Windows – Block user access to printer settings in Windows 7/8

printerprintingwindows 7windows 8

I have a small computer lab set up. It is half Mac and half Windows. On the Macs, I am using the built-in parental controls to stop users from changing printing preferences. However, on the Windows machines, users (for whatever reason) keep trying to add network printers. Unfortunately, there are other printers on the network that are only for staff. Is there a way (using built-in or third-party software) to require the user to input an administrator password before adding/removing printers?

Best Answer

On the workstations (or on the domain controller if there is one) you will need to change this Group Policy:

User Configuration--> Administrative Templates --> Control Panel --> Printers --> Prevent addition of printers --> Enable

This is what it does. Keep in mind that it does not prevent them from craftily using PowerShell or NET USE to add the printer.

Prevents users from using familiar methods to add local and network printers.

This setting removes the Add Printer option from the Start menu. (To find the Add Printer option, click Start, click Printers, and then click Add Printer.) This setting also removes Add Printer from the Printers folder in Control Panel.

Also, users cannot add printers by dragging a printer icon into the Printers folder. If they try, a message appears explaining that the setting prevents the action.

However, this setting does not prevent users from using the Add Hardware Wizard to add a printer. Nor does it prevent users from running other programs to add printers.

This setting does not delete printers that users have already added. However, if users have not added a printer when this setting is applied, they cannot print.

Note: You can use printer permissions to restrict the use of printers without specifying a setting. In the Printers folder, right-click a printer, click Properties, and then click the Security tab.

If this policy is disabled, or not configured, users can add printers using the methods described above.

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Windows – Access ignoring default printer settings

you need to set the .UseDefaultPrinter property of the report to True.

From here, this code will reset the printer of all reports to default:

For Each obj In CurrentProject.AllReports
    DoCmd.OpenReport ReportName:=obj.Name, View:=acViewDesign
    If Not Reports(obj.Name).UseDefaultPrinter Then
        Reports(obj.Name).UseDefaultPrinter = True
        DoCmd.Save ObjectType:=acReport, ObjectName:=obj.Name
    End If
    DoCmd.Close
Next obj

Windows – How to set up a printer shared via Samba in the default profile of a Windows 10 machine

Resolved! The procedure that worked is as follows:

Go to the Control Panel, Devices and Printers, and Add Printer
Click “The printer I want wasn’t listed”
Select “Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings” and Next
Select “Create a new port”
Change the type of port to “Local Port” and Next
For the port name, enter \\HOST_NAME_OR_IP\SHARE_NAME
When prompted for a driver, choose your manufacturer/driver.
Finish out the wizard, naming the printer “Cash Sales” along the way.

In this way, the printer is defined used a local port, and therefore shows up in all profiles.

But the local port actually points to a network share, so that the print job goes to the right place.

One gotcha to note is that my Samba was advertising the share as being named “Cash Sales Printer”, but internally it was named “Cash_Sales” -- this appears to correspond to how the printer was named in CUPS. I had to use the \\\aaa.bbb.ccc.ddd\Cash_Sales version to make it work.

There's also a downside, which is that the automated driver deployment doesn't work. You have to select the driver manually from the great big long list that comes with Windows, or else supply a driver via the “Have Disk” option. So deployment is considerably more tedious. But at least it works!

Many thanks to the commenters who suggested things.

Best Answer

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Windows – Access ignoring default printer settings

Windows – How to set up a printer shared via Samba in the default profile of a Windows 10 machine

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