Microsoft KB Archive/94173

Incorrect Printer Name in Setup Dialog Box

Q94173

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

If you modify a printer description in the CONTROL.INF file or the [PrinterPorts] section of the WIN.INI file, an incorrect printer name may appear in the Setup dialog box of the Control Panel. The name that appears in the Setup dialog box varies depending on the printer driver you are using.

MORE INFORMATION

The name of the printer listed in the Installed Printers box is derived from the [PrinterPorts] section of WIN.INI. You may want to customize this name to provide information about the printer. If you do so, the customized name appears in the Installed Printers box; however, customizing the name may cause an incorrect printer name to be displayed in the Setup dialog box.

This problem only occurs if you are using either the UNIDRV.DLL or the PSCRIPT.DRV driver; it does not occur if you are using the HPPCL5A.DRV driver. If you use either UNIDRV.DLL or PSCRIPT.DRV, the customized printer name is compared to an internal list of printers. If a match is not found, a default printer name is assigned based on the printer driver you are using.

For example, the EPSON9.DRV driver defaults to the printer name Epson MX-80, whereas the PSCRIPT.DRV driver defaults to the printer name Apple LaserWriter Plus. If a printer name is customized and the printer driver's default printer name matches the installed printer, the change works properly.

Another way to customize a printer name is to change the name in the CONTROL.INF file. This causes the new name to appear in the "List of Printers" box that you get when you choose Add in the "Printers" dialog box. When installed, the customized printer name is written to the WIN.INI file and the above problem may exist.

The following is a list of printer drivers and the default printer name with which they are associated:

   Driver          Default Printer
   -------------------------------

   CANON10E.DRV    Canon Bubble-Jet BJ-10e
   CANON130.DRV    Canon Bubble-Jet BJ-130e
   CANON330.DRV    Canon Bubble-Jet BK-300
   CITOH.DRV       C-Itoh 8510
   CIT9US.DRV      Citizen 120D
   CIT24US.DRV     Citizen PN48
   DICONIX.DRV     Diconix 150 Plus
   Epson9.DRV      Epson MX-80
   Epson24.DRV     Epson LQ-500
   ESCP2.DRV       Epson LQ-570 ESC /P2
   EXECJET.DRV     IBM ExecJet
   FUJI9.DRV       Fujitsu DX 2100
   FUJI24.DRV      Fujitsu DL 2400
   HPPCL.DRV       HP LaserJet Series II
   HPPLOT.DRV      ColorPro
   HPDSKJET.DRV    HP DeskJet
   IBM5204.DRV     IBM Quickwriter 5204
   NEC24PIN.DRV    NEC Pinwriter P2200
   OKI9IBM.DRV     Okidata Ml 321-IBM
   OKI9.DRV        Okidata ML 192
   OKI24.DRV       Okidata ML 380
   PSCRIPT.DRV     Apple LaserWriter Plus
   PAINTJET.DRV    HP PaintJet
   PANSON24.DRV    Panasonic       KX-P1123
   PANSON9.DRV     Panasonic       KX-P1180
   PROPRINT.DRV    IBM Proprinter
   PROPRN24.DRV    IBM Proprinter X24
   PS1.DRV         IBM PS/1 2205
   THINKJET.DRV    HP ThinkJet (2225 C-D)
   TI850.DRV       TI 850/855
   QWIII.DRV       IBM QuietWriter III

For more information about customizing printer names in Windows, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

changing and printer and description

Additional query words: 3.10 3.11

Keywords :
Issue type :
Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbWin310 kbWin311