Installing a Shared Copy of a Printer Driver over a Network

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

Microsoft does not encourage nor support user changes to .INF files; therefore, Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) does not support the procedure in this article. Although we have tested the following procedure and it appears to function as described; we strongly recommend that you make a backup copy of your .INF file before you proceed.

SUMMARY

This article provides a method to install shared printer drivers without copying the printer drivers to the user directory. This procedure is applicable only to printer drivers included in the Windows Driver Library (WDL) and requires modification of the CONTROL.INF file.

NOTE: This procedure may not work with all WDL drivers. For example, the WDL self-extracting file HPPCL5.EXE, which contains updated drivers for the HP LaserJet III through 4Si MX printers, may not work with this procedure.

MORE INFORMATION

After setting up Windows on a network by using the SETUP /A command to create the shared Windows directory and the SETUP /N command to create the user directory, you may want to install shared printer drivers. If you install a new printer driver by using the Printer icon in Control Panel and selecting Unlisted Or Updated Printer, the driver is copied to your user directory. To install the driver without copying the driver to the user directory, use the following steps:

1. Run SETUP /A to expand the Windows files to the public Windows directory on the server.

2. Make a backup copy of the CONTROL.INF file in the shared Windows directory. For example, type "copy control.inf control.old" (without the quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER.

3. Copy the printer driver and related files to the shared directory. For example, the WDL self-extracting file HPPCL.EXE contains updated drivers for the HP LaserJet through IIP Plus printers. Note that these files are compressed. Once you have expanded the following files (by using the EXPAND utility), you can copy them to the shared directory:

         FINSTALL.DLL
         FINSTALL.HLP
         HPPCL.DRV
         LICENSE.TXT
         OEMSETUP.INF
         PRINTER.TXT
         UNIDRV.DLL
         UNIDRV.HLP
   

4. Using two different copies of Windows Notepad, open the OEMSETUP.INF file and the CONTROL.INF file.

5. Copy all the entries in the [io.device] and [io.dependent] sections of the OEMSETUP.INF file, and paste them to their respective sections in the CONTROL.INF file. An OEMSETUP.INF file exists for each group of WDL drivers; therefore, you need to make the modifications to CONTROL.INF immediately after copying each group of WDL drivers to the shared directory.

   NOTE: You may need to remove the Read-Only file attribute before editing the CONTROL.INF file.

6. Run Control Panel and choose the Printers icon.

7. Choose the Add button.

8. From the List Of Printers box, select the appropriate driver and choose the Install button.