Dr.Watson Error When Renaming Printers Remotely on Windows NT 3.51

• Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.51, 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.5, 4.0

SYMPTOMS

After you remotely rename a printer on a server running Windows NT 3.51 from a server running Windows NT 4.0 using a remote printer folder, Printman.exe will display a Dr. Watson access violation (0xc0000005) error message.

CAUSE

The GUI of the Printers folder on Windows NT Server 4.0 and Workstation 4.0 allows up to a 260-character string for a printer name. If the name of a printer that exists on a Windows NT 3.51 server is changed remotely to a name that contains more then the 259 character limit, Printman.exe and Spoolss.exe on the Windows NT 3.51 server will display a Dr. Watson message.

If you remotely change the printer name for a printer that exist on Windows NT 4.0 to the maximum amount of characters that the GUI allows (260), the name will be truncated to 259 characters. This problem does not occur on Windows NT 4.0.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, avoid typing in the maximum amount of 260 characters when renaming printers through a remote printer folder.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT versions 3.51 and 4.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Keywords          : kbbug4.00 kbbug3.51 
Version           : WinNT:3.51,4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbbug 

Last Reviewed: February 5, 1999