Printer?

[gregorys]

How do make it so when i install a printer on one account the other accounts that log into the pc will also see the printer?

[eyeball]

printers are profile based, however you have a few options;

if you are running server 2003 R2 look into the print management utility, otherwise map a printer from a logon script using something like con2prt.exe from the NT4 Zak-kit. Or use vbscript in a logon script to map a printer

[gregorys]

Thank you for the reply. Ive been googling and i only really see alot from the server side. You said they are profile based.. Is there a way i could add the printer to the default user? And anyone who logs into that pc would get that printer?

or another solution?

Edited November 12, 2007 by gregorys

[gosh]

Printers are going to be in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers

HKCU\Printers

Search google on 'printui.dll'

-gosh

Edited November 12, 2007 by gosh

[gregorys]

I cannot believe that MS does not let you install printers in a easy step to all of the users on the machine what a rip!

[gosh]

That was the way it was in windows 2000, so microsoft didn't change anything in XP because that would have broken app compatibility which would have made vendors mad at microsoft...it's one of those quirks.

-gosh

[Ponch]

If you can define that printer as a local printer, it will be available to all accounts. Obviously you need to be admin to do it and to define the new local port (by it's IP for instance).

[FrankE9999]

Windows XP has several vbs files for configuring printers. The Prncnfg.vbs, Prndrvr.vbs, Prnjobs.vbs, Prnmngr.vbs, Prnport.vbs, and Prnqctl.vbs commands. These need to be run as an administrator and can be used to install network printers on a system. These will be available to all users on the system.

Add an IP based printer

rem create port

cscript c:\WINNT\system32\Prnport.vbs -a -r IP_192.168.1.5 -h 192.168.1.5 -o raw -n 9100 -me -i 1 -y public

rem add printer

cscript c:\WINNT\system32\Prnmngr.vbs -a -p "Network Printer HP LaserJet 4000 Series PCL6 (192.168.1.5)" -m "HP LaserJet 4000 Series PCL6" -r "IP_192.168.1.5"

Delete an IP based printer

cscript c:\WINNT\system32\Prnmngr.vbs -d -p "Network Printer HP LaserJet 4000 Series PCL6 (192.168.1.5)"

Delete a port

cscript c:\WINNT\system32\Prnport.vbs -d -r IP_192.168.1.5

Delete unused drivers

cscript c:\WINNT\system32\prndrvr.vbs -x

The above work for IP based printers. If shared a printer on computer Computer1 as HPLaserJ. You need to add a registry entry and then restart the spooler service.

reg.exe add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Ports" /v "\\Computer1\HPLaserJ" /t REG_SZ

net stop spooler

net start spooler

Add the printer

cscript -nologo c:\WINNT\system32\Prnmngr.vbs -a -p "HP LaserJet 4000 (Computer1)" -m "HP LaserJet 4000 Series PCL6" -r "\\Computer1\HPLaserJ"

If you are trying to do this remotly use -s option to specify the system. The net stop and net stop commands don't have a remote option. You an use psexec from sysinternals to remotly execute the "net stop spooler" or "net start spooler" commands. The W2K resource kit had a progrtam NETSVC.exe to remotly start and stop services.

[gregorys]

If you can define that printer as a local printer, it will be available to all accounts. Obviously you need to be admin to do it and to define the new local port (by it's IP for instance).

I added the printer to the admin account, how would i make it so the rest of the users can see it?

[Ponch]

same question, same answer, I don't know what to add. Does it not work ?

[gregorys]

nope. they are profile based.

thanks for trying tho

[TheFlash428]

The easiest way I have found to do this is to set up a new account with admin rights. This usually works best using a new account that has never been logged into with, as all profile settings will still be set to default.

Log into the account and install the necessary printers.

RESTART the computer (logging out will not work).

When the computer comes back up, login using a differnt account (also must be admin).

Copy the NTUSER.DAT file from the profile you just added the printers to, and replace the NTUSER.DAT file for the "Default User" profile with that one.

Restart again.

Any new account the logs on should now have those printers available.