Deferred printer is the only option available when accessing a Printing task - Sage 100

Summary

How to resolve the issue where deferred printer is the only option available when accessing a Printing task in Sage 100, or the preview button cannot be selected even for Deferred Printing, or receiving the error “Preview is not available on workstations that have the Sage 100 server path set to NO ACCESS”.

Cause

Invalid Windows Printers
Insufficient user rights, permissions to the defined data path, or an invalid print drivers in Windows.
Insufficient user permissions to the local MAS90 folder on the workstation (Advanced and Premium).
Reports folder missing from the MAS90 directory.
Expired Windows user password (or other related Sage 100 server network resources not available issue)
Sota.Ini file is damaged or incorrect on user station
Sage 100 Advanced/Premium: Bad path to Sage 100 installation path on local workstation (Path not available, mapped drive not available, or incorrect path on workstation install)

Resolution

CAUTION: Use caution when working with the below product functionality. Always create a backup of your data before proceeding with advanced solutions. If necessary, seek the assistance of a qualified Sage business partner, network administrator, or Sage customer support analyst.

 CAUTION: This solution requires advanced knowledge of your network. Contact your system administrator for assistance. Modifying Windows security incorrectly can severely affect system operations. Sage is not responsible for operation issues caused by incorrectly modifying your Windows security. Always create a backup of your data before proceeding with advanced solutions. 

 CAUTION: This solution requires advanced knowledge of your computer’s operating system. Contact your system administrator for assistance. Modifying your Windows Registry incorrectly can severely affect system operations. Sage is not responsible for operation issues caused by incorrectly modifying your Windows Registry. Always create a backup of your data before proceeding with advanced solutions. 

First, check for Invalid Windows Printers:

  1. Open Start, Control Panel, Devices and Printers
  2. Review listed printers are valid. Delete any printers with Status Unable to connect or other errors.
  3. Confirm selected Windows Default Printer is an actual printer, and able print a test page

Second, check for Insufficient Permissions:

  1. Have a Windows Domain-level Administrator log onto the affected workstation, then access Sage 100 and a report or form printing task window, to test if the issue still occurs.
  2. For Sage 100 Advanced or Premium editions, the Windows account used to run Sage 100 on the server (as a Service or as an Application, so workstation users may connect) may be lacking in permissions. The account should be a Domain Administrator account (or in the Domain Administrator group). 
    1. If this occurs in Sage 100 Advanced or Premium editions, test by logging in using Standard mode. If it works in Standard mode, then the issue is likely a permissions problem with Windows account used to run Sage 100 as a Service or as an Application
    2. Note: For additional information on using “Standard mode”, see the Related Resources section
  3. For users on Citrix/TS, some customers have reported having to set permissions at the Citrix server. (No additional details were provided.)
    1. some customers found using the command : “Change User / Install” before running workstation setup and then “Change User / Execute” after installing workstation setup resolved the issue. (Note: refer to your Sage 100 Business Partner or IT Staff additional information)
  4. Start Sage 100 as “Administrator”:
    1. Right-click the Sage 100 shortcut
    2. Select “Run as Administrator”

And, Insufficient Permissions to the local “..\MAS90” folder (Sage 100 Advanced or Premium):

  1. Verify that the Windows user has Full Control of the local “..\MAS90” folder (and all sub-folders and files under it) where the Sage 100 Workstation Setup client has been installed.
  2. If permissions are changed, reboot the workstation afterwards.

Third, check Reports folder may be missing from the “..\MAS90” directory:

  1. Verify that the “Reports” folder is present in the “..\MAS90” directory on the server where Sage 100 is installed. If the folder is missing restore it from a current backup.

Fourth, check access to mapped drives or network resources

  1. This may have originally been due to an expired Windows User Password or other connection issues but access to network resources still may not be available.
  2. Even if the original issue has been resolved, there could be issues with previously mapped network drives or access to network resources.
  3. Browse to the Sage 100 server’s MAS90 folder from your workstation to confirm you have access to that network resource.
  4. If prompted to enter a network login, do this and select “remember my credentials”.

If the issue still persists, see the additional steps below:

Data path may be incorrect in Company Maintenance:

  1. Open Library Master, Main, Company Maintenance
  2. Click, Preferences tab
  3. In the Data Location and Payroll Data Location fields, verify a UNC path is selected (for example: “\\ServerName\Apps\MAS90\MAS_xxx”) and not a physical drive letter (for example: C:\Apps\MAS90)

Verify the ODBC path in SOTA.INI for the Sage 100 Advanced workstation:

If a Crystal form or report is selected, the user may have insufficient rights to the Sage 100 data folder on the server. Crystal Reports uses the UNC path to access data and requires sufficient network permissions.

  1. At the workstation, open Windows Explorer. Browse to “..\MAS90\Launcher\” folder where the Sage 100 Workstation Setup client has been installed.
  2. Open the SOTA.ini file using Notepad
  3. Scroll down to the [Servers] section.
  4. Copy the UNC path that displays after Path=
  5. (Note: If no path exists, that is also a known cause. A sample [Servers] section should appear as follows:
  6. 1=ServerName;;APS=SAGE;APPLICATION=Sage 100 ERP;Path=\\ServerName\Sage\MAS90\
  7. where would be the actual port number that Sage 100 Advanced program is running at.
  8. If this information is missing then the Sota.ini file is damaged. Replace from a working workstation. (C:\Sage\Sage 100 Workstation\Home\Launcher directory or reinstall Sage 100 Workstation software)
  9. Click the Start button, and then click Run.
  10. Paste the UNC path into the Open field, and click OK. The folder should open in Windows Explorer.
  11. If an error or logon prompt displays, the path is either incorrect or restricted.
  12. Verify the path in the SOTAMAS90 DSN:

Note: The path in SOTAMAS90 should match the ODBC path in Sota.ini.

  1. Open ODBC Data Source Administrator in Windows, Control Panel
  2. Select SOTAMAS90, and click the Configure button.
  3. Copy the path from in the Database path field.
  4. Click the Start button, and then click Run. Paste the UNC path into the Open field, and click OK. The folder should open in Windows Explorer
  5. If an error or logon prompt dialog box opens, the path is either incorrect or restricted.

Expired Windows User Password

  1. Close all applications and log out of Windows or reboot your computer.
  2. Change your password.
  3. Even if the Windows password has been updated, there could be issues with previously mapped network drives or access to network resources. You can browse to the Sage 100 server’s MAS90 folder to confirm you have access to that network resource.

Sage 100 Advanced/Premium: Incorrect or bad path on workstation to Sage 100 installation location

Check the path to the Sage 100 server on workstation

  1. In Sage 100 select File, Run, type *INFO in Program field and select OK.
  2. Note the Installed Directory Path on Sage 100 System Information OR
    1. At the workstation, open Windows Explorer. Browse to “..\MAS90\Launcher\” folder where the Sage 100 Workstation Setup client has been installed.
  3. Open the SOTA.ini file using Notepad
  4. Scroll down to the [Servers] section.
  5. Copy the UNC path that displays after Path=
  6. (Note: If no path exists, that is also a known cause. A sample [Servers] section should appear as follows:
    1. 1=ServerName;;APS=SAGE;APPLICATION=Sage 100 ERP;Path=\\ServerName\Sage\MAS90\
    2. where would be the actual port number that Sage 100 Advanced program is running at.
  7. If this information is missing then the Sota.ini file is damaged. Replace from a working workstation. (C:\Sage\Sage 100 Workstation\Home\Launcher directory or reinstall Sage 100 Workstation software)
  8. Click the Windows Start button, and then click Run.
  9. Paste the UNC path into the Open field, and click OK. The folder should open in Windows Explorer.
  10. If an error or logon prompt displays, the path is either incorrect or restricted.