GPP - Printers not always deploying

[mattpant]

Hi All,

 

For some time now we have had issues with printers not always deploying on first logon - we use to have a VBS script that wouldn't always install the printers first time - but if you logged off and back in again they would be installed.

 

I tried moving away from the old vbs script and to use Group Policy Preferences - but I'm finding that we have mixed results using that too...

 

We have a Server 2012 R2 setup as a Print Server - Printers are shared on the server

 

I have a Printer GPO setup for each room OU which has Group Policy Loopback Processing set from the User to the Computers in that OU - the GPP is set to "Create" the connection to the shared printer - sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't.

 

I was hoping that using GPP would resolve the issues we had using VBS scripts.

 

Anybody have any reasons why it's not always working for us?

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[Fazza]

Are you using an existing group policy or have your created a new one from scratch?

 

When we started putting W8.1 in our computer suites I just updated the existing group policy with mixed results. I now have them in a separate OU in AD with a nice new fresh group policy which works a treat.

[mattpant]

The Windows 8.1 Machines are all in a new OU - with new a new Group Policy object created which just contains the printers that I want deployed to the computers in this OU - the GPP is setup under "Users" but with Loopback Processing taking place - that way we can setup the Shared printers (Rather then TCP/IP etc) and set a default printer which you can't do when deploying via the Computer Configurations.

 

Have you got yours set to "Update" or "Create" ?

 

Thanks

 

Matt

[robjd]

after years of trying, I now firmly believe that Windows tosses a virtual coin to see if it will install the printer or not.

[DavetheITguy]

I use a script linked to a CSV file. The script looks at the computer name, looks at the CSV, if there is a printer in the corresponding field it will link it and set it as default if required. We deploy our printers like this as we have so many offices and classrooms. We only want users to print to a device that has been set by IT Support. It works 100% we have never had a problem, It's a simple logon script.