Tag Archives: “Windows Server 2008 R2 Service Pack 1”

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Microsoft Windows – Network Printer/s Unexpectedly Show Offline

When using Microsoft Windows (various editions and versions) you may find that your Network Printer Unexpectedly Shows Offline.  This can occur for a number of reasons and todays blog will try and help get you printing again.

First you should verify that you can ping the printer you are trying to print to, you can usually find the hostname or the IP address of the printer from the “Ports” tab of the printers “properties” page.

It should look something like this:

Printer Name or IP Address is where we can see which port the printer is trying to print to, we can then enter a “command prompt” by typing “cmd” into the “run” box and then type the ping command and the ip address or hostname of our printer.  Example is “ping 192.168.1.230” or “ping hpinkjetprinter”

If we do not get a response from the address or hostname then it could indicate that the printer has been assigned a different IP address (DHCP) by the server or your Router.  It could also indicate that the printer is turned off, the network cable is unplugged or damaged, if the printer is wireless it may be that the signal is no longer in range or that the wireless credentials it was setup with have been changed (WEP or WPA Key, SSID).  Many Servers or Routers support reservations so that you can ensure your printer always gets the same ip address, alternatively you can find the hostname of your printer and set the printer port to the hostname, if the ip address changes the computer should then still be able to resolve the hostname to the current and valid ip address of the device.

If your printer is responding to a ping command but you still cannot print then it may be an issue with the configuration of the printers “Standard TCP/IP Port” you will several options on the port configuration page that can effect your ability to submit a print job to the network printer, it may also cause the printer to incorrectly report that it is offline.

One particular issues that I have witnessed first hand is an HP OfficeJet Printer showing offline when the “SNMP Status Enabled” is ticked under the  “Standard TCP/IP Port” printer port configuration tab.  You may be able to ping the printer and access its web configuration but the printer will continue to show offline in Windows and print jobs will remian in the print queue.  Once the “SNMP Status Enabled” is unchecked the printer will appear online again and print correctly.

You amy also find that your printer only supports RAW or LPR mode, you can usually find further information on the “Protocol” that your printer supports via the technical manual or sometimes via the printers web configuration page.

Last but not least please remeber to check that you have the latest printer drivers from the manufacturers website, any firmware updates or software updates should also be installed to ensure the optimum performance and reliability of your product.  It is also important to remember that you should ensure the printer you are accessing is compatbile with your operating system and that driver support is either providd natively within Windows or the manufcaturer supply drivers via their website.

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Windows 7, Server 2008 R2, SBS 2011 RTM or SP1 – You may experience a Stop Error 0x0000003B when you run certain games or applications

The Stop Error may look similar to the example below

Stop 0x0000003B (c0000094, fffff8800ff22e54, fffff880098897f0, 0)
SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION

The error occurs because the D3D9 runtime cannot validate rectangle values that are passed by the game or application.

A hotfix is available from Microsoft KB2584454 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2584454

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Verify the Health and Operation of your Intel® Processor with the Intel® Processor Diagnostic Tool

A 32 and 64 bit version of the IPDT or Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool can be downloaded from here: http://www.intel.com/support/processors/sb/CS-031726.htm

You can also see a video on how to use it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpPOqh_Bq78

You can use the diagnostic tool to test the various features of your Intel Processor and perform a stress test to ensure that it is operating in a  stable manner.

Cisco, Microsoft, SBS 2003, SBS 2008, SBS 2011, Small Business Server 2003, Small Business Server 2008, Small Business Server 2011, Windows, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Vista, Windows XP

A Windows Based Computer that is connected to your network via an IP Phone (NAP-Enabled) may not connect to the same VLAN after resume from hibernation

This issue applies to Windows XP – SP3, Windows Vista – SP2, Windows Server 2008 – SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 – SP1 and Windows 7 – SP1.

This issue occurs on networks that use IEEE 802.1X authentication where the client computer or server machine is connected or bridged via a NAP-Enabled device such as an IP or VoIP Phone Handset.

The issue will not be resolved for Windows XP because it is now outside the mainstream support cycle.  Hotfixes for the other operating systems listed above can be obtain via Microsoft KB 976373 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976373