[ltsb, 1809] Printers not mapping correctly on Windows 10

[Davida1992]

We have been using a vbs script to map printers for years on Windows 7 and it has never been an issue. The script checks the start of the computer name and if it matches it essentially maps a printer. This has never been an issue before. Since moving the majority of our computers to Windows 10 we are finding that the same script on Windows 10 is intermittently not mapping any network printers at all from the script. When this happens, a lot out and a log back in, or running the script manually does appear to fix the issue though.

 

We thought that using the script was an old method anyway so I have recently been trying to have our printers mapped via group policy instead. We are doing this via user in the following location in group policy:

User Policies > Preferences > Control Panel Settings > Printers.

 

All of our printers are listed with the share path with item level targeting where required. The same issue appears to be occurring here too, printers are not mapping intermittently, particularly on first login. A log off and a log back in seems to fix the issue, or gpupdate /force seems to fix it too.

 

Last time this occurred I did have a quick look on event viewer and saw the following:

 

The user 'Student_Printing' preference item in the 'Printers Test Dash {A6956A1F-514B-4CBC-8615-A17D9419A197}' Group Policy Object did not apply because it failed with error code '0x80070057 The parameter is incorrect.' This error was suppressed.

 

I have tried looking around for what could cause this, but everything seems a little vague. I did map the printer manually on this occasion which worked fine. I am at a but of a loss with this, because the issue is so intermittent it is actually pretty difficult to troubleshoot which does not help.

 

Has anyone else had anything similar or can anyone suggest anything here. Any advice is much appreciated as usual

 

Thanks.

[ComboSmith]

We use Computer Policies > Windows Settings > Deployed Printers to deploy our printers to the machines rather than users. Never had any issues across 7 or 10 with this. We are currently on LTSC 1809 and it is working nicely.

[3s-gtech]

Is the GPO assigned to the user OU or the computer OU?

[ComboSmith]

The computer OU. IT Suites get their own OU with the gpo applied, the rest of the printer GPOs are applied to the workstations OU and then we use security filtering to make sure it only goes to the correct machines.

[3s-gtech]

GPP applied to computer OUs is unreliable and frustrating. Taken from experience. When I mapped our printers with GPP, assigned to the computer OUs, reliability was about 75%. When I changed it so that the printers are applied to the student OU, using Item level targeting to map it to the correct IT suite or area, reliability went up to 99% or thereabouts. There are plenty of others on here who've experienced the same.

[ComboSmith]

Fair enough, it's very consistent for us, I can't think of a single instance of a printer not being added on a machine so thought I'd offer it as a suggestion

[synaesthesia]

Likewise, 99-100% here with GPP and item level targetting; printer GPO is set at all workstations level and ILT to security groups the machines belong to.