To view a comprehensive list of ScrewDrivers v3 maintenance/feature releases and a revision history, please click on the following link.
ScrewDrivers v3 Revision History
First, extract the server-side component and client-side component from the "zip" file that was downloaded. Next, place the server-side piece on the local harddrive of the terminal server and the client-side piece on at least one client machine that will be testing the software. Then, follow the instructions below for proper installation of both pieces of the product.
For the server-side:
-Do not use Add/Remove programs or Install Mode, just double-click the "exe" file that came with the download.
-If using a previous version of ScrewDrivers v3, make sure that there are no ScrewDrivers v3 created printers still existing on the box when upgrading or reinstalling. This is best accomplished by not having any users on the box. Otherwise, you can just manually delete any existing ScrewDrivers v3 created printers out of the printers folder on the terminal server. This will insure that there are no ScrewDrivers v3 files in use during the upgrade/reinstallation.
For the client-side:
-Do not install with any active terminal sessions (ICA or RDP).
-Do not use Add/Remove programs, just double-click the "exe" file that came with the download.
-Local administrator rights are required when applicable (Windows NT, 2000, or XP).
NOTE: For initial installations of either the server-side component or client-side component, a reboot/bounce is not required. However, if the installation is over top of an old version for the server-side component, a reboot/bounce will be required. A a reboot/bounce is not required for the client-side component as long as there were not any active terminal sessions during the upgrade/reinstallation.
NOTE: In Citrix environments, if a reinstallation of the ICA Client is performed, a reinstallation of the ScrewDrivers v3 client-side component will be required. This is due to the fact that the "module.ini" that we make edits to so we can access the virtual channels in the Citrix terminal session gets over-written with a fresh copy.
After the ScrewDrivers v3 product has been correctly installed on both the server-side and client-side, it will be possible to print to the printers defined on client machine through a terminal session regardless of the type of printer connection (ie Parallel, USB, Network, etc.). Printer redirection on the client machine is transparent to ScrewDrivers v3. Basically, at login to a terminal session, our server component will start a query of the printer drivers defined on the client machine. It will then pull the characteristics of those printer drivers into the terminal session and emulate those printers for use in that session. The following screen shots will help to identify that the product is working correctly and also indicate what a ScrewDrivers v3 printer looks like.
First, when the query of the client printers is occurring, a little screwdriver icon will display in the client machine's system tray. This icon is not permanent and will display only for the short period of time that the query is occurring. Now, depending upon the type connection that is being made to the terminal server, the color of the screwdriver will be different. For RDP connections to the terminal server, the icon will appear as RED. For ICA connections to the terminal server, the icon will appear as GREEN. Please see the following screen shots for examples.
NOTE: If the terminal session window is set to use "Full Screen Mode", it will not be possible to see the little screwdriver indicated above as the full screen will cover the system tray of the client machine.
Once the terminal session has been established and our query has completed, there will be ScrewDrivers v3 printers available for use in that session. The nomenclature that ScrewDrivers v3 builds/emunerates printers with is similar to that of the printer name in use for each of the printers on the client machine. The product will use the existing client printer names, but will append some additional information to the emulated printers in the terminal session. By default, it will append "Machine Name" and "Session ID/Number". "Machine Name" corresponds to the name of the client machine connecting to the terminal server and "Session ID/Number" corresponds to the session id/number dealt out by the terminal server upon login. The additional information under the default nomenclature setting is appended to the end of the client printer name and enclosed inside a set of angle brackets "<...>". Please see the following screen shot for example of what this nomenclature looks like.
The screen shot above shows that ScrewDrivers v3 has queried and built/enumerated two printers from the client machine into the terminal session. One of those printers, the Deskjet 960c, is a printer that is connected through a USB port on the client machine and the other, the Tektronix Phaser 850DP, is a network printer connected to an HP JetDirect Print Server. Now, the default nomenclature in the screen shot can be changed, as well as the number of printers that ScrewDrivers v3 will build into the terminal session. These are configuration settings under our server-side control panel applet that are discussed under Section 4a of General Information.
ScrewDrivers v3 Print Dialog TabsScrewDrivers v3 offers a number of tabs under the properties of each printer that it creates. The following screen shots will provide an idea of what to expect when accessing a ScrewDrivers v3 printer properties through an application.
The screen shots were taken from Microsoft Word. The print dialog was prompted through the usual method selecting the File menu and then Print.
The screen shot above shows the initial print dialog box initiated from Microsoft Word. It shows the ScrewDrivers v3 printers available for printing.
The Layout tab controls paper orientation (portrait or landscape), as well as provides the options to use or not use duplex printing should a printout require double-sided printing.
The Paper/Quality tab controls the paper tray to use for the current job, and allows specification of the paper type, as well as the selection of color or grey scale printout.
Extended Options can be helpful for troubleshooting and are rarely used. If a user is having trouble getting a printjob to print correctly, it is possible that choosing to print it as an image or pre-render it may resolve the problem. Printing the job as an image turns the entire job into a bitmap. Pre-rendering all text renders each individual letter as a bitmap.
NOTE:Only make use of the print as an image or pre-render text options when a document is not printing/formatted as expected and/or research is being performed to find the cause of the problem output. For example, pre-rendering text can help avoid output problems caused by the printer using its default font instead of the font that was selected or in case where a document prints out with a few garbage characters. Both the print as image and pre-render text techniques force the printer to print exactly what is displayed on the screen, instead of interpreting instructions from the spool file. However, doing so may affect the size of the print job significantly (ie grows to larger size). Only choose to print as image or pre-render text if the job is not printing correctly, and consider reducing the DPI in the case of printing as an image.
It is possible to export a printjob for archive and subsequent reprints through the Export tab. A printjob can be exported as a PDF or BMP (bitmap file). Please note that it may take longer to export than just printing the document. By choosing to "Export printout to file AND print normally" two tasks can be accomplished at the same time. Printjobs can be exported to a file, either to a location on the terminal server, or through the virtual channels in the terminal session to a location on the client.
NOTE:The PDF writer in ScrewDrivers v3 will create valid PDF documents, but it does not attempt to replicate the features available in Adobe’s Acrobat products. If PDF features such as annotation or text search are needed, consider obtaining the Adobe tools to run alongside Simpify Printing v3.
Settings on the Action tab can be set to launch applications after printing/saving a printjob. For example, it would be possible to open a printjob saved as a BMP file in a bitmap viewer. This feature allows administrators to easily incorporate Terminal Server originated print jobs into remote office local area network workflows. The client option to display a second print dialog box on the local machine (outside the terminal session) is for setting printer device settings not already available in the terminal session. Examples of these types of settings would include stapling, collating, and hole-punching.
The About tab simply provides general information such as the build numbers for the ScrewDrivers v3 server-side and client-side components, the session ID/Number, and the path of the printer selected.
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