NET USE problem

[Gazman]

Hi, I have a Win2K server and about 20 XP workstations. 6 of the workstations use a selection of 3 dot matrix printers operating off a Netgear PS113 print server. As the printers have different types of stationery in them I need the users to be able to select which printer they print to at any one time. For 2 years now I have been using buttons on the quick launch toolbar that run batch files similar to below:
NET USE LPT1: /DELETE
NET USE LPT1: \\PS343057\P1

Each button simply redirects the local LPT1 to the relevant port on the print server. It's very simple and works very well.

These batch files have been (and still are) operating fine (NETBEUI installed on these machines). However, one of our staff just left and I had to set up one of the existing workstations for another user. However, if I log in as this user the NET USE command can't "see" the print server. It's not machine specific either, it's USER specific as if I log onto any other machine on the network as this particular user I get the same symptom.

Anyone know what could be going on? I even tried giving this user full admin rights on both the server and the workstation (in desperation!) - still doesn't work. Strangely, I find that I cannot use the NET USE command to map ANY printer on the network when I log in as this user. I have deleted his profile and re-set him up - still doesn't work!

How can this problem be linked to the USER???

 

[Roeee]

Can the user browse to the UNC path for the printer? If not, can they browse to any shared network device? Is this problem specific to this user or any new user created?

 

[Gazman]

Yes - this is why the whole thing is weird. If I type:

NET VIEW \\PS343057

the system finds the print server and it lists the ports.
I can map a drive using NET USE with this user OK. It seems to be the LPT1: port mapping that is screwed up. I can't map any other legal network printers either! If I use the standard batch file to map to port 1 on this print server I get the following error message:

The password is invalid for \\PS343057\P1
Enter the user name for 'PS343057'

I get the same message if I try other printers too. I don't know where to go with this....

It's not really a "device not found" error as a computer that works reports a "system error 66" if this is the case. I have not yet set up any more users on the system but I have a funny feeling that they too will do this!

 

[Gazman]

Update:

I checked all the user parameters for all the machines that "will" work with the other login names and found that all of them not only had local admin rights - but they had NETWORK admin rights set on each of the user names as well. Adding network admin rights to the "faulty" user on the machine made it work. However, the user was NOT in the network administrators group on the system so he doesn't have "true" admin rights. What is the difference between these sets of rights?