We have just moved to a complete Windows 7 implementation. Here is info on our environment: ~900 Windows 7 workstations 32-bit (maybe 10 Vista, 20 XP) Windows 2003 Active Directory (2003 functional level, no 2008 DC's) Windows 2003 x64 print server installed as a cluster, both 64 and 32 bit printer drivers installed Windows 2008 R2 print server Workstation images built, sysprepped and deployed through WDS Script was run in the setup when machine first booted after sysprep to add printers (C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\loadprinters.cmd Command to add printers in script is rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /n \\server\printer The most prevalent issue seems to be with users attempting to add printers. We have already addressed the security issues with standard domain users being able to add printers through GPO and that is not a problem. What we are running into is the process to add printers which need new printer drivers - specifically the HP Universal Printer Driver - is taking from 5-20 minutes to install a printer. This issue occurs when loading from both the Windows 2003 print server and the brand new Windows 2008 R2 print server that was just built with all the latest drivers (we originally though the issue was related to the Windows 2003 print server so we stood up the 2008 server as a means of testing but it didn't make any difference). Another issue, possibly related, is that we are unable to delete printer drivers. Even if all but the current user's profile and the default profile are deleted, we get the error "Failed to remove driver xxxx. The specified printer driver is currently in use." There are no printers installed when we get this error (if printers *are* installed, then it lists the printers the driver is attached to). We have also used the /gd option to remove the printers using the printUI.dll. Restarting the spooler or even restarting the computer make no difference. The only way to get rid of these drivers is to manually delete them from the registry and remove the files (both tricky and risky, not to mention highly impractical for an installation our size). Since we have predominantly HP printers I see this with the HP drivers, but I can't say with certainty that it is a HP specific issue. I suspect part of the problem is that printer drivers may be conflicting - I know that at least one point there were two different versions of the HP UPD in use (the print server had been updated after the printers were installed originally on the workstation). At this point there isn't much we have not tried but hopefully someone can point us in the right direction or at least shed some light on what is happening. Thanks

Hi, Thanks for posting in Technet. From the issue symptom, I suspect that incorrect drivers are deployed into problematic computers. You can try to find universal printer drivers from Microsoft Update Catalog. Microsoft Update Catalog Please note that for some models of printers, if there are not universal drivers, they should not be designed for enterprise environments. You may apply the drivers in both servers and there should not be any driver compatible issue on clients. For problematic clients, it is better to remove the problematic drivers. Arthur Xie TechNet Subscriber Support in forum If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Thank you for the response. We will continue to experiment with different drivers. However, if you look at the second paragraph of my post, you will see we are unable to delete drivers from the machines... Another issue, possibly related, is that we are unable to delete printer drivers. Even if all but the current user's profile and the default profile are deleted, we get the error "Failed to remove driver xxxx. The specified printer driver is currently in use." There are no printers installed when we get this error (if printers *are* installed, then it lists the printers the driver is attached to). We have also used the /gd option to remove the printers using the printUI.dll. Restarting the spooler or even restarting the computer make no difference. The only way to get rid of these drivers is to manually delete them from the registry and remove the files (both tricky and risky, not to mention highly impractical for an installation our size). Do you have a recommendation or solution to this issue? UPDATED INFORMATION: We have the most current and certified drivers on the 2008 server. On a new installation (no printers previously installed via script or other) the printers installed quickly (less than 30 seconds with driver install). When another printer was added using the same driver the process was instantaneous. This would seem to confirm the issues are related to old/incorrect drivers getting installed originally. The question is still how to get rid of them. Thank you

Hi, I have noticed that. I just hoped that after you installing correct driver, the incompatible driver will not be loaded by print spooler service. However, because of the driver design, an old driver may be not replaced or covered. Generally, in this case we may need to manually delete it in Print Management. If it does not work, you can try to isolate the printer driver. If it does not help either, you may need to clear the printing subsystem with the following steps. The suggestions for deleting drivers can be easily performed in one system. However, if there are hundreds of computers that have the driver issue, plenty of works are required. That is why I hope that the new drivers can cover the old drivers. If we have to delete files and Registrys entrys to clear the printing sub system, we can consider to use command lines and include the command lines in startup script. Step 1 ====== Start Windows Explorer, and then rename all files and folders in the following two folders: c:\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86 To rename a file, we can right click the file and select Rename. This step can be easily executed by command line. Step 2 ====== 1. Click Start, type REGEDIT in the Start Search Bar, and then press ENTER. 2. Navigate to and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environment\Windows NT x86 View the list of subkeys. There should be only the following subkeys: Drivers Print Processors If there are any keys other than those listed above, follow these steps: a. On the File menu, click Export. b. In the File Name box, type a descriptive name for this key -- for example, type WindowsNTx86regkey -- and then click Save to save it to your local Desktop. We can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environment\Windows NT x86 registry key to restore the key if you experience any problems after you complete this procedure. c. Delete all keys other than Drivers and Print Processors. Step 3 ====== Navigate to and click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors registry key. View the list of subkeys. There should be only the following subkeys: BJ Language Monitor Local Port Microsoft Document Imaging Writer Monitor Microsoft Shared Fax Monitor Standard TCP/IP Port USB Monitor WSD Port If there are any keys other than those listed in above, follow these steps to delete them: a. On the File menu, click Export. b. In the File Name box, type a descriptive name for this key -- for example, type Monitorsregkey -- and then click Save to save it to your local Desktop. We can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors registry key to restore the key if you experience any problems after you complete this procedure. c. Delete all keys other than the 5 listed above. For step2 and step3, you can try "reg" command lines. I suggest you find a sample system which does not have printer drivers. Then export the related Registry values. Then use "reg import" command to import these values to replace the existed entries. Please remember to click “Mark as Answer” on the post that helps you, and to click “Unmark as Answer” if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread. ”

Hi, Just want to check how things are going. Have you get the issues resolved?Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Thank you for the detailed reply! Yes, this seems to work on individual systems but is not practical to fix several hundred. Now that we have identified the problems with printer drivers, I think the only real solution for an organization like ours is to re-build images and redeploy. Printing worked well in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 - it is a shame that Microsoft determined it needed to be "fixed".