>Helping someone get a printer. It says it's compatible with XP, but no mention of Server 2003. Should it work?
>
>UPDATE: This link is where the specs are:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c00870767&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=3300221&lang=en#N562HP is usually pretty good at providing drivers for all supported OSs. If W2K3 isn't in the supported list chances are it really isn't supported. On the off-chance the product is brand-new and the web site hasn't been updated properly you could try contacting them via the various "Contact HP" buttons on the pages.
That printer looks like a consumer printer, not business. Some consumer devices rely on Universal Plug & Play (UPnP), which is present in XP and Vista but explicitly not available in Server W2K3 because it's a serious security hole. I ran into this problem with a Canon digital camera - their software installer thinks W2K3 is XP, and by default tries to install the version that requires UPnP. I worked around the problem by manually installing all of the subcomponents by running their installers in W2K compatibility mode - W2K also does not have UPnP.
So, if you're willing to experiment you might be able to get an XP or W2K driver installed. But if it's a mission-critical server I
really wouldn't recommend this - instead choose a printer with full W2K3 driver support. Incorrect drivers are a good way to make a server unreliable, or even blue-screen it.
Regards. Al
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." -- Isaac Asimov
"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right." -- Isaac Asimov
Neither a despot, nor a doormat, be
Every app wants to be a database app when it grows up