XP Auto Printer Installation BLOWS! 2

[MaxxGirth]

I hate it when Windows XP automatically picks up shared printers that it detects on my local network. It installs them as "Auto blah blah blah on blah blah blah". I have searched and searched for a way to disable this automatic activity, with no luck. I could swear that I have seen, at one time or another, a setting to disable this, however, I cannot seem to find it again. I have gone through every setting in gpedit, and it doesn't appear to be there. Does anyone feel the same as I? Do you know how to defeat this infuriating "Feature"?????

I think it's a shame that entire families can be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs...!

 

[bcastner]

In Windows Explorer, (not IE), Tools, Folder Options, View, uncheck the first box : "Automaticly search for network folders and printers."

You need to do a registry change to prevent the automatic setting of mapped remote devices in Network Neighborhood.

 

[MaxxGirth]

I KNEW that I'd seen that somewhere!!!
I appreciate your quick response, and insight.
What is the registry edit that you are referring to?
I'm not sure that I understand what it defeats by reading your note...
I can't readily test, right now, but I presume that the
un-checking of the setting mentioned above will work...
Or, are you suggesting that a reg edit is ALSO required?

I think it's a shame that entire families can be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs...!

 

[Marmfield]

Any chance for a .REG file making this change? Kinda sucks having to go to 100+ pc's and make this change by hand.

Thanks,

Matt Armfield

 

[ravashaak]

Bcastner beat me to it. For future reference, this feature is called "netcrawl". I'd heard that they were gonna call it "clutter my printer window with a buncha garbage", but the marketing guys shot them down.

The registry key which controls netcrawl is as follows:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
NoNetCrawling=1

 

[bcastner]

There are several in fact, but I doubt you need it to just prevent Auto printers from appearing.

1. One possibility:

http://is-it-true.org/nt/registry/rtips84.shtml

2. If you have a secure server or workstation, you may want to prevent it from being seen in the Network Neighborhood browse list.
To hide your computer from the network browse list:

Use a registry editing tool to navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\ Parameters

Insert a value with the following details:
Data Type: DWORD
Value Name: Hidden
Value: 1
Restart the computer for the changes to take effect.

 

[MaxxGirth]

You guys, all of you, as well as this site, just ROCK!!
Thanks!!

I think it's a shame that entire families can be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs...!

 

[bcastner]

Marmfield,

A good tutorial, (if needed by you), on how to "push" registry changes:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/d...w2kmag01/html/DistributingRegistryChanges.asp

As ravashaak notes above, the GUI interface is a small registry entry.

You might combine that one with some suggestions I made above about 'hiding' the remote resources of individual workstations.

Best,
Bill Castner

 

[MaxxGirth]

Okay...
I've got regini.exe working to change the d-word value of
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Explorer\Advanced\nonetcrawling to "1"...
Works like a champ, over the network...
Now, if there are any regheads reading this, how about
a reg edit to remove the printer(s) that were previously
added automatically, when "nonetcrawling" was set to "0"...
If I can go to school, just a bit, and learn how to delete
a printer via the registry, then I can push this entire fix
out to several hundred workstations as a simple batch file
that does it all...
That'd be great!
Any suggestions?

I think it's a shame that entire families can be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs...!

 

[bcastner]

They will timeout and disappear of their own accord after a reasonably short period of time.

Or use Explorer, Network Neighborhood, and delete them.
Then, My Computer, and make sure no residual remote shares are listed.

You can find them in the Registry, but it is decidly tricky to play with them, as you need to manually reassign every entry that remains a key locator.

They will disappear.

 

[MaxxGirth]

Thanks bcastner!!!
YOU
ARE
THE
MAN
!!!
I'll try playing the patience game, and wait them out.
Hopefully it won't be all that long.


I think it's a shame that entire families can be torn apart by something as simple as wild dogs...!