Workstation 17.5 Virtual Printer

[RJ59]

After upgrading to Workstation 17.5 all my virtual printers are gone - I cannot print anything anymore!

I have multiple different VM Workstations, but all of them have the same problem.....

Any help?

[jkeener]

From the release notes:

• The virtual printer feature has reached its end of life and has been removed from VMware Workstation Pro. 

I also depended on the virtual printer since the driver's weren't properly working within the VM. Does anyone have an alternative print solution?

[Technogeezer]

If you're using bridged networking and have reasonably modern printers, you should be able to configure any networked printers as if you were running a physical system.

If you're using a NAT network and know the IP address of the printer, you may also be able to configure the printer using tools from within the VM. It'll take a bit more work, however. 

[Arno_00]

Well I don't think they should be able to remove features like that in a dot release .

I bought workstation pro with the virtual printer feature listed and I was using it, and now they push 17.5 which has security fixes and a fix for the bridge networking among other things and they remove a feature they sold me as part of Workstation pro 17... That is not right, they can remove it in VMWare 18 which would be a different product, sold with a different feature set, but not in a dot release.

Basically the choice is, live with the security holes in your system or loose a feature... they are asking for lawsuits!

VMWare is really going down the drain, they have absolutely zero ethics...

[Daniel Casota]

What about https://www.virtualhere.com ? Used that product a few years ago. Connect all printers, usb sticks, etc. to one device installed with virtualhere usb server on it (e.g. a raspberry pi), and on any client simply use the client with communication on tcp port 7575. The forum seems still bustling with questions&answers, see Search for printer | VirtualHere

[RJ59]

The big problem as I see it is that you have to install a printer in every single VM Workstation application - which in my case I have over 30 different applications!

Also there is another issue coming up - in older VMWare applications with an old operating system - like Win 3.1 or XP, I still was able to use the printer that was installed under the main system with 64bit drivers. That ship is now sailed, and those older system - which I still have to use for some applications - have no printer capability anymore

But the thing that really gets me is the fact that the system updated to 17.5 when I rebooted my machine & started VMWare, without any big warnings that you will loose a major feature. It took me hours to figure out whats happening and finally had to uninstalled VMWare all together and reinstalled Version 17.

I mean - I am a customer since more than 10 years and use VMWare for a long time plus upgraded & paid regularly when a new version came out, but this was a turning point!

And this happened while I was on a customers production site - Thanks VMWare!

[Lamaay]

Dear Vmware, please bring Virtual Printer back!

[Lthomas844]

I agree, please bring back the virtual printer driver

[Catk2]

Please reintroduce Virtual Printer in Vmware.
I am skeptical that VMware's management and technical team for Windows/Linux will take into account our wishes, the users.

When the technical team has obsessive ideas to remove a function from Vmware, they take it out and you hardly convince them to go back to the original solution.

[DrWhoIs]

Hey Broadcom, give us back Virtual Printer 

or at least give us a VERY GOOD REASON as to why this is end of life..

not having to install drivers inside every freakin' vm was the best thing about workstation

 

[Technogeezer]

If you’re running a reasonably current guest OS you don’t need to install drivers. Given the widespread availability of  driverless printing in Windows and Linux it seems to me not a as much of an issue except for those guest operating systems that are nowhere near current. And those older operating systems are end of life anyway.  I suspect that this might be part of the rationale.

What would be helpful if VMware could bundle an IPP print server that’s available for NAT networked guests to access instead of having to resort to enabling printer sharing in the host. 

[Michael Godding]

I want to run an XP machine but it doesn't find the printer now. So if I put in a Win 7 OS it still won't have the virtual printer?

[VMware Community Member]

I know it is NOT a solution, but I recommend DOWNGRADE to 17.0.2 which still works with 17 license and has this feature built in. Plz consider this.

If Broadcom or whoever else responsible ends the feature I am working with, I prefer to keep up the latest release possible with this feature still working even if some fixes aren't applied yet.

[VMware Community Member]

PLEASE RETURN VIRTUAL PRINTER  ,, VMWARE PRO

[VMware Community Member]

I correct myself here. I don't recommend old versions of Workstation 17 anymore.

There is a BIG issue with hardware compatibility with versions 17.0.0 - 17.0.2. You cannot create the VM for Windows 95/98 based on Workstation hardware compatibility to 5.x. You can only create hardware compatibility to 17.x and downgrade it to 5.x afterwards. However the virtual printer is STILL working.

In 17.5.0 the hardware compatibility according to changelog has been fixed, though they removed the virtual printer feature.

YOUR CHOICE!

[Michael Godding]

I downgraded to 17.0.2 and have my printer now, But I need a license in 30 days, was figuring to buy one but then I found out workstation was free for personal use. So it's damned if I do or damned if I don't.

[Michael Godding]

Why can't they just make all Workstation version 17's Personal use no need for a license

[tsdev1]

Ive had a ticket open for over a year where my microphone during any type of web conference (teams, zoom, webex) works for a short time when on a call then just stops working and nobody can hear me. Over the past year they have had times asked me to downgrade (which I'm paying for the latest rev ongoing and have no idea why that is an option) or grab logs and send over and over then try patches here and there. 

Nothing has worked (have tried multiple camera / mic devices also with the same issue) and have been dialing into calls since. Most recently I was asked to download 17.5 and see if this fixes it then my printer stops working.

What is going on over there that an essential feature like the microphone cant be fix then with this latest update you disable a feature that allows you to print to the host device? I've been using vmware forever and its a great product but at a loss for the mic issue now this printer problem... pls add virtual printing back and also finally resolve this mic issue.