How can I get a W2k workgroup PC to print from a domain printer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter quentinhudson
  • Start date Start date
Q

quentinhudson

We have one PC in a workgroup and I want the user to be able to print
to a W2K pdc printer. The server is called PDC02 and is a member of the
domain OWA. If I type \\pdc02 from the run prompt, it will ask me for
user credentials and then I can see and use all the printers on the
server. However, I want this process to be automated, so the user can
just log on with a local PC account and print right away to the domain
printer. To do this I created a batch file on her pc and created a
shortcut to it inside her startup folder, hoping it would give her
sufficient credentials on the domain.

This is the syntax within the batch file:

NET USE \\PDC02\IPC$ spring06/USER:Gaynor Reed /PERSISTENT:YES

PDC02 is the name of the server, the username of the domain account is
Gaynor Reed, and the password of her domain account is spring06.

However, even though the batch file runs when she logs on to her local
machine, her printers still show as 'unable to connect' and are
unusable until she goes to PDC02 from the run prompt again and manually
types in her credentials. Where am I going wrong here, and what is the
best way to allow her to print from the printer on this server?

Thanks.
 
We have one PC in a workgroup and I want the user to be able to print
to a W2K pdc printer. The server is called PDC02 and is a member of the
domain OWA. If I type \\pdc02 from the run prompt, it will ask me for
user credentials and then I can see and use all the printers on the
server. However, I want this process to be automated, so the user can
just log on with a local PC account and print right away to the domain
printer. To do this I created a batch file on her pc and created a
shortcut to it inside her startup folder, hoping it would give her
sufficient credentials on the domain.

This is the syntax within the batch file:

NET USE \\PDC02\IPC$ spring06/USER:Gaynor Reed /PERSISTENT:YES

PDC02 is the name of the server, the username of the domain account is
Gaynor Reed, and the password of her domain account is spring06.

However, even though the batch file runs when she logs on to her local
machine, her printers still show as 'unable to connect' and are
unusable until she goes to PDC02 from the run prompt again and manually
types in her credentials. Where am I going wrong here, and what is the
best way to allow her to print from the printer on this server?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Create an account on the server that matches the user's
account/password, then grant this user access to your
printer. You can now define this printer on the user's PC
via the Control Panel. There is no need to run any batch
files with embedded passwords (horrible!) nor to link
the printer to LPT2:.
 
Thanks for the input, but local accounts of the server are disabled, so
this is not an option. Any other ideas?
 
Make it a domain account. Even better - connect the printer to
some workstation instead of the server, or use a print server.
 
I did consider the idea of a domain account, but surely the server will
not give the rights of a domain account (should I create one) with the
same name to local user account on her workstation? They are
completely seperate at the moment, and I dont see how the PDC would see
them as anything else - although I hope I am wrong.

I am afraid a Print Server or a dedicated printer is out of the
question for just one user.

Thanks for responding.
 
Leaving aside the security issue of embedding a password in a batch file,
your batch syntax is incorrect. It should look like this -

NET USE \\PDC02\PRINTERNAME /USER:"Gaynor Reed" spring06

You should put a pause line at the end of the batch for testing initially.
Note it is possible to use this batch technique with a prompt for name and
password. If interested

See the "EasyMap" samples on the Tech Tips and Downloads page at
http:// [Remove this and spaces] www. gtscomputerservice. com
 
Hi,

Still couldn't get it to work, so I just added the PC on to the domain.
Thanks for all your suggestions guys.
 
Back
Top