Installing network printers for multiple users

[maff]

Hi all,
We are a large Arts Institute in Bournemouth and have many suites with both PC and G4s. These are used by different courses each with thier own usernames and passwords.
Each suite has an HP printer networked through DLC to the NT server.
When installing the printer on the workstations we have to logon as each user individually to install the printer which is very time consuming when you have to install over 50 PCs!
Is there a way of installing a network printer on NT as administrator so that all users that log on automatically have it in thier printers folder.
I know this works with a local printer but not with a network printer.

Please help me, pleaaassseee.......
Maff



Matt ffolliott-Powell
maff_ffolliottpowell@yahoo.com

http://www.arts-inst-bournemouth.ac.uk

King of the wild frontier

 

[MasterRacker]

To the best of my knowledge, netowrk printer connections are user profile specific. You have to connect over and over again......

Jeff
masterracker@hotmail.com

If everything seems to be going well: you don't have enough information.......

 

[pepper]

Add the printer on an NT server (managed by my computer, make a new port and choose the easy configure option, specify the make and model, etc) and at the appropriate screen in the wizard choose the option that it will be shared. Users will still have to select that printer from a list but at least you won't have to go through the whole process of setting up the printer and the driver each time. Also, print jobs will be spooled on the server instead of on the user's machine. When you set up the printer on the server, be sure you add drivers for the OSs that the workstations will be running.
Hope this helps.

 

[dm7941]

here is a possible way: The printer settings are stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive of the registry. If you export the printer settings from a machine that has the printer configured to "printer.reg", you could use a "regedit /s printer.reg" command in the user login script. leave it in long enough to get them all installed, then you can remove it. This is the only way i know of to easily edit or change registry settings in the current user hive without knowing the SID.


David Moore

 

[maff]

Thanks for the tips guys,
I'll give david's idea a go...


Matt ffolliott-Powell
maff_ffolliottpowell@yahoo.com

http://www.arts-inst-bournemouth.ac.uk

King of the wild frontier

 

[CitrixEngineer]

My solution as always:

Add Citrix MetaFrame.

Not only will your printers autocreate (should you require) for all users, but your Macs will be able to run Windows applications - or even a Windows desktop - and share printers and data with Windows users as required.

 

[cfowler]

We run a utility in the startup for all users that we run as admins for the first connection, then, for all users there after, it automatically connects to the printer we specified initially. We administer over 900 users and this seemed to be the most effective way to go about it. We still have to run it for the first time, but then again, we are there initially to install the new computer anyhow. For all new users logging into the machine for the first time, they don't have to worry about adding the printer, it's added at their first logon.

CF