Adding 32-bit print drivers to 64-bit print server
This is one of those issues that I just can’t figure out why Microsoft did not include both 32-bit and 64-bit print drivers on the media for Windows Server 2008. Or maybe as a download pack or something. The trend is definitely to use 64-bit servers (no other choice if you’re using Windows Server 2008 R2 or newer), but many client workstations are going to be 32-bit for years to come. Anyhow…if you have a 64-bit print server and need those 32-bit print drivers, see below. (Or vice versa, 32-bit print server serving up print queues to 64-bit workstations).
Step 1: Share a print queue out on the 64-bit print server
- Login with local administrative permissions to the Windows Server 2008 64-bit print server.
- Add a new printer, name it, share it, add to the directory, etc. (You should be using the Print Management Console to manage your printers!)
At this point you have a new shared print queue with 64-bit drivers.
Step 2: Add the 32-bit drivers
- Login with local administrative permissions to a Windows Server 2008 32-bit server. (For best results always use the EXACT SAME OS VERSION AND SP LEVEL here, though you can possibly do this from a fully up to date Windows 7 or Windows Vista workstation)
- Browse to the 64-bit print server by UNC path, i.e. \\PrintServer.
- Click on the Printers folder (or just include that in your UNC path above).
- Right-click a shared printer and select Properties from the context menu.
- Click on the Sharing tab.
- Click the Additional Drivers button.
- Check the x86 Type 3 - User Mode box.
- Click OK, install the drivers.
- Close all open windows.
Done.
Adapted from TechNet social discussion.
Print server migration script
We’ve got a project upcoming where we’ll be moving all of the Windows print queues from four existing print servers (they’re also file servers) to a a single print server. This is a good thing since it will get the load of having the print queues (and all of the various drivers) off of the file servers onto a dedicated server.
Migrating the 500 or so print queues is not so bad, even if done by hand to ensure that the there is only one version (the most current) of each printer driver installed. But how would one go about updating the mappings on all of the client computers? That’s a big task for any organization, especially when you get into the thousands of computers and thousands of users involved.
The attached script will do just that. It should be run as a startup script and will query the local PC to determine what network print queues it is mapped to and remap them accordingly to the new server…just change the server names and off you go.
RemapPrinters2.zip (728 bytes, 1,252 hits)
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