Default changes on network printers after rebooting workstation
Network printers ( all HPs ) are named after colors, which puts Black at the top of the list alphabetically. Users will set their default printer to the one closest to their desk. Sometimes and for some people, the default printer is getting set to Black ( presumably because it's first on the list? ) It's not happening for everybody, and it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough that I want to know why and try and fix it.
All users are using XP pro, sp2 and print server is Server 2003. No group policy is configured ( other than if your workstation is in the OU, all printers are available to you )
Any ideas why it would get reset to the first alphabetically listed printer when they reboot? I've looked through the existing questions, but haven't found anything that quite fits my situation.
Thanks!
All users are using XP pro, sp2 and print server is Server 2003. No group policy is configured ( other than if your workstation is in the OU, all printers are available to you )
Any ideas why it would get reset to the first alphabetically listed printer when they reboot? I've looked through the existing questions, but haven't found anything that quite fits my situation.
Thanks!
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michko
Hadn't seen an update and was wondering if your problem has been resolved. Did any comments help resolve your problem? Do you have more questions or need clarification? If an Expert helped you, please accept his/her answer above with an excellent or good grade.
ASKER
Printer drivers are current, as are all updates. Have installed the app on a few workstations to test and see if it is a permanent fix.....jury is still out on that.
Question: Why should a third-party app be necessary? Why would the set default printer get reset with a reboot? Is it a registry problem? Why some workstations but not all? It isn't even printer specific. Mine never resets, but person next door with same chosen printer resets every time they reboot.
Thanks for help so far!
Question: Why should a third-party app be necessary? Why would the set default printer get reset with a reboot? Is it a registry problem? Why some workstations but not all? It isn't even printer specific. Mine never resets, but person next door with same chosen printer resets every time they reboot.
Thanks for help so far!
The default printer could get reset with a reboot if the user who set the printer as default does not have admin permissions, and the administrative login had set a different printer as default.
Example: administrator sets up pc and printers. printer A selected as default.
user logs in, selects printer B as default. This works ok for the current login, but when they reboot and log back in the admin's default printer gets reset as system default.
Another possiblity is group policy issues and permissions from AD.
Example: administrator sets up pc and printers. printer A selected as default.
user logs in, selects printer B as default. This works ok for the current login, but when they reboot and log back in the admin's default printer gets reset as system default.
Another possiblity is group policy issues and permissions from AD.
ASKER
Interesting.....but I don't think either one of those scenarios matches ours. Only started happening a few weeks ago. No printers set as default in AD, and admin ( myself ) doesn't set up printers on other's workstations. On the chance I did, I would set up printer closest to user, and NEVER the one they are resetting to.....that seems to be a choice based on alphabet. It's ALWAYS the "BLACK" printer that it gets set to. We have half a dozen network printers on the floor that all go through a print server. All are available to everyone, and they choose default based on location. Default just doesn't stick for some people, and the number of people reporting this issue seems to be increasing.......could it be a Microsoft bug?
Hmmm. Since it only started happening a few weeks ago it may well be related to some recent MS update.
Hope that 3rd party software works. Here's a link to a possible registry fix:
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs/browse_thread/thread/9aa4a7248b23915f/20ad156ad5db5e06%2320ad156ad5db5e06
Hope that 3rd party software works. Here's a link to a possible registry fix:
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.windows.server.sbs/browse_thread/thread/9aa4a7248b23915f/20ad156ad5db5e06%2320ad156ad5db5e06
ASKER
3rd party software seems to work, although it would be nice to know why 3rd party software was required in the first place. However, since it seems to have fixed the problem, Michko gets the points.
Thanks for the solution, Michko!
Thanks for the solution, Michko!
You're welcome.
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 was based on Windows XP and was released in four editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter. It also had derivative versions for clusters, storage and Microsoft’s Small Business Server. Important upgrades included integrating Internet Information Services (IIS), improvements to Active Directory (AD) and Group Policy (GP), and the migration to Automated System Recovery (ASR).
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