User Cannot Change Printer Settings

  • Thread starter Thread starter Will
  • Start date Start date
W

Will

I have a domain user who was set up as member of local administrators group
on an old Windows 2000. I want to convert that user over to run as a normal
member of Users group instead of Administrators. After making that
switch, the user can no longer change any of his printing preferences on any
printer. They get a vague "No access" message when trying to save the
preferences.

I enabled Audit on Failure on the file system, and the messages that the
user does not have access is not generating any filesystem failures in the
security eventviewer. I would guess I have a security issue on some
registry setting.

Is someone familiar with this problem and can you guide me to solution?
 
Hello Will,

Open the printer properties, security tab and check who has the right "Manage
Printers"

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
 
Meinolf Weber said:
Hello Will,

Open the printer properties, security tab and check who has the right "Manage
Printers"
Click to expand...

No, this isn't it. I'm not trying to manage printer settings. I'm trying
to change the user's personal printing preferences.

I went ahead and enabled Management, and I still get the same problem.

If I make the user a member of local Administrators then he has two
printers. If I make him a member of only the local Users group, then he
has *NO* printers. It's not about any privileges against those printers.
The printers themselves disappear entirely.
[/QUOTE]
 
No, this isn't it. I'm not trying to manage printer
settings. I'm trying to change the user's personal
printing preferences.

I went ahead and enabled Management, and I still get the
same problem.

If I make the user a member of local Administrators then he
has two printers. If I make him a member of only the
local Users group, then he has *NO* printers. It's not
about any privileges against those printers. The printers
themselves disappear entirely.
Click to expand...

Is the Print Spooler service running?

FWIW, I have spooler on Manual (intentionally), which makes
the printers "disappear" until/unless I start Print spooler.

J
 
Is the Print Spooler service running?

FWIW, I have spooler on Manual (intentionally), which makes
the printers "disappear" until/unless I start Print spooler.
Click to expand...

Yes print spooler is running. Again, I change the user from Administrator
to normal User, logoff, and logon, and the printers are gone. No reboot.
No manual stopping of the service. And the service is marked Automatic.

I'm pretty sure it is a permission issue on something in registry. But I
don't want to spend an hour in regmon trying to find it.
 
Hello Will,

What happens if you use the Add printer wizard to add the printer again?

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
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Is the Everyone group in the Security property of the printers? It's pretty
easy to make the printer "disappear" in the printers folder by changing
permissions.

If they are listed in the registry, the user does not have permission to use
or view the printers.



--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Alan Morris said:
Is the Everyone group in the Security property of the printers? It's pretty
easy to make the printer "disappear" in the printers folder by changing
permissions.
Click to expand...

Everyone does have Print permission for both of the locally-defined printers
on the affected computer. I even added the local Users group to the
printers' ACLs and gave both Manage Printers and Manage Documents privileges
to that group. The printers still disappear as soon as I move the user
from local Administrators group to local Users group.

If they are listed in the registry, the user does not have permission to use
or view the printers.
Click to expand...

This point I don't understand. Can you elaborate?
 
Sure.
If the printers are in the registry, then the printers are not gone. One
just needs the proper rights to the printer in order to view it using the
UI.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers



--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
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