Installing 64 bit print drivers on a 32 bit Windows 2003 R2 print server

Our print server at work is running the 32 bit version of Windows 2003 R2. Most of our desktop clients are now running the 64 bit version of Vista or Windows 7. 

Some of the printers on the server are using HP’s universal print driver and herein lies my issue.  Apparently these universal drivers are crap (more on this at a later time).  One particular printer (HP 4345 MFP) was giving me the most issues.  Some days users can print fine and other days they have to delete the printer and re-add it to be able to print, otherwise, the printer just prints gibberish in the top left corner of each page. This probably doesn’t seem like a huge deal but it isn’t the way printing should work either.  I was having to help users with this printer on a daily basis which gets old after a few days.

Today, I decided to fix the issue once and for all instead of re-applying the proverbial “band-aid” on a daily basis. 

I easily found a PCL 6 driver on HP’s website for the 4345 MFP that supported both 64 bit and 32 bit XP/Vista.  Next I was to add the print drivers to the server through the R2 print management console.  The 32 bit driver was added without any issue but the 64 bit driver prompted me for the Windows 2003 server x64 CD, specifically, the AMD64 directory on the CD.  Easy enough. 

I put the 64 bit Windows 2003 Server installation disk in the server and browsed to the AMD64 directory like the print driver wizard asked but the server prompted again, this time "the specified location does not contain the driver HP LaserJet 4345 MFP Series PCL 6 for the requested processor architecture". After a few minutes of scratching my head and pointing the wizard to the AMD64 directory again and again I realized that, clearly, something was wrong.

It ends up that you have to install 64 bit print drivers from a machine of the same architecture (x64).  I went to one of my 64 bit windows servers, installed the print management console through add/remove programs (thanks R2), connected to the 32 bit printer server, installed the 64 bit drivers and WALLAHH! the drivers installed on the server with no issue whatsoever.

I feel pretty silly now because I didn’t realize this issue sooner but I’m pretty new to supporting 64 bit windows clients machines so that’s my excuse.  Hopefully, this will save another fellow sys admin from having their own “DUH!” moment.

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