Problem: Printer Driver Installation Fails on UCS – Type 4 Driver Incompatibility with Samba

Knowledge Base Community
, , , , ,
1

Problem

When attempting to install a Windows printer driver on a Univention Corporate Server (UCS) print server, Windows fails to recognize or install the driver, even though the correct .INF file has been selected and the driver architecture matches the Windows system.

The same driver can be installed successfully on a local Windows print server. However, installing it through the UCS print server fails.

Attempting to install the Microsoft standard driver Microsoft PCL Class Driver, Type 4 – User Mode also fails with the following error message:

A driver Microsoft PCL Class Driver, Type 4 - User Mode,
x64 could not be installed.

{Application Error}
The application was unable to start correctly (0x%lx).
Click OK to close the application.

The Samba log on the UCS server contains the following errors:

[2026/09/03 14:47:20.823140,  0, pid=2217961] ../../source3/printing/nt_printing.c:1452(move_driver_file_to_download_area)
   move_driver_file_to_download_area: Unable to rename [x64/{681B7260-4A29-4D45-8F61-F580B1D8C177}/MS_XPS_PCL6] to [x64/3/MS_XPS_PCL6]:
NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND
[2026/09/03 14:47:20.823566,  0, pid=2217961] ../../source3/rpc_server/spoolss/srv_spoolss_nt.c:8728(_spoolss_AddPrinterDriverEx)
   _spoolss_AddPrinterDriverEx: move_driver_to_download_area failed - WERR_APP_INIT_FAILURE

The installation fails even though the selected driver is intended for the correct Windows x64 architecture.

Root Cause

The relevant error in the Samba log is:

Unable to rename
[x64/{681B7260-4A29-4D45-8F61-F580B1D8C177}/MS_XPS_PCL6]
to
[x64/3/MS_XPS_PCL6]:
NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND

This indicates that Samba cannot locate the required driver object MS_XPS_PCL6 in the temporary driver directory while attempting to move it into the final driver download directory.

The subsequent error:

WERR_APP_INIT_FAILURE

is the resulting RPC error reported by the AddPrinterDriverEx operation. It is not the underlying cause of the installation failure.

Type 3 vs. Type 4 Printer Drivers

The Microsoft PCL Class Driver used in this scenario is a modern Type 4 (V4) printer driver.

The traditional Samba printer driver distribution mechanism, which uses the print$ share and the AddPrinterDriverEx RPC interface, is primarily designed for Type 3 (V3) printer driver packages.

These driver types differ in their architecture, packaging, and deployment mechanisms.

  • Type 3 (V3) drivers: Traditional Windows printer drivers that can generally be uploaded and distributed through the Samba print$ share using the classic printer driver installation mechanism.
  • Type 4 (V4) drivers: Modern Windows printer drivers that use a different driver architecture and deployment model. They cannot generally be uploaded and processed in the same way as traditional Type 3 drivers through the Samba AddPrinterDriverEx mechanism.

Consequently, attempting to install the Microsoft PCL Class Driver, Type 4, through the UCS print server may fail because Samba cannot process the driver package using the traditional installation workflow.

The log entry:

NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND

confirms that Samba cannot locate a required driver object within the supplied installation structure.

This does not necessarily indicate an incorrect x64 architecture. Instead, it suggests an incompatible driver package or a package whose required files were not correctly transferred or made available during installation.

In this scenario, the use of a Type 4 driver is the likely cause of the installation failure.

Solution

To resolve the issue, use a compatible Type 3 (V3) printer driver for Windows x64 instead of a Type 4 driver.

1. Download a Compatible Type 3 Printer Driver

Visit the printer manufacturer’s website and download a printer driver that explicitly supports Windows x64 and uses the Type 3 (V3) driver architecture.

Suitable driver packages may be identified by the following designations:

  • V3
  • Type 3
  • Classic Driver
  • Traditional Driver
  • PCL5/PCL6 Universal Driver
  • PostScript Universal Driver

Important: Not every PCL6 or PostScript driver is necessarily a Type 3 driver. Verify the driver type in the manufacturer’s documentation before installation.

Extract the downloaded driver package completely before proceeding.

2. Remove the Failed Printer Driver Installation

Remove any previously failed or incomplete driver installations before attempting to install the replacement driver.

On the Windows administration workstation:

  1. Open the Windows Print Management console:

    printmanagement.msc

  2. Navigate to:

    Print Servers → <UCS-Server> → Drivers

  3. Locate the driver associated with the failed installation.

  4. Right-click the driver and select Remove Driver Package, if available.

  5. Confirm the removal.

  6. If necessary, remove the affected printer connection and reconnect it after installing the compatible driver.

Note: Only remove driver packages that are no longer required. Removing a driver used by other printers may affect their functionality.

3. Install the Compatible Driver Through the UCS Print Server

Install the Type 3 driver using the Windows printer management interface.

  1. Open the printer properties for the printer hosted on the UCS print server.
  2. Select the Advanced tab.
  3. Click New Driver.
  4. Follow the Add Printer Driver Wizard.
  5. Select Have Disk.
  6. Browse to the extracted manufacturer’s driver package.
  7. Select the appropriate .INF file.
  8. Complete the installation wizard.

Windows should now be able to process the compatible Type 3 driver package and upload the required files to the UCS print server.

4. Verify the Driver Architecture and Package Contents

Ensure that the selected driver package meets the following requirements:

  • The driver supports Windows x64.
  • The driver uses the Type 3 (V3) architecture.
  • The correct .INF file is selected.
  • All files belonging to the extracted driver package are available.
  • The original directory structure of the driver package has been preserved.
  • Any DLL files or other components referenced by the .INF file are present in their expected locations.

Important: Do not copy only the .INF file into a separate directory. The installation process may require additional files referenced by the INF configuration.

Additional Information

The Microsoft PCL Class Driver, Type 4 should not be uploaded through the traditional Samba print$ share using the classic AddPrinterDriverEx installation mechanism.

Although Type 4 drivers may work correctly when installed locally on Windows, this does not guarantee compatibility with the driver upload and distribution mechanisms provided by Samba.

The following Samba errors are characteristic of the failure described in this article:

move_driver_file_to_download_area:
NT_STATUS_OBJECT_NAME_NOT_FOUND

_spoolss_AddPrinterDriverEx:
move_driver_to_download_area failed - WERR_APP_INIT_FAILURE

These messages indicate that Samba could not locate or process a required driver file during installation. Similar errors may also occur with incomplete or incorrectly packaged Type 3 drivers.

Recommendation

For printer driver distribution through a UCS print server using Samba, use a manufacturer-provided Windows x64 Type 3 (V3) driver.

Avoid uploading Microsoft Type 4 class drivers through the traditional Samba print$ and AddPrinterDriverEx installation workflow.

Using a compatible Type 3 driver ensures that the driver package follows the architecture expected by the classic Samba printer driver distribution mechanism and reduces the likelihood of installation failures caused by incompatible or missing driver components.