Printer Errors in PC Access

• Allow multiple copies of the same printer driver with different settings.
  • Note: This is helpful if your printer needs different settings to print labels from your MLS.
• Switch between several printers. You can add additional printers in the Printer Setup window.

• How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows ME or 2000
• How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 95, 98, NT
• How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 3.1x

How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows ME or 2000

PC Access uses a printer alias file (PCAWIN.PTR) to store the printer setting you enter with the Printer Setup window. PC Access relies on the PCAWIN.PTR file to print listings from your MLS.

If PC Access or your computer corrupts the PCAWIN.PTR file, you may see an error message. Follow the instructions below to correct any errors that occur during printing or other printing abnormalities.

1. Click Start | Search | Files or Folders.
2. In the Search Results window:
   • In the Search for files or folders named field, type PCAWIN.PTR.
   • In the Look in: field, select the drive you installed PC Access to. If you used the default drive when you installed PC Access, you can use the default selection (Local Hard drive C: or Local Hard drive C:, D:) in this field.
3. Click Search Now.
4. On the right side of the Search Results window, right-click on PCAWIN.PTR. Click Delete from the pop-up window.
5. Run PC Access for Windows.
   • Note: PC Access will detect that the PC Access executable directory does not contain a PCAWIN.PTR file. PC Access will create a new PCAWIN.PTR file based on your Windows default printer.
   • Note: This procedure assumes you have specified a default printer in Windows. If you have not specified a default printer in Windows, follow the procedure here.
6. Print a Test Page from PC Access. From the PC Access Main Menu click Setup | Advanced | Printers | Edit | Test.
7. On the Test Printer window, in the Other Options box change the Number of Test Pages from 1 to 3. Click Print.
8. If PC Access successfully prints 3 pages from the Test Printer window, dial into your MLS and print listings. If PC Access is unable to print from the Test Printer window, or if you continue to have printing problems while connected to your MLS, see: More Printing Suggestions.

How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 95, 98, or NT

How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 3.1x

More Printing Suggestions

If you continue to have printing problems after you delete the PCAWIN.PTR file, try the suggestions below. Start with the first suggestion, Print Queue.

Print Queue

If you deleted the PCAWIN.PTR file, and you continue to have printing problems, follow the instructions below:

• Click Start | Settings | Printers.
• In the Printers window, double-click on the printer you use in PC Access.
• In the print queue window, click File | Pause Printing or Printers | Pause Printing.
• Click the Minimize button on the title bar. This will place the print queue window on the TaskBar.
• Use PC Access to connect to your MLS and print one or more listings.
  • Note: in the steps above, you directed your printer to pause printing. This means, Windows will print to the print queue and not directly to your printer.
• If PC Access does not display an error message when it sends your print job to the print queue, you may have a problem with your printer driver in Windows.
  • To find out if you have a problem with your printer driver, click File | Pause Printing or Printers | Pause Printing. Your printer should begin to print.
  • If PC Access or Windows display an error message after you unchecked Pause Printing, see: Print Spool Settings.
• If PC Access did display an error message when it sent your print job to the print queue, see: Print Spool Settings.

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  Print Spool Settings

  If PC Access or Windows itself continued display an error message after you tried the suggestions in the Print Queue section, follow the instructions below:

  1. Click Start | Settings | Printers.
  2. In the Printers window, right-click on the printer you use in PC Access. From the pop-up window, click Properties.
  3. In the Properties window, click Details | Spool Settings and select Print directly to the printer.
     • Note: Windows NT users, click Scheduling and select Print directly to the printer.
     Click OK and close the Printers window.
  4. Use PC Access to connect to your MLS and print one or more listings.
     • Note: If you have printing problems in any program on your computer, Microsoft recommends that you change the printer's spool settings to Print directly to the printer. When you select Print directly to the printer, you disable the spool data format selection (EMF and RAW). In addition, you may notice slower printing. Slower printing is the result of Windows no longer spooling print jobs to keep your computer's system resources at an adequate level.
  5. If PC Access or Windows continues to display an error message while you are printing, see: Parallel Port Settings.
  6. If you no longer receive printer errors, printing directly to the printer may have solved your printing problem. However, there may be a certain combination of programs that you run that cause PC Access or Windows to display printing errors. If PC Access or Windows display any printing errors in the future, you should try the suggestions in this page again.

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  Parallel Port Settings

  If you changed your printer's print spool settings, and you continue to have printing problems, use the instructions below to check your computer's parallel port setting.

  1. Click Start | Settings | Control Panel | System.
     • Note: If you are using Windows NT, run WinMSD to check your computer's parallel port setting.
  2. If your computer's parallel port is an ECP port, try changing the port to an EPP or Standard port in your computer's BIOS. An ECP parallel port is a high-speed parallel port. When communication problems occur between the computer and printer, an ECP port may be the cause of these types of problems.
     • Note: MFM Technical Support does not provide technical support for changing your computer's parallel port setting in Windows. If you need assistance, contact your OEM vendor or the place where you purchased your computer.
  3. If you changed your computer's parallel port setting and PC Access or Windows continue to display errors, see: Uninstall and Reinstall Your Printer Driver.

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  Uninstall and Reinstall Your Printer Driver

  If you tried all of the following suggestions on this page:

  • Deleting the PCAWIN.PTR file
  • Print Queue
  • Print Spool Settings
  • Parallel Port Settings
  and you continue to experience printing problems in PC Access, you need to uninstall and reinstall your printer driver in Windows.

  If you need assistance uninstalling and reinstalling your printer driver, contact your printer manufacturer.

  After you uninstall and reinstall your printer driver, follow the instructions for deleting the PCAWIN.PTR file in your version of Windows:

  • How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows ME or 2000
  • How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 95, 98, or NT
  • How to Delete the PCAWIN.PTR file in Windows 3.1x

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  USB Printers

  USB printers may not work with PC Access for Windows 4.20 and 4.30. This is because Microsoft does not allow Windows 16-bit programs to use the USB subsystems in the operating system. Some USB printers use long device names. 16-bit programs cannot access these long device names, know as Universal Naming Convention or Uniform Naming Convention (UNC).

  If your printer driver does not prevent you from capturing the USB UNC to a 16-bit device name (LPT1:, LPT2:, etc.), capturing the USB UNC to a 16-bit device name should solve the printing problem. For more information, see: How to capture a UNC printer name to LPT1:.

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  Windows 95 Spool Driver

  Microsoft corrected a problem that caused some Windows 95 computers to display Spool32 errors. If you are running Windows 95 and your computer displays Spool32 errors while printing, you need to download an updated version of the SPOOLSS.DLL driver.

  • Note: the updated SPOOLSS.DLL driver only applies to the following versions of Windows 95:
    • 4.00.950
    • 4.00.950A
    • 4.00.095B (OSR 2.0 and OSR 2.1)
  To download and install the SPOOLSS.DLL driver, see: Updating the Windows 95 Spool Driver.

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  Related Information

  • Printer Setup window
  • Test Printer window
  • Test Printer Window: Other Options
  • What is an MLS?
  • What is the Windows Start Button?
  • Executable directory
  • What is an ECP port?
  • What is Print Spooling?
  • UNC (Universal Naming Convention or Uniform Naming Convention)

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  If you need further assistance, please complete the PC Access for Windows Problem Report Form.

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  Troubleshooting Guide Links

  [Troubleshooting Home] [Installing PC Access] [User Authorization] [Setting up PC Access] [E-mail and Internet Problems] [Running PC Access] [Calling the MLS] [Logging in to the MLS] [Communicating with the MLS] [Printing] [Third-party Software Problems] [Miscellaneous]

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  Last modification date: Wednesday, May 7, 2003 10:28:49