Troubleshooting Network Printing in Windows

This page covers common problems with network printing on Windows computers.

Verify that requirements are met

  • You must be connected to the Novell network. This means that when you go to 'My Computer' you see network drives like H: (stuhome or fshome), S: (shared), or L: (classes). College-owned computers do this automatically. Personally-owned computers need to be set up to connect to the Novell network.
  • Setting up network printing requires Internet Explorer version 5.5 with Service Pack 2 (or later) or Firefox 1.5 (or later). One of these browsers must be used to install the iPrint client and install printers. You can determine the version of the browser by selecting 'About Internet Explorer' or 'About Mozilla Firefox' from the Help menu within either browser.
  • The Novell iPrint client is used to send print jobs from your computer to the network printer. To determine if the iPrint client is installed, click Start > Programs and look for a program group titled 'Novell iPrint'. To determine the version of the iPrint client, click Start > Programs > Novell iPrint > iPrint Client.

Verify that the printer is on the network

  • Verify that the printer is powered on, and connected to the network.
  • Ping the printer (e.g. 'ping dept-sc130.printer.stolaf.edu')
  • If the printer does not respond to pings, it will not print. Verify that the printer is connected to the network
  • Verify that the printer's IP address is correct:
    • Obtain a configuration page for the printer. The printer's IP address will typically be listed on the second page.
    • Determine the correct IP address for the printer using nslookup (e.g. 'nslookup dept-sc130.printer.stolaf.edu')
    • If the addresses do not match, the printer is either in the wrong subnet or is not configured. Contact root@stolaf.edu.

Re-install the iPrint Client

Go to http://pubprinters.stolaf.edu:631/ipp and click on the Install iPrint Client link on the right side of the page.

Re-install the Printer

  1. Open the Printers Control Panel (click Start > Settings > Printers).
  2. Delete the printer.
  3. Go to http://pubprinters.stolaf.edu:631/ipp and click on the Install link (the name) for the printer.

Access Denied Error When Accessing Web Page

Check the proxy settings in Internet Explorer. From within Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options > Connections tab > LAN Settings. Check the 'Use automatic configuration script' and enter 'http://www.stolaf.edu/proxy.pac' and uncheck any boxes listed under 'Proxy servers'.

Install Hyperlinks Not Visible on the Web Page

If you visit the pubprinters web page (http://pubprinters.stolaf.edu:631/ipp) or deptprinters web page (http://deptprinters.stolaf.edu:631/ipp) and you do not see the 'Install' hyperlinks, you need to update your computer with the current version of Windows Script from Microsoft's web site. Click on one of the following links to download the Windows Script udpate.

Windows Script 5.6 for Windows 2000 and Windows XP

Windows Script 5.5 for Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows NT 4.0

Print Jobs Never Print from Student Computers to Public Printers

Printing to public printers requires users to be logged into the Novell servers. If a user sends a print job while not logged in, the print job will be deleted with no notification to the user.

  • If the student computer is running Windows 95/98/ME, verify that the student is logging in to the computer with their St. Olaf username and password.
  • If the student computer is running Windows 2000/XP, verify that the student has created a local account using their St. Olaf username and password and has logged into the comptuer with this account.
  • Verify that the student has connected to the Novell servers: double-click on My Computer and then double-click on the H: drive. If you can see the contents of your H: drive (or any other network drive), you are logged in to the Novell servers.

Uninstalling the iPrint client

Occasionally, the iPrint client fails to uninstall properly. Reinstalling the iPrint client will usually allow you to uninstall it. You must use Internet Explorer or Firefox to re-install the iPrint client.

  1. Go to http://pubprinters.stolaf.edu:631/ipp and click on the Install iPrint Client link on the right side of the page.
  2. Follow the prompts to install the iPrint client and reboot when requested.
  3. After your comptuer reboots, click Start > Programs > Novell iPrint > Uninstall iPrint Client.