users cannot add printers...?

[barabba72]

Hi all,

env: Windows 2003 AD, Windows XP SP2

I noticed that users are no longer able to map new printers onto their
XP boxes.
It works fine if an administrator maps the printer first.
The behaviour is similar to a Terminal Server environment, where users
are not allowed to connect to printers if the relevant drivers are not
present.

What Group Policy can be set in order to prevent this behaviour on a XP
box ?

Thanks

 

[Norbert Fehlauer [MVP]]

env: Windows 2003 AD, Windows XP SP2

I noticed that users are no longer able to map new printers onto their
XP boxes.

What kind of printers? And what printerdrivers? Maybe you ran into a point
and print issue with "insecure" printer drivers?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;319939

HTH
Norbert

 

[lforbes]

I noticed that users are no longer able to map new printers onto
their

XP boxes. It works fine if an administrator maps the printer first.
The behaviour is similar to a Terminal Server environment, where users

are not allowed to connect to printers if the relevant drivers are not

present. What Group Policy can be set in order to prevent this
behaviour on a XP box ?

The reason for this is that the printer drivers are located in the
spool folder within the Windows/system32 folder in which the users
have no write access.

Personally, I just assign printers to a computer via a startup script
batch file. That adds the printer and downloads the printer drivers
when the computer restarts. Check out
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /in /q /n "\serverPrinter Name"

Cheers,

Lara

 

[Bruce Sanderson]

See also http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/NetPrinterAllUsers.htm.

For a few printer models, we've found that after the printer is globally
added using this technique, you have to logon with an administrative user
account for the printer to work. You can do that remotely using Remote
Desktop Connection.

 

[Bruce Sanderson]

I should have said:

"... you have to logon with an administrator account once - essentially to
complete the installation process. After that, the printer can be used by
any user."

--
Bruce Sanderson MVP Printing
http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders

It is perfectly useless to know the right answer to the wrong question.