Cannot Set Up a Default Network Printer for All Windows XP Users (307016)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows XP Professional
This article was previously published under Q307016 IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry.
Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you
understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information
about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following
article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry SYMPTOMSWhen you deploy Windows XP Professional in a domain or
workgroup, you may not be able to specify a default network printer. Instead,
each user may have to log on and install the printer separately.CAUSE This issue may occur if the registry does not include some
required registry keys. In Windows XP, the information about the network
printer is stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive instead of in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive. The HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive stores settings that are specific to the
currently-logged-on user, and the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive stores settings that are related to the whole
computer. WORKAROUNDWARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious
problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft
cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry
Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
To work around this issue and to add a printer for all
users, import the registry keys that relate to the printer into the default
user profile:
- Create a new user who is named Test:
- Log on to the client computer as Administrator.
- Click Start, right-click My
Computer, and then click Manage.
- Under System Tools, expand
Local Users and Groups, right-click Users,
and then click New User.
- Create a new user who is named
Test.
- Quit the Computer Management snap-in, and then display
hidden files and folders:
- Click Start, click Control
Panel, and then double-click Folder
Options.
- Click the View tab, click Show
hidden files and folders, click to clear the Hide extensions
for known file types check box, click Apply, and then
click OK.
- Log off the computer, and then log on as the Test user
account that you created in step 1.
- Click Start, click Printers and
Faxes, and then click Add a printer. Follow the
instructions on the screen to add a network printer.
Note You may have to be authenticated before you can connect to the
network printer:
- Click Start, click
Run, type cmd in the
Open box, and then click OK.
- Type net use lpt1:
\\servername\share
/user:administrator, and then press
ENTER, where servername is the name of the server
with the shared network printer, share is the share
name of the network printer, and administrator is
the name of a user account with administrative credentials on the
server.
- Type the administrative password when you are prompted
to do so, and then press ENTER.
- Restart the Add Printer Wizard.
- After you add the network printer, log off the computer,
and then log on as Administrator.
- Load the Test registry hive:
- Click Start, click
Run, type regedt32 in the
Open box, and then click OK.
- Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then
click Load Hive on the File menu.
- Open the Windows installation
drive\Documents and Settings\test
folder, where test is the name of the Test user that
you created in step 1.
- Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then
click Open.
- In the Key Name box, type
Test, and then click OK.
The
Test registry hive is loaded under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
- Insert the default user Test registry file
under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE:
- Click the following registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\Printers - On the File menu, click
Export.
- In the File name box, type
print.reg, and then click
Save.
- Click the Test registry subkey, and then click Unload Hive on
the File menu.
- Click Yes to confirm that you want to
unload the key and all its subkeys.
- Click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key, and then click Load Hive on the
File menu.
- Open the C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.WINDOWS
file.
- Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then
click Open.
- In the Key Name box, type
Test, and then click OK.
The
default user "Test" registry file is inserted under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
- On the File menu, click
Import.
- Open the folder where you saved the Print.reg file, click
Print.reg, and then click Open.
- When you receive the message that the information in the
Print.reg file has been successfully entered into the registry, click
OK. The printer information is loaded into the default user
registry settings.
- Click the Test registry key, and then
click Unload Hive on the File
menu.
- Click Yes to confirm that you want to
unload the Test key and all its subkeys.
- Quit Registry Editor.
- Test the new configuration by creating a new user, and then
logging on as that user. The network printer is listed in the Printers
and Faxes dialog box.
Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 4/24/2003 |
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Keywords: | kbHardware kbprint kbenv kbprb KB307016 |
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