Print jobs in an offline print queue are missing or incomplete after you print a second document to the print queue in Windows Server 2008 or in Windows Vista

Consider the following scenario:

• A printer is installed on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Vista SP1 or Windows Vista SP2.
• The print queue for this printer is offline.
• You print some documents to the offline print queue. When you take this action, the documents are added to the offline print queue.
• You print a second document to the offline print queue. However, when you take this action, you check the Print to file check box.

In this scenario, you notice that all print jobs in the offline print queue are missing or incomplete. These include the job that was printed to a file. However, the expected behavior is that the job that was printed to a file is printed successfully and that any other print jobs remain in the print queue.

Note If the Print directly to the printer option is selected for the print queue, the issue does not occur. This problem can also occur if the printer is experiencing an error condition. For example, this problem occurs if the printer is out of paper.

When the print spooler service assigns a print port to a job that was printed to a file, the printer spooler service does not check whether the print job matches the print port. This interferes with existing print jobs in the print queue.

Hotfix information

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing the problem described in this article. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Important Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 hotfixes are included in the same packages. However, only one of these products may be listed on the �Hotfix Request� page. To request the hotfix package that applies to both Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, just select the product that is listed on the page.

Note The same package that is available from the "Hotfix download available" form can be applied to both the service pack 1 and service pack 2 environments.

Prerequisites

To apply this hotfix to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008, no prerequisites are required.

To apply this hotfix to a computer that is running Windows Vista, you must have Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed.

For more information about how to install the latest Windows Vista service pack, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Restart requirement

You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information

This hotfix does not replace a previously released hotfix.

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista file information notes

The .manifest files and the .mum files that are installed in each environment are listed separately in the "Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista" section. These files and their associated .cat (security catalog) files are critical to maintaining the state of the updated component. The .cat files are signed with a Microsoft digital signature. The attributes of these files are not listed.

All supported 32-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

All supported 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

All supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008

To work around this problem, configure the Print directly to the printer option. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log on as an administrator, and then open the properties dialog box of a print queue.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Select the Print directly to the printer option, and then click OK.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional file information for Windows Server 2008 and for Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported 32-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and of Windows Vista

Additional files for all supported Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2008