Mysterious Default Printer Switching

[Triage]

I have a user running an XPSP2 desktop on our network and connected to three network printers. The default printer choice keeps changing to one of the non-default network printers after the user sends a couple of print jobs to it. The user can change the default setting back manually, but it eventually reverts back to this one printer after a few uses. No other users are experiencing this issue.

Any ideas as to what is going on?

"I enjoyed my youth so much that I decided to bring it along with me."
-GC

 

[noobtechie]

Does it revert to the same printer? Try removing the printer through the net print command. Just a guess, was this printer added as a batch file to all pcs on your network?

http://www.ss64.com/nt/con2prt.html

Run printing commands from the command prompt -

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windo...65fd-47c5-b70a-a431d837d1401033.mspx?mfr=true

=========================================
“You can actually become a role model for women.” - Jenna Jameson

 

[Triage]

Yes, the same printer keeps 'taking' the default status, but no, this network printer was not added by batch file (that might have explained a few things, though).

"I enjoyed my youth so much that I decided to bring it along with me."
-GC

 

[noobtechie]

Try the Net Print Delete command.

=========================================
“You can actually become a role model for women.” - Jenna Jameson

 

[bboffin]

The chances are that one of the applications the user is running is switching the default printer and forgetting to switch it back. Some older programs, especially VB6 and Access VBA applications, were written for Windows 98 which had no simple means of selecting a specific printer so all you could do was make the printer that was required the default printer and then send stuff to it. Well behaved programs then restored the original default but not everybody was that well behaved.




Bob Boffin

 

[se2000]

Your problem may be the user is having problems staying connected to that printer. When they try to print, they get an error message saying printer not available, do you want to go to the next, they click ok and that will change their default.

 

[linney]

See if you get any ideas from these?

XP pro not saving default printer or current home page settings

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...r"+not+saved+xp&rnum=1&hl=en#4554f9047c4b84f4

The default printer in the host computer changes when you logon using Remote Desktop?

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/tsprinter.htm

Batch file to SET DEFAULT PRINTER

http://windows.ittoolbox.com/groups.../re-batch-file-to-set-default-printer-1324021

Changing a User's Default Printer in the Registry

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=156212#appliesto

Lock 'set as default printer'
thread779-1165677

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="+default+printer+setting"+xp&btnG=Search

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...+xp&btnG=Search&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wg

 

[Triage]

I believe Bob is on the right track as I asked the user if the print jobs that switched the default status originated from a certain program. Indeed they did: a laboratory instrument interface app that enables the user to print out a status report based on data analysis. We sent it to other printers on the network and sure enough, the target printer automatically became the new default printer on that workstation.

Now, how do I block this action?

Thanks!

"I enjoyed my youth so much that I decided to bring it along with me."
-GC

 

[linney]

A replacement program (or update to fix the current application) that doesn't have this undesired action.

As a workaround a Schedule Task or batch file, to reset the Default Printer, that runs as often as you need it to?