DOCUMENT:Q102116 11-JUN-2002 [winnt] TITLE :How to Manually Delete Print Shares or Printers PRODUCT :Microsoft Windows NT PROD/VER::3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:kbprint kbPrinting ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows NT Server versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Workstation versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0 - Microsoft Windows NT Advanced Server ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry SUMMARY ======= If you are troubleshooting Windows NT or applications that are running in Windows NT, you may need to verify that a print share or installed printer has been completely deleted. The following information shows the default locations in the registry database for references to installed printers or print shares in Windows NT versions 3.1, 3.5, 3.51 and 4.0. MORE INFORMATION ================ It is rarely necessary to remove a printer by altering the registry. In most cases, you can remove a printer in Print Manager or the Printer folder using the Remove or Delete Printer option. This immediately removes the printer, but internally the spooler marks the printer for deletion and does not actually delete the printer until the next time that the Spooler Service starts. Therefore, you should stop and restart the Spooler Service before attempting to recreate a printer, or before attempting to remove a printer port that a recently deleted printer was using. Also, you should close Print Manager or the Printers folder before restarting the Spooler. In summary, if you use the Print Manager or Printers folder to remove a printer or printer port, then close Print Manager or the Printers folder, stop and restart the Spooler Service. If you reopen Print Manager or the Printers folder, and the printer or port is still present, then you should consider removing the printer or port by altering the registry. NOTE: ALL references must be deleted to ensure complete removal of the print share or installed printer. You must also either Stop and Start the Spooler Service or shutdown and restart Windows NT for these changes to take effect. Modifying the Registry ---------------------- WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk. 1. Run Registry Editor (regedt32.exe). 2. Go to the appropriate registry location mentioned below for your version of Windows NT. 3. Delete the registry information for printer(s) and/or server(s) you want to remove. NOTE: It is recommended that you first save each registry key before you delete it. The following registry paths apply to Intel-based (x86) computers. If you are running an Alpha-, MIPS-, or PPC-based computer, substitute the x86 portion of the entries below with the correct processor type (Alpha_AXP, R4000, or PowerPC). Text enclosed in angle brackets (<>) or presented in italics refers to machine- specific or printer names. "\\\Printer" refers to the universal naming convention (UNC) path to the specific print share. Windows NT 4.0 -------------- If the printer is installed locally (My Computer), the printer information is located in the following registry keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers\ If the printer is installed as a network printer (Network printer server or \\), the printer information is located in the following registry keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Providers\LanMan Print Services\Servers\\Printers\ Windows NT 3.51 --------------- If the printer is installed locally (Create Printer), the printer information will be located in the following registry keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-1\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers\ If the printer is installed as a network printer (Connect to Printer), the printer information is located in the following registry keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Providers\LanMan Print Services\Servers\\Printers\ Windows NT 3.5 -------------- If the printer was installed from Print Manager using the Connect To Printer option, the printer information will be located in the following keys: HKEY_USERS\S-\Printers\Connections\\ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections\\\ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Devices HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version \PrinterPorts If the printer was installed from Print Manager using the Create Printer option, the printer information will be located in the following keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Print Manager\Printers HKEY_USERS\\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Print Manager\Printers HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Devices HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Printer Ports HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-1 Windows NT 3.1 -------------- If the printer was installed from Print Manager using the Connect To Printer option, the printer information will be located in the following keys: HKEY_USERS\S-\Printers\Connections\\ HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Printers\Connections \\\ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\PrinterPorts If the printer was installed from Print Manager using the Create Printer option, the printer information will be located in the following keys: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Print Manager\Printers HKEY_USERS\\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Print Manager\Printers HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Devices HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\Printer Ports HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers There may also be references to printers in other ControlSets, such as ControlSet001, but because this may be the Control Set for the Last Known Good Configuration, it should not be modified. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Q135406 Steps to Manually Remove and Reinstall a Printer Driver NOTE: If you intend to manually remove a printer driver you must do so before manually removing the printer and shares, because the registry entry that is referenced in article Q135406 is deleted when you manually remove the printer and shares. Additional query words: troubleshoot trouble shoot tshooter tshoot uninstall System error 1801 has occurred ====================================================================== Keywords : kbprint kbPrinting Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT351search kbWinNT350search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTW350 kbWinNTW350search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWinNTW310 kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400 kbWinNTS351 kbWinNTS350 kbWinNTS310 kbWinNTAdvSerSearch kbWinNTS351search kbWinNTS350search kbWinNTS310search kbWinNT310Search kbWinNTW310Search Version : :3.1,3.5,3.51,4.0 Issue type : kbinfo ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. 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