Troubleshooting

Can't Find Any Printers in Active Directory

When I use Find Printers, no printers appear in the results list.

You might have selected criteria that no printers match, or you might be specifying the criteria too closely and missing some near but inexact matches. Remove a criterion or two and repeat the search. If your search reveals more printers than you want to look at, try narrowing the search more slowly. Instead of specifying Postscript Level 2 as a Printer Language, for example, try searching for "Post." You might be missing a printer that was entered PostScript Lvl 2.

No Connect Option for Web Printing

I can view a Windows XP computers/printers Web page and select a printer, but Connect is not shown as an option.

This problem should only occur when you're trying to establish the connection using an older version of Windows. This won't be a problem with Windows XP or Windows 2000. If you are using an older version of Windows, first of all, you must be using Internet Explorer version 5 or higher. Then, you need to have IPP software installed on the computer that is viewing the Web page, and you must be using Internet Explorer as your Web browser. Windows 95, 98, and NT 4 can get IPP software from http://www.windowsupdate.com. Download the Internet Printing update. Then, when you view the Web page with IE, you can connect and use the printer.

Web Folder Appears to Be Empty

When I view a Web folder known to contain files, it appears to be empty. What's wrong?

The Web server that is sharing the folder does not have Directory Listing enabled on the shared folder. The manager of this Web server (who could be you) needs to set this property in the Web Sharing Properties dialog box for the folder.

Directory Listing Appears Instead of Web Folder

When I view a Web folder, I see a columnar text listing of filenames, sizes, and dates instead of the expected folder view with icons.

You did not view the folder using the Open dialog box with Open as Web Folder checked, or the Web site you visited does not have WebDAV, FrontPage, or Office server extensions installed. This can also happen if you opened the folder using a shortcut you created by dragging the Address icon from Explorer when you first viewed this Web folder. Get your shortcut from My Network Places instead.

Web Sharing Is Not a Choice

When I view a folder or hard drive's Properties, Web Sharing is not available as a choice.

Internet Information Services must be installed, as well as the (FrontPage) Server Extensions. Check to see that these services are properly installed, as explained in Chapter 13. If the Web Sharing tab is still not available, uninstall the Server Extensions and reinstall them.

Network Printer Has Stopped Working

There are documents waiting to be printed on a networked printer, but the printer has stopped working.

If a shared network printer stops working with important documents in its queue, you still might be able to get the documents out by redirecting the output of a stalled printer queue to another printer of the same make and model.

To do this, at the computer that sharing the printer, log on as a Computer Administrator. Open the Printers and Faxes folder, right-click the disabled printer, and select Properties. View the Ports tab. Here, you can direct the queued print output to

• A printer on a different port on the same computercheck the alternative LPT or USB port name.

• A printer on a different network serverClick Add Port, select Local Port, and enter the alternative printer's share name in UNC format, such as \\sumatra\laserjet.

This will send output to the alternative printer, and network users won't have to make any changes to their printer setup. This only works, though, when the alternative printer is completely compatible with the original.

File Is in Use by Another

When I attempt to edit a file in a folder I've shared on the network, I receive an error message indicating that the file is in use by another user.

You can find out which remote user has the file open by using the Shared Folder tool in Computer Management, as I described earlier in this chapter under "Managing Network Use of Your Computer."

You can wait for the remote user to finish using your file, or you can ask that person to quit. Only in a dire emergency should you use the Shared Folder tool to disconnect the remote user or close the file. The only reasons I can think of to do this would be that the remote user's computer has crashed, but your computer thinks the connection is still established, or that the remote user is an intruder.