Local printers not supported

[Michael Hirsch]

On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 4:37 PM, David McGlone<david at dmcentral.net> wrote:
> On Thursday 06 August 2009 06:24:18 pm Michael Hirsch wrote:
>> On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 3:38 PM, David
> McGlone<david at dmcentral.net> wrote:
>> > On Thursday 06 August 2009 01:30:37 pm Michael Hirsch
> wrote:
>> >> On Thu, Aug 6, 2009 at 10:14 AM, Eberhard
>> >
>> > Roloff<tuxebi at gmx.de> wrote:
>> >> > Michael Hirsch wrote:
>> >> >> I'm trying to help my Dad with a problem.  He's using KDE
>> >
>> > 3.5.x and
>> >
>> >> >> his USB printer stopped working.  He can see the printer
> with
>> >
>> > "lsusb"
>> >
>> >> >> so it would appear that USB works, but when he tries to
> add
>> >
>> > the
>> >
>> >> >> printer with the KDE Add Printer Wizard, the choice "Local
>> >
>> > printer
>> >
>> >> >> (parallel, serial, USB)" is deactivated.  He can't press the
>> >
>> > radio
>> >
>> >> >> button to enable it.  The other radio buttons are all active
>> >
>> > except
>> >
>> >> >> for "Serial Fax/Modem printer".
>> >> >
>> >> > What does "stopped working" mean?
>> >>
>> >> It used to work, and now it doesn't.
>> >>
>> >> > Why does he need to add an apparently existing printer?
>> >>
>> >> The printer is defined, but not functional.  One approach I
> gave
>> >
>> > him
>> >
>> >> was to try to define it again.  Also, he took the printer to my
>> >
>> > Mom's
>> >
>> >> computer which is also running Kubuntu and tried to install it
>> >
>> > there
>> >
>> >> with the same symptom.
>> >>
>> >> Strangely, when he tries to edit the currently defined printer,
> it is
>> >> defined to be a local printer, but the local printer field is
> greyed
>> >> out and not functional.
>> >>
>> >> > You might try with http://localhost:631 and see, whether
> you
>> >> > can reenable the printer and print a testpage from there.
>> >>
>> >> I'll see if I can talk him through that.  It's tricky because he
> lives
>> >> far away, so this is all phone support.
>> >
>> > Why don 't you use KRDC (remote desktop) to help him?
>>
>> Good idea.  I've done that on occasion.  The tricky part is that he
> is
>> behind a firewall owned by his DSL provider and doesn't know
> how to
>> open port.
>
> He has to use KRFB to create an invitation and e-mail it to you.

Yes, but that doesn't help if there is no route to his machine.   We
still need to  open up ports.

Michael