General Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated 21 November 2004

Special thanks to the Microsoft Printing, Imaging and Fax MVPs: Cari Miller, Bruce Sanderson and Russ Valentine for making this FAQ possible.

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

1. Newsgroup Organization.

2. What information do I need to include with a post?.

3. What is a driver?.

4. How can I get a new driver?.

5. Where can I get an explanation of the words and terms used in Windows Printing related dialogs and documentation?

1. Newsgroup Organization

Microsoft has a large number of newsgroups at the NNTP server called msnews.microsoft.com. To use Outlook Express to read these newsgroups, see the Outlook Express Help, Content, Viewing and Posting to Newsgroups, What are Newsgroups?

Windows XP Fax and printing questions:

microsoft.public.windowsxp.print_fax

Questions about printers, print client and server setup, drivers, compatibility for Windows 2000:

microsoft.public.win2000.printing

Setup, configuration, and troubleshooting of client and server Fax Services and tools for Windows 2000:

microsoft.public.win2000.fax

2. What information do I need to include with a post?

If you are having trouble with your printer, fax or all-in-one printer, please provide the following information:

· A description of the problem, including the text of any error messages you are receiving.

· The brand and specific model of your device.

· How your device is connected to the PC: USB, parallel (a "fat" plug) or over the network.

· Did you install any new software or hardware, after which the problem occurred?

· Any additional information you are have regarding what you can do to reproduce the problem, what you have tried to fix the problem or other related information.

The more information you can provide, the easier it will be for someone to help you!

3. What is a driver?

A "driver" is a software component that is used by applications and the Windows Operating System to talk to a piece of hardware. Without a properly installed driver, the device probably won't function at all. Many problems with printers, scanners, faxes and all-in-ones are due to problems with drivers.

4. How can I get a new driver?

Sometimes problems are resolved with newer versions of drivers that provide bug fixes or feature enhancements. Updating your device's driver to a newer version may solve the problem you're seeing. Drivers designed for older Operating Systems may not work on Windows 2000, XP or 2003, and should be upgraded.

Drivers are created and supplied by the manufacture of the hardware, and often come on the CD that shipped with the device. You can usually download the newest driver for a device at the manufacturer's website. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to uninstall the old driver and reinstall the new one. See http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/possiblyusefullinks.htm for links to some of the printer manufacturer’s pages for downloading new drivers.

Updated drivers may be available via Windows Update. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, Windows Update.

5. Where can I get an explanation of the words and terms used in Windows Printing related dialogs and documentation?

As with most technical things, the Windows printing infrastructure, dialogs and documentation use certain common words to mean very specific things. Sometimes this can cause confusion or misunderstanding.

Windows XP’s Help and Support has a Glossary that explains some of these words and terms. Click Start, Help and Support, key glossary in the Search text box, press Enter and click Windows Glossary in the Search Results pane. Also, see http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/Glossary.htm for an explanation of many of the words and terms used in connection with Windows printing.