Windows NT Error Message: Alternate Drivers Cannot Be Installed (160902)

SYMPTOMS

When you try to install alternate operating system printer drivers, such as Windows NT 3.51 printer drivers on a Windows NT 4.0 Server computer, you may get the following error message:

Alternate drivers cannot be installed an unexpected error occurred.

The error message may also occur when you attempt to install a third-party Windows NT 3.51 PostScript driver for a Windows NT 4.0 printer control language (PCL) printer (or vise versa) using the Have Disk option.

CAUSE

This error is usually caused when using an OEM printer driver disk whose printer description field, found in the Windows NT 3.5x Printer.inf file, does not match that of the Windows NT 4.0 %SystemRoot%\Inf\Ntprint.inf file. This problem can also occur when you try to add an alternate driver in Windows NT 4.0 for a printer that was not natively supported in Windows NT 3.5x while using the Windows NT 3.5x compact disc as the installation source path.

For example, Windows NT 4.0 Ntprint.inf has the following entry for the HP Color LaserJet 5:

   [HP]
   "HP Color LaserJet 5" = Pcl5ems.dll.bidi

The Hewlett-Packard OEM Windows NT 3.51 driver disk contains a Printer.inf file whose entry does not match the description in the Windows NT 4.0 Ntprint.inf file:

   [Options]
   "HP Color LaserJet 5/5M (HP)" = hpc2ui, hpc2lpd, hpc2drv

RESOLUTION

If you are installing a third-party printer driver as an alternate driver, make sure that the non-native driver is the same type (PCL or PostScript) as the Windows NT printer.

-or-

If the printer descriptions in the Printer.inf and Ntprint.inf files do not match, use the following steps to resolve this problem:

Copy the vendor-supplied installation files to a folder on your hard disk drive, including the printer information file (Printer.inf). If desired, make a backup copy of the Printer.inf file.
In Notepad, open the Windows NT 4.0 Ntprint.inf file located in the %SystemRoot%\Inf folder.
Search for the description field for the printer in question and make a note of it for step six.
In Notepad, open the Printer.inf file from the vendor-supplied files on the hard disk drive.
Search for the description of the same printer in question.
Change the description in the Printer.inf file to match the description in the Ntprint.inf file as noted in step two.
Close and save the changes in the Printer.inf file.
Close the Ntprint.inf file (with no changes made).
Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Printers. Right-click the printer in question and click Properties, and then click the Sharing tab.
Select the alternate driver to install (that is, Windows NT 3.5 or 3.51 x86).
When prompted with the message similar to the following:
```
   Please insert the floppy disk labeled Windows NT 3.5 or
   3.51 x86 into drive A:
						
```
Click OK and browse to the vendor-supplied folder on the hard disk drive and select the modified Printer.inf file.

NOTE: You can also modify the Ntprint.inf file to match the description in the vendor supplied Print.inf or Printer.inf file.

The remainder of the installation should no longer return errors, and the alternate driver should be installed successfully.

MORE INFORMATION

This article does not apply to Windows 95. If you are installing a Windows 95 point and print driver on a computer running Windows NT for Windows 95 clients and you receive this error, please notify the vendor. To load Windows 95 drivers on Windows NT 4.0, the vendor must follow the specifications listed in the Windows 95 Resource Kit Appendixes C and D. ISBN 1-55615-678-2. Please contact your vendor for an updated INF file.

The third-party products discussed here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.