A customer had a print server (belkin), which I configured correctly (using the windows LPR functionality).

He has 3 PCs (an XP home system connected to the router via ethernet wire, an XP pro system using a dlink pci wireless card, and a vista PC using a dlink pci wireless card).

The XP PCs seemed to print well, but the vista pc would print intermittently. Usually, the printer light would flash when its about to print… but sometimes, the light would start to flash, but nothing would print. And he would also have the internet drop out (occasionally).

I looked high and low, but couldn’t find out why the printer was behaving this way.

Since I had only just setup the print server, I assumed there was something wrong with it (or with the way vista works).

I stop by a few days later, and he tells me he fixed the problem himself! It turns out the dlink wireless card needs to have updated vista drivers installed… He just ran the microsoft update manually (it was a suggestion from a friend of his), and installed all the device updates.

Then it dawned on me: microsoft/windows update doesn’t update device drivers automatically… its something you need to do by “hand”.

Now thats something to remember if I (or someone else) installs new hardware and assumes it will work.