Vista Printing Problems
Hardware manufacturers and software developers both create products specifically for use with Microsoft operating systems. However, differences between each Microsoft operating system (OS), such as Windows XP and Windows Vista, can at times cause a product that works well with one OS to be incompatible with another. For example, Windows Vista users may encounter problems when printing from the Vista OS.
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History
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Microsoft introduced Windows Vista to the consumer market in January 2007. Windows Vista effectively served as the next generation of widely-accepted Windows operating systems following Windows XP. Like Windows XP, Vista offered consumers a choice of both 32-bit and 64-bit versions for use with differing hardware architectures. Software, such as spreadsheets or word processors, could perform equally well on either version, but some hardware, such as printers, would not always operate correctly with the 64-bit version of Vista.
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Significance
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Windows Vista introduced an updated user interface and new types of protection for users against malicious code. The new security measures included, for example, a feature that prompted the user for permission each time a software application tried to make certain types of changes to the operating system. The notion was to ensure that viruses and other malware could not damage the operating system by simply bypassing the user; the user had veto power over all changes. Despite the improvements, consumers noted that some issues, such as occasional printer incompatibilities lingered.
Types
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Vista printing problems take various forms. The 64-bit version of Vista requires special printer drivers because the print manager component of the operating system is substantially different from the corresponding component in the 32-bit versions. If a printer manufacturer does not issue a 64-bit driver for a printer, the printer will not function with Vista 64-bit. Vista printing problems may also manifest as problems with the print spooler and the printing queue, both of which relate to the process of sending a file to a printer to be printed.
Considerations
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Windows Vista printing problems can become an issue if the user does not have access to adequate technical support resources for solving them. Moreover, the use may find that printer technical support instructions point to the operating system as the source of the problem, while the operating system support may point to the printer as the source. Users must evaluate their sensitivity to printing problems as part of an overall evaluation of Windows Vista.
Prevention
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Selecting only printers that have specific drivers for Windows Vista, including 64-bit drivers for Vista 64-bit users, will prevent numerous potential printing problems.
References
- Photo Credit "Lexmark E120N Laser Printer" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Sir Adavis under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
