Buffalo Forums

   I'm trying to set up this print server for hours and have exhausted all my options...still don't know what's causing the problem...basically I'm trying to set up a HP laserjet 1020 printer, I was able to connect everything and I see the printer after installing the driver fine.  After installing, when I print, the doc just kept on spooling and nothing comes out from the printer.  But the status of the printer said "ready", but the doc just kept being stuck there...I tried to cleared up the doc and delete it and even reboot everything from printer to linkstation to my pc, and still no luck...what else can be wrong?  did I receive a defective unit?

   Try to flush the printer queue via the Linkstation web management page. I had trouble getting mine to work as well but the biggest problem was that print jobs got stuck in the queue.

   

This problem arise as well on my old linkstation homeserver. I bought the Linkstation Live as my homeserver's print server stopped working after a year and i was running out of disk space.

 

Now again...one year later...the Live's print server is not working. 

 

The print servers of the linkstations are defo problematic...or designed to fail!

 

Deleting the print queue on the admin software did not work anymore.

 

Have rebooted the PC, the Linkstation, the printer and the router...still not working...

 

Help!

 

 

 

 

   

I have suffered the same sort of problem for about a month now. After a bit of really frustrating searching around, including on these forums, I have found a fix that worked for me. I cannot take credit for the actual fix, please see the article at the following link:

 

http://www.alexfalkenberg.com/2009/10/06/linkstation-windows-printing-problem-solved/

 

Follow the instructions in the article and the linked Microsoft Support HOW-TO page, and you should be up and printing again.

 

One note; when you get as far as specifying your "Name or address of server providing lpd:" and "Name of printer or print queue on that server", you will enter the networking name (HS-DHGL###) and "lp", respectively. I am running XP Pro SP3, and there may be minor variance in what these fields are called on other versions of Windows. No slashes, forward, reverse, or otherwise, should be entered into these fields.

 

On a positive note, this also appears to get rid of the annoying "Remote Downlevel Document", or whatever it was called, being left in the print queue all the time. Not that it ever made much difference...

 

On a negative note, it appears I formatted/reformatted, initialized, updated firmware, etc., and deleted all my shared files for nothing. If you did the same during your troubleshooting, and are having strange circular reference problems with "pictures" and/or "usbdisk1" folders on your NAS, disable "PCast" and reformat your drive(s) again to fix this error.

 

Finally, two closing comments:

1. BUFFALO, shame on you for incorporating such a flimsy print server into so many of your products. This print server / utility barely supports Windows printing, which is without a doubt the most common method of printing in the technical world. We as consumers should not have to rely on private individuals to patch your shoddy software/hardware. However, now that someone has fixed the problem for you, how about you incorporate this fix in a firmware / software update for all your consumers that are suffering now, or soon will be?

2. Thank you, Alex Falkenberg / alexfalkenberg.com for providing a fix to my and likely so many other BUFFALO NAS users' printing problems.

 

My setup: NAS - BUFFALO LinkStation Live HS-DH500GL, firmware 2.11v101b (2.10 before this incident), USB Disk 1 - BUFFALO DriveStation HD-CE1.0TU2, USB printer - Canon imageCLASS D340

 

I hope this helps!!

   Thanks for the kind words; very glad it worked for you. fwiw, I've had no printing problems at all since doing this. I have no doubts at all that tons of people are affected by it; I very strongly agree with the "shame on you, Buffalo" sentiment as well (as noted in my blog post).

   

Hi guys

 

Thanks for all the useful info here. I've been having similar problems for months with the print server on my HS-D300GL printing over LAN to an Epson DX-6000 (from Dell D600 laptop running XP Pro SP2). Any help anyone can add here would be much appreciated, thanks...

 

As suggested by Alex, I have enabled UNIX printing for XP and installed a new local printer with new LPR port (LINKSTATION:lp) - but when printing, I see the document pass through the new local printer (and even the Epson Status monitor!) - and then hang/jam in the networked 'lp' printer, just as before!

 

I've spent hours on this trying every settings permutation (print direct, spooling, disable bidirectional support, Status Monitor etc) and troubleshooting etc, but no joy. Any suggestions, anyone?

 

Thanks, Rich

   

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richso wrote:

 

Hi guys

 

Thanks for all the useful info here. I've been having similar problems for months with the print server on my HS-D300GL printing over LAN to an Epson DX-6000 (from Dell D600 laptop running XP Pro SP2). Any help anyone can add here would be much appreciated, thanks...

 

As suggested by Alex, I have enabled UNIX printing for XP and installed a new local printer with new LPR port (LINKSTATION:lp) - but when printing, I see the document pass through the new local printer (and even the Epson Status monitor!) - and then hang/jam in the networked 'lp' printer, just as before!

 

I've spent hours on this trying every settings permutation (print direct, spooling, disable bidirectional support, Status Monitor etc) and troubleshooting etc, but no joy. Any suggestions, anyone?

 

Thanks, Rich

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I wish I had a sure-fire answer. :( Off the top of my head (with apologies if you've tried any of this already):

 

I suppose I'd try setting up another PC or printer (if possible), one at a time, to see if either of those components are causing trouble. I only have the single Linkstation device personally and I've connected quite a few Windows PCs to it using this method without any issues.

 

You might also try a complete removal of the Epson software and try to install just the print drivers themselves if that's an option. "Helper" software with many printers often seems more in the way than of any use, in my experience; it sometimes reverts or overrides Windows settings you think you're setting (bi-dir support, for example, so it can report ink levels), trying to "help", but often and usually confusing things instead.

 

Another thing is you might have some cruft in your Windows Spool folder that needs deleted to clear out old print jobs allowing new ones through.

 

And of course it could be any combination of the above, or none of the above...

 

If you work it out, I'm sure we'd all benefit from hearing how you worked it out. Good luck. :)