Share via

Managing printer drivers

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Managing printer drivers

If your network contains a mixture of Alpha-based and x86-based computers, you can install printer drivers for each one on each print server. This ensures that documents originating from Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, or Windows 98 clients running on any of the hardware platforms can use all printers.

For example, suppose your network contains the following: Windows 95 clients, x86-based clients running Windows XP or Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0, and Alpha-based clients running Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and 3.51. If you create a shared printer on an x86-based computer, you should install these four printer drivers in addition to the x86-based Windows Server 2003 family printer driver that is installed by default for the printer you have selected:

  • Windows 95.

  • Windows NT 4.0 x86-based.

  • Windows NT 4.0 Alpha-based.

  • Windows NT 3.5 or 3.51 Alpha-based.

When installed on a computer which is acting as a print server, the Windows Server 2003 family operating system determines whether incoming print requests are Alpha-based or x86-based and automatically sends the appropriate driver to the client.