1809 any better for printing?

[Sheridan]

We're still getting daily calls about printers not appearing across our 1703-1803 W10 machines. Same old problem where they appear randomly - usually a second login works but not always.

 

We deploy them via computer policies (using the Deployed Printers setting ) and also a machine startup script using the PrintUi method - but we regularly see these errors:

 

"Group Policy was unable to add per computer connection \\server\Printer. Error code 0x57. This can occur if the name of the printer connection is incorrect, or if the print spooler cannot contact the print server." - the printers are correct and online so I know the error is not related to the printers or server.

 

It still seems no method works reliably with printers and 10, so I'm wondering if anyone deployed 1809 enough to get a feel for if its worse/better?

[robyholmes]

Best method we have found is the following:

Don't delete all - Just delete if the printer isn't needed or available for that user

Use the GPP Create first

Then follow it with an update for the same printer

 

Don't know why it needs a create, then update as a update should do the job. But for us we very rarely get a missing printer now... touch wood.

[Sheridan]

I had to drop the GPP user preference method as it was causing random long logins - 10 mins upwards sometimes as it applied the policy

 

I've got a couple of 1809 machines in use, but not enough of them to say printing is more reliable over 1803/1709

[synaesthesia]

Still think it'd be worth delving into those logon times a little more; using GPP we have so few problems it's lovely (1803)

[Sheridan]

Still think it'd be worth delving into those logon times a little more; using GPP we have so few problems it's lovely (1803)

 

That's the weird thing, as soon as I remove the printers policy (which was user GPP with item level targeting) the logins dropped back to normal (8-60 seconds depending if new profile)

 

I spent ages looking through the logs and it just seemed to hang installing printers - not always the same one or model - and only maybe 5-10% of logins did this, but it was enough of a nuisance to have to remove it!

[AJWhite1970]

Been running 1809 on every PC in the school after upgrading the lot from 1709 over Christmas (who wanted a break anyway...)

 

Number of can't print related helpdesk jobs before Christmas: hundreds

Number of can't print related helpdesk jobs after Christmas: 1 (PE printer out of paper....)

 

Gone back to using .bat scripts on login and touch wood, thus far we have finally cracked it

 

call \\server\profiles\printers\bat\%computername%.bat

\\dc1\NETLOGON\Printers\con2prt /f

\\dc1\NETLOGON\Printers\con2prt /c "\\ds2\IT01 HP LaserJet P2055dn P2"

\\dc1\NETLOGON\Printers\con2prt /cd "\\ds2\IT01 HP LaserJet P2055dn P1"

 

IMHO 1709 and printing just doesn't work...

Edited January 10, 2019 by AJWhite1970

[Sheridan]

Been running 1809 on every PC in the school after upgrading the lot from 1709 over Christmas (who wanted a break anyway...)

 

Number of can't print related helpdesk jobs before Christmas: hundreds

Number of can't print related helpdesk jobs after Christmas: 1 (PE printer out of paper....)

 

Gone back to using .bat scripts on login and touch wood, thus far we have finally cracked it

 

call \\server\profiles\printers\bat\%computername%.bat

 

IMHO 1709 and printing just doesn't work...

 

I must admit I haven't tried con2prt, we use in our primary schools but I've avoided it here.

[Accura2k7]

Were a mix of 1803 and 1809 with no printer problems at all, (with the except of PDF printing via Edge that holds up our copiers that use copier codes). All deployed via GPO to the location/machine rather than the user. All works perfectly!

[chazzy2501]

I use 4 methods to add the same printer as I was always getting the odd PC not map a printer. I first have a COMPUTER policy with loopback gpo applied, I then add "user policy":have 2 scripts 1 in vbs and one in powershell, I use the old printer connections method, then finally a preference. These four all adding the same printer seem to have got me 100% printer adds.

 

 

I did also toy with the idea of creating shortcuts to the printers (if you click a printer on a network share the PC will map it)

[Sheridan]

I'm sick to the back teeth of W10 and printing, its utterly hopeless and unreliable! We even had situations where the printers appear in Word etc, but not in the control panel!

[mikkydoos]

Still on 1607 LTSB. Don't have any problems and I'm not looking at changing it either !! (Yet)

[Latham]

I did also toy with the idea of creating shortcuts to the printers (if you click a printer on a network share the PC will map it)

 

That's interesting - but if the printer shortcut is copied to the user area, could they add printers in other areas that they shouldn't really have access to?

[Sheridan]

I think LTSC is my only remaining option. I've spent the last year or more faffing about trying to get printers to install in a dozen different ways, from 1607 to 1809 and the results are always variable. Its always the same error "Group Policy was unable to add per computer connection. Error code 0x57" but different users/printers/PCs etc. Never had so many issues with an OS and its peed me off so much I've ditched my Windows PC at home and actually swapped to a mac, this OS has made the job a pain - umpteen messages a day about missing printers and I can't offer them a solution, despite trying the many options posted on here.

[chazzy2501]

That's interesting - but if the printer shortcut is copied to the user area, could they add printers in other areas that they shouldn't really have access to?

 

Yes they could; Pick your poison.

 

 

You could copy it to the PC though.

Edited January 15, 2019 by chazzy2501

[Katy]

That's interesting - but if the printer shortcut is copied to the user area, could they add printers in other areas that they shouldn't really have access to?

Way round this is to set the permissions on the printers to e.g. only allow staff to print to staff areas. Then even if kids connect for some reason, they won't be able to print anything to it.

 

(We have to swap "Everyone - Print" for "Domain Users - Print" on all of ours as otherwise anybody in the trust can print to any of our printers if they're listed in AD)

[Latham]

As an experiment - I've copied the shortcut to the printer to the local startup folder on the department that phone us the most times. On the test machine we used it installed the print a few seconds after logon. Group policy will clear any deployed printers on logon before hand so printers won't follow staff.

 

Only drawback is that it doesn't make the printer the default printer but you can still select it from the dropdown menu.

[meakjoe]

It might be worth looking at this post here... http://www.edugeek.net/forums/windows-10/191185-disappearing-printers-15.html#post1723472

 

We've deployed the registry key on our Windows 10 machines and so far its totally cured the problem. One slight downside is that the key only works when the user logs out, so if they have previously logged onto the machine then they won't get any printers on the first logon after the fix, but any subsequent logons should be absolutely fine.