Thinprint printer no longer available

[jasimon9]

Recently the ThinPrint printer has disappeared from my main XP VM.

I saw in another thread the suggestion to stop/start the TP AutoConnect service. I tried that but it did not restore the ThinPrint printer. I have also restarted the VM several times. The TP printer is just gone. I have not made any significant changes to the VM, except possibly recent Windows Updates.

Any ideas?

[WoodyZ]

Have you tried uninstalling/reinstalling VMware Tools? if not give it a try.

[jasimon9]

I opened a Service Request, and they advised me to reinstall VMWare Tools. Not "uninstall/reinstall", just reinstall. I did that and it did not fix it.

So I started to try your solution, which I have heard mentioned a lot. However, I had and am continuing to have a lot of issues trying to do this, as follows:

1. I used Add/Remove programs to uninstall VMWare Tools. I ignored all the "new hardware found" messages and the ZoneAlarm "New Network Found" , as I believe is correct at this point.

2. After restarting the VM, the VMWare menu did not have the "Install VMWare Tools" choice, but just a "Update VMWare Tools" choice. So I tried that but the process hung.

3. I restarted the VM again, and this time it had the "Install VMWare Tools" option, which I tried. However, this seems to hang up because ZoneAlarm gives the "New Network Found" window. While trying to enter the info into this window, ZA locks up. Task Manager wil not load so it cannot be killed via Task Manager. Most of the Windows UI also seems locked up, such as the Start Menu.

4. Next step: reboot VM again.

5. After rebooting, the VM does not allow me to log in. The Windows login screen just does not respond.

6. Restart the VM again. Cannot login. Login screen does not take keyboard input, nor mouse clicks. But the mouse cursor can be moved.

7. Shutdown VM > Quit VMWare > restart VMWare > start VM > try to login. This works as expected.

8. However, still no ThinPrint printer.

[WoodyZ · Accepted solution]

With a fresh reboot of the Virtual Machine is the TP AutoConnect Service started?

Another option it to turn off this feature and share the printer under OS X and install it in Windows just like you would if this was a Physical Machine attaching to a Network Shared Resource.

[jasimon9]

The TP Auto Connect service has always been running. I had checked it, stopped it and restarted it as part of my initial efforts. It is still running in the "resurrected VM." However, when I try to print, there is no ThinPrint device available.

I am not completely without printing from the VM however, as I also have a USB printer device there (connected to the same printer). In fact, the USB printer is the subject of some VERY long threads from long ago.

The result is that for nearly a year, I have had both the USB printer and the ThinPrint printer available. Just recently, the ThinPrint printer disappeared.

The reason I find having both useful is because the ThinPrint printer is always connected and available to all Windows programs. I use it as you would expect, and as most poeple probably do. The USB printer however must be connected via "Virtual Machine > USB > Connect Brother Printer" sequence, and when connected blocks shared use of the printer. So it is more inconvenient. However it is mission critical to have for one application, as that application will not work via the ThinPrint mechanism (long, long discussion of that in other threads). In short, printer control codes from this application only work via the USB printer connection.

Bottom line: I don't need to try other workarounds to have a printer, as the USB printer is available and works. it is just less convenient than having the ThinPrint printer available also.

[WoodyZ]

With the noted exception of the application that has to communicate via USB then the rest of the time so other users have access then you should share the printer under OS X and install it in Windows just like you would if this was a Physical Machine attaching to a Network Shared Resource and be done with it as this works too and has worked long before ThinPrint.

[jasimon9]

I took your suggestion and it works. It reminds me that back on Fusion 2 I think I had to do the same thing, as ThinPrint did not work at all back then. Just with F3, Thinprint seemed to work out of the box, and has worked well for 5 months, then suddenly became non-functional.

In my case, I cannot browse for a printer, as Windows never seems to find the printer connected to the Mac, or sometimes will find it but only after a very long time. But it does work by just entering the shared path name.

Thanks for your help!

[gbullman]

I recently started using the same VM on either Fusion 3.0.1 on the Mac, or Player 3.0 on a Windows XP host. This particular VM I have to stop and start TP AutoConnect Service virtually every time I use the VM to have the correct printers present. This particular VM was built from a corporate image as opposed to a clean install so that may have something to do with it. I put the following in a .cmd scrip to make it a little easier to cycle the TP service;

@echo off

echo "Shutting down TP AutoConnect..."

call net stop "TP AutoConnect Service"

pause

echo "Starting TP AutoConnect..."

call net start "TP AutoConnect Service"

pause

Most times this corrects my problem, worst case I have to run this twice. I usually wait a minute or so after shutdown before restarting the service.

[jasimon9]

Figuring it was worth a shot, I restarted the TP Auto Connect a couple of times.

Still no joy.