Add printer available to all profiles.

[7flip7]

Problem:
Adding printer while logged in as myself (domain admin) does not make the printer available to all users, in existing profiles or on new profiles.

Environment:
HP printers setup w/ JetDirect cards. NT 4.0 server sharing printers. Windows 2K and XP clients printing to printers via network share on NT server.

What I've tried:
going to \\machinename in a browser, I can go to Printers and Add a printer that way, but I can only add a printer via tcp/ip, and I need my jobs managed on an NT server. I can also create a new port, but then I need to use login scripts or some other method to map that port to the printer share on the server (\\server\printer). I've seen this page on using rundll32 from a command line (login script) but I think it looks too complex for what I need (

http://www.swynk.com/trent/Articles/PrintUI.asp).

I've also tried creating a local profile, changing what I want to be a part of the default profile, and then copying the local profile to the default profile folder. This works for everything but network printers because a local profile does not have network access. This will also not solve the issue for existing users/profiles on the machine.

What I need:
A simple solution to add a network printer available to all users of an NT based system. I would prefer to stay away from command line options via login script, as I have several traveling users and several remote locations (14).

Thanks in advance to anyone that can help,

.oO( FLiP )Oo.

 

[wolluf]

suggestion:

Create a domain user with a roaming profile (in normal profile location on the server, \winnt\profiles\username). Log on to local machine as that user, and set up network printer on that user. Log off - you should have profile saved on the server with correct network printer settings. On the server, create a folder called 'Default User' under the netlogon share (C:\WINNT\system32\Repl\Import\Scripts normally). Use the copy to facility for user profiles to copy the one you set up to this Default User location. All new users will now pick this up as their default profile (unless given explicit roaming profile). You'll need to remove local copies of profiles for existing users. If you don't want people picking up profile from server, just copy this Default User profile to all the local machine's Default Users instead, then remove it from server.

Hope this is of some use to you (I know its not exactly what you want)

 

[lovalles]

Another way is to make that printer available to the default profile, so when anyone get the time logged it will have the printer installed by default.
Hope this help
lovalles