Serial Service Won't Stop with Serial Printer Installed (156958)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q156958

SYMPTOMS

When a serial printer is installed on Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 workstation or server, the serial service cannot be stopped, even when there are no jobs being printed.

CAUSE

The spooler design assumes that it exclusively holds a port when a printer is connected and a print queue is created. The design does not allow for other applications to do bidirectional communication with devices.

RESOLUTION

A new version of Localmon.dll has been developed that allows the serial service to be stopped, even when a serial printer is attached. Once the serial service is stopped, other applications can access the port. This version of Localmon.dll is not needed in most environments.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows NT version 4.0. This problem was corrected in the latest Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 U.S. Service Pack. For information on obtaining the service pack, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (without the spaces):

S E R V P A C K

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/7/2001
Keywords:kbnetwork kbprint KB156958
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.