Opinion: Vista schmista, Telstra schmelstra

The branch office is basically a duplicate of other offices which run Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP workstations, and yes, we tested the new versions before we attempted this install, but the client uses a dot-matrix line printer for invoicing, and it wasn't until we started spitting out multiples that we noticed the thing wasn't doing accurate form feeds, so we were okay with singles but screwed on multiples. Yeah, yeah, we know.

The thing worked fine with our WinXP laptops, but wasn't fine with Vista, so we blew that away and loaded XP on one of the workstations, and sure enough, everything was working as advertised. A quick backup image using ShadowProtect and we had restored the working XP build onto the other workstations. Another test and…..the Netgear print server died. Ridiculous. Of course we didn't have a spare. Yeah, I know. But, there's always the server, so we plugged the printer into it and shared it the old fashioned way.

Dang. Win2K8 is basically a server version of Vista, so the dodgy form feed problem returned. Oh well, have to send them a new print server, and get the Vista printing problem sorted before we give it another go. Before we left, a quick test of the Lexmark laser printer with built-in networking, so they can run off invoices on plain paper and….what? This thing was working fine on Vista and now it won't talk to any of the XP workstations. After much futzing we discovered it wouldn't talk to the laptops either. Factory reset. Nope. What gives? Didn't expect to get bitten twice by printers in one install.

Hmm. We remembered that Win2K8 server has Vista underpinnings so we tried printing from the server. No problem! So we shared a networked laser from the server and the WinXP clients were happy again. Go figure, but it was late on Sunday and this gig already owed us two days of wasted effort. Oh, and we don't have a VPN either, thanks to Telstra's clever new modem which refuses to be bridged. That meant we couldn't install the Netgear router since it can't see the network directly.

A quick check of a few forums found all sorts of folk with the same issues – Netgear PS101 print servers dropping dead for no reason, and endless tricks being tried to bridge the latest Telstra modems. Then a note from a Telstra tech on one of the forums advising that even if we get it going, Telstra plans to send down firmware updates at random and that will reset the thing back to their 'standard' install. Your options are take it, or fork out for a massive upgrade to a Cisco box. We decided to bend over, grit our teeth and take it.

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