Printer Installs - most reliable method?

[Sean]

In reply to synaesthesia, above, but to the thread generally as well

Adding printers via GPP is generally working well for us except for the issue of setting the default printer on a users first logon - at profile creation time, as detailed here:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2787598

We have group policy set to clear out profiles that have been inactive for a week or so, therefore, it's causing problems after school holiday, absences, students being moved to other computers etc.

(I SAY 'causing problems' - students have to be aware of the printer they're printing to and possibly select another one from the list, so it's not major but I DO have a call on from ICT about it...)

I tried a VB script to run a gpupdate /force at logon but that only works about half of the time - I suspect it's often running before the printer connection is set up, like the GP to set default itself is

I've read some stuff about maybe using GPP to set up a scheduled task to run a GP Update script on logon but haven't had much luck with that either - not sure the best user to run it as and the best location to run the script from, doing it that way

Anyone else been down this road?

Cheers

Edited June 15, 2016 by Sean

[synaesthesia]

Ah, the joys of non mandatory profiles

[Sean]

Yeah, mandatory profiles - annoying and problematic when you have them, annoying and problematic when you don't!

[phildyer]

Here is mine:

 

Dim objNetwork

Set objNetwork = CreateObject("WScript.Network")

 

Dim strComputerName

strComputerName = objNetwork.ComputerName

 

If InStr(1, strComputerName, "COMPUTER-NAME",1) > 0 Then

objNetwork.AddWindowsPrinterConnection "\\SERVER\PRINTER"

objNetwork.SetDefaultPrinter "\\SERVER\PRINTER"

End If

 

I've had a couple of issues with GPP:

 

1. Unless you set it is a user policy it wont set printers as default, which means you need to mess around with loopback processing

2. Item level targetting is flaky at best

 

I've found in most schools that they don't breakdown the computer OU into classrooms or areas. The first line of this script looks for the computers name and if it matches delivers the printer underneath as the default printer.

 

Enabling Point and print restrictions is useful too.

[Oaktech]

Our previous method, implemented before I arrived, was a VB script that sat in the startup folder of the redirected start menu. This was 100% reliable, but caused the machine to sit for about a minute on 'preparing your desktop'

 

We now do it by GPP and this has been very reliable for us. Ocasionally it is a problem when someone doesn't reboot their machine for weeks, the printer drops off, but as most staff only see one print queue in our follow me scheme they can add it again easily anyway, or a reboot always solves it.

 

We have one GPO that installs 1 or 2 possible printers via GPP and item level targeting based on whether they are Teaching staff, Admin or Pupil. The GPO removes all existing connections before it adds the appropriate printer.

[bwestlake]

not having printers is the most reliable method for printers.... ohh i hate printers..

[mavhc]

Previous job used VBScript as complex system, multiple sites, people moving between them.

 

New job GPP user targeting security and OU groups.

 

Both times shared Windows printers, not IP.

 

GPP should update without logging in again, right?

[fredbayker]

+1 for vbscript over GPP

[timbo343]

Moved to vbscript for printers when we moved to Win7. Never looked back!

[SteveB_NI]

I created a VB script for the printer adding / setting as default. It runs ok when an admin / elevated account logs on but no success when logging on as a pupil or even general staff user.

 

It still doesn't run if I put it in the all users > start up folder.

 

Do I need to add a gpo to allow a specific vbs script name? Not too keen opening up all vbs scripts to students

 

Thanks

[dhoward_westexetc]

Used GPO and GPP for a while. It was an utter disaster, as printers would randomly fail to deploy. So I went back to VBScripts and they've been rock solid ever since.

 

Now working on V2 scripts that would take the left side of the computer name (the room number) and use a Select Case statement to assign the correct queues. I also have a thin client version too I am developing.

[mavhc]

I read the OU of the computer to assign printers when I was using scripts

[dhoward_westexetc]

I read the OU of the computer to assign printers when I was using scripts

 

Good idea. Looking at it, seems easy too. Thanks!

[SteveB_NI]

dhoward_westexetc - Where do you place your scripts to allow it to be ran by students and general users? I'm running into a permissions issue when allocated at log in

[synaesthesia]

Really would love to see some of the setups where GPP printer deployment is so ropey. Just to see why so many get along with it just fine regardless of if they run roamers, mandatory or local profiles, yet so many seem to swear by scripting them.

[ITGuyWestMidlands]

dhoward_westexetc - Where do you place your scripts to allow it to be ran by students and general users? I'm running into a permissions issue when allocated at log in

 

Netlogon

[dhoward_westexetc]

dhoward_westexetc - Where do you place your scripts to allow it to be ran by students and general users? I'm running into a permissions issue when allocated at log in

 

Domain share - but Netlogon works equally well.

[dhoward_westexetc]

Really would love to see some of the setups where GPP printer deployment is so ropey. Just to see why so many get along with it just fine regardless of if they run roamers, mandatory or local profiles, yet so many seem to swear by scripting them.

 

I think in our case it was a bug in Windows 7, and I don't think it got fixed until the Enterprise hotfix rollup. But as I had spent so much time perfecting our scripts, and the fact they work so well, i'm reluctant to rip it all up and go back to group policy again.