using USB or TCP/IP I
>noticed Windows is also setting "Use Printer Offline" which is also a setting
>in the Printer menue and is a sticking state (at least sometimes).
>
>I have three problems.
>1. Can I programmatically change this on or off?
>2. Why is this state sometimes changing and sometimes not?
>3. When I am connecting to a print server via a Language Monitor / Port
>Monitor for the print server it happens all the time that on reboot the "Use
>Printer Offline" is sticky and can't be reset. You have to attach the print
>server manually in the Port setup again to fix this problem. What do I have
>to do to fix this?
>
>I hope someone wil get me some answers on these questions.
>
>Thanks in advance.

mwilner
Sat Jun 23 14:22:00 CDT 2007

Thank you Homer,
THis is all good but it is not working when you have a loged down PC with a
limited access user.
You need admin access rights to do this.
Any ideas?

--
\Manfred



"homer" wrote:

>
> In the windows api there are 2 ways
> 1 changes every printer attached to a specific port (COM,LPT1)
> search for setport with a PORT_INFO_3 structure
>
> 2.changes the specific printer
> search for setprinter
>
> 3 uses a script to configure the printer
> search for prncnfg.vbs
>
> cscript prncnfg.vbs -t -p printername +workoffline
>
>
>
> On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 13:29:00 -0700, Manfred Wilner
> <mwilner@noemail.noemail> wrote:
>
> >In the spooler Window for a printer (any port connection) you can see the
> >online/offline status of the printer. Especially when using USB or TCP/IP I
> >noticed Windows is also setting "Use Printer Offline" which is also a setting
> >in the Printer menue and is a sticking state (at least sometimes).
> >
> >I have three problems.
> >1. Can I programmatically change this on or off?
> >2. Why is this state sometimes changing and sometimes not?
> >3. When I am connecting to a print server via a Language Monitor / Port
> >Monitor for the print server it happens all the time that on reboot the "Use
> >Printer Offline" is sticky and can't be reset. You have to attach the print
> >server manually in the Port setup again to fix this problem. What do I have
> >to do to fix this?
> >
> >I hope someone wil get me some answers on these questions.
> >
> >Thanks in advance.
>
>

Chris
Sat Jun 23 20:02:00 CDT 2007

Hi Manfred and Homer,

I'm having the same problems as Manfred -- my printer keeps slipping
offline. I don't know what to do about it and it's really messing with my
work. You guys seem to be much more computer literate than I am. I would be
grateful if someone could explain to me in dummy's English how to fix it.
--
Chris


"Manfred Wilner" wrote:

> Thank you Homer,
> THis is all good but it is not working when you have a loged down PC with a
> limited access user.
> You need admin access rights to do this.
> Any ideas?
>
> --
> \Manfred
>
>
>
> "homer" wrote:
>
> >
> > In the windows api there are 2 ways
> > 1 changes every printer attached to a specific port (COM,LPT1)
> > search for setport with a PORT_INFO_3 structure
> >
> > 2.changes the specific printer
> > search for setprinter
> >
> > 3 uses a script to configure the printer
> > search for prncnfg.vbs
> >
> > cscript prncnfg.vbs -t -p printername +workoffline
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, 4 Jun 2007 13:29:00 -0700, Manfred Wilner
> > <mwilner@noemail.noemail> wrote:
> >
> > >In the spooler Window for a printer (any port connection) you can see the
> > >online/offline status of the printer. Especially when using USB or TCP/IP I
> > >noticed Windows is also setting "Use Printer Offline" which is also a setting
> > >in the Printer menue and is a sticking state (at least sometimes).
> > >
> > >I have three problems.
> > >1. Can I programmatically change this on or off?
> > >2. Why is this state sometimes changing and sometimes not?
> > >3. When I am connecting to a print server via a Language Monitor / Port
> > >Monitor for the print server it happens all the time that on reboot the "Use
> > >Printer Offline" is sticky and can't be reset. You have to attach the print
> > >server manually in the Port setup again to fix this problem. What do I have
> > >to do to fix this?
> > >
> > >I hope someone wil get me some answers on these questions.
> > >
> > >Thanks in advance.
> >
> >

dsarma
Fri Jul 20 17:17:42 CDT 2007

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From the Printer and Faxes folder, right click on the printer and select
"Use printer online".
If this does not work, then open a command window and execute the command
"net stop spooler" without the quotes. Then followed by "net start
spooler". Check again the
printer status in Printer and Faxes folder and see if it is online again.
If not try the "Use printer online"
step described above.

Deba Sarma
MICROSOFT DDK Print Developer Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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{\rtf1\ansi\ansicpg1252\deff0\deflang1033{\fonttbl{\f0\fnil\fprq2\fcharset0 MS Sans Serif;}}
\viewkind4\uc1\pard\f0\fs20 From the Printer and Faxes folder, right click on the printer and select "Use printer online".
\par If this does not work, then open a command window and execute the command
\par "net stop spooler" without the quotes. Then followed by "net start spooler". Check again the
\par printer status in Printer and Faxes folder and see if it is online again. If not try the "Use printer online"
\par step described above.
\par
\par Deba Sarma
\par MICROSOFT DDK Print Developer Support
\par
\par This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
\par
\par
\par }
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