Anyone still using VB to install/map printers?

[woodham]

Just curious to see if anyone is still using vb to install/map there printers via computer groups?

 

trying to think up a nice solution to printer sprawl and it apeares that the old ways might be best

 

Cheers

[Steve21]

What are you trying to do? Found most ways can be done with GPO nowadays

 

Steve

[sonofsanta]

Just redoing it now, as it happens, though doing it via OU not group.

 

Tried GPP but it only worked 98% of the time, and that 2% adds up a lot over 500+ PCs over 5 periods (especially as it included GP refreshes). VBScript has been much more reliable.

 

Having to switch from logon script to Run this program at logon to speed up login times though. New HP printers are lovely, but drivers are chunky!

[Oaktech]

I am right now, because my predecessor mucked up his GPOs and it took about 5 minutes to process. It doesn't any more and I'm just about to refresh my entire document management fleet so I will stop using VB and go all GPO in about 10 days time!

[Michael]

I've used the Print Management deployment method since 2003 R2

[ass17]

We have a mixture of GPP and VB script that calls a VB.net custom written program to map printer, looking to go fully GPP in future

[MatthewL]

Got a mix across customers I suppose, mainly GPO now, it tends to be the way I do it also now.

[timbo343]

Yup VBS for us here, its been totally flexible and havent had any problems with it at all.

[sister_annex]

VBS for us too... script does all sorts and writes to event log so easy to spot errors when they occur

[Chuckster]

I'm still using VBScript to map our printers according to the OU a workstation belongs in. I've never tried using GPP or the Print Management method because of reading the problems people had encountered when it was possible to do so. Since then, I suppose, the GPP offerings may have matured but I still continue using vbscript. Everything else is all in GPP (IE settings, drive mappings et al) or GPO.

[synaesthesia]

Entirely GPP here, item level targetted - and glad we do as it's 100% successful over 600 devices.

[DavetheITguy]

VB for us, maps by recognising the first 3 characters of the computer name and then maps to the right printer via a CSV file.

[stitch]

VB for us, maps by recognising the first 3 characters of the computer name.

 

I do it this way as well, but use the first 4 characters of the computer name. When I started using GPP found that it was temperamental and did some strange things with some machines.

Edited December 3, 2015 by stitch

[witch]

VB Here too. We had endless problems when we moved to GPO so we..moved back

[clockend25]

We're still rolling with a 2K3 print server so yeah, we've got a VB script adding printers based on OU.

[sted]

a mix when gpp works great sometimes for no reason i can detect it fails or can add considerably to logon time with so,me hp drivers

[timbo343]

I do it this way as well, but use the first 4 characters of the computer name. When I started using GPP found that it was temperamental and did some strange things with some machines.

 

Yup same here, but various lengths of computer names, AD groups and single user/computer names - its all good.

[Duke5A]

I wrote up a blog post on my printer script here: VB Script for network printer deployment - Blogs - EduGeek.net. It'll collected nested group membership, OU location and other things to determine who gets what.

 

I'm actually migrating away from VB altogether though and the printers are the last thing to be moved over to GPP. I found GPP to be far more reliable than VB when wireless devices are in play. One thing I did notice about GPP printer installation vs VB is that it seems to take a lot longer to install the printer drivers. To work around it I preloaded the most common printer drivers into the base image. Maybe it's just me since VB will run in the background while the desktop comes up where GPP won't load the desktop until its done processing.

[woodham]

Thanks everyone it confirms what im seeing . most of the time gpp or print managment deploy is fine but not totally solid where as vb just works , time to dig out my scripts and remake them

 

mapping based on computer group name should only take a day

 

thanks

[sister_annex]

Here is a copy of the one I wrote for here...

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/92265917/Printers.vbs

 

This may help get you started - there's no OU checks as we dont use it but it will do room/ computernames and AD group memebership

 

HTH

 

Dont run it on your server!! and make sure you edit the bits in [sQUARE BRACKETS]

[unixman_again]

VBS here. Like most schools, our computers have the room number as part of the host name and the vbs script checks this and assigns the appropriate printer. The printer and room assignments are all held in a MySql database and when you change an entry, the printer script is automatically updated. So it's very easy to change a the printer assignment for a room if a printer has failed.

[CadlaM]

I keep thinking I should move over to Deploying printers from new 2012 print server management.

Currently we us script with:

 

'rem **Setup printers for all users**

\\myserver\netlogon\con2prt.exe /f

 

IF %Location% == scicdt \\myserver\netlogon\CON2PRT.exe /CD \\myserver\kirklandpupils

IF %Location% == scicdt \\myserver\netlogon\CON2PRT.exe /C \\myserver\ICTColour'

 

And with PC Environment variable 'Location' inserted with area of school where normally used, so we have scripts for Teachers and one for pupils and it sets the Default printer for location.

 

I have deployed a couple of printers from new 2012 PS that aren't anyone's default but can't see how to achieve what we're used to just with OUs that PC or user is in???

 

Would welcome any ideas.