Resolved Network Printer issue - printers lost on log on

In a school and we have just added a 2nd DC to our domain so we now have a mixed XP Pro and Windows 7 Pro client base with the main DC being on the print server which is a Windows 2008 Standard machine and the 2nd DC being a new one running Server 2008 R2.

Today we discovered a big issue involving our printers. Printers have in the past been allocated by .bat files pointing to a vbs printer script file plus where Windows 7 machines are in the same room group policy and Print Manager. The issue today that remains unresolved is that where the printers that have been added by an Admin were visible for all they are now wiped after either an Admin, Staff or Student logon. So to print the user has to add the printer again but it’s vanished again next time they log on.

I have remed out con2PRT to see if that made any difference "“ it hasn’t . My feeling is it must be something pretty simple but for the life of me I can’t figure it out. Any ideas please?

 

An update on this.

In a pure Windows 7 class room where the computers pick up their printers from Group Policy (not the printer vbs file) the correct printers are available. Points methinks toward the vbs being a bit iffy but why would it be deleting existing printers?

 

I'm still battling on this one and getting nowhere!! I still think it’s something to do with my vbs file??

We have been using a printer.vbs – which appears to run (on any XP client that has a USB attached printer that's then shared a message pops up on log on saying that there wasan error on line etc naming the USB attached printer as having the wrong name - even though it's copied and pasted from the printers properties box). However after log on the only print options left for students and staff are Onenote, Fax and PDF. Network printers can then be found and added but at the next logon of that user they have gone again.

Our domain has a DC1 running Windows Server 2008 Standard 32 Bit OS and a DC2 running Windows Server 2008 R2 64 bit OS. Print manager is enabled on DC1 and also 2 rooms that have exclusive Windows 7 deployed computers are allocated their printers via group policy – these machines do not appear in the vbs file.

We have 3 user OUs Admin, Staff and Student. Staff and student pick up the vbs at log on but Admin don’t and again Admin keep their deployed printers. So yet again this suggests to me that something in the vbs is cranky.

Any advice on how to sort this mess out would be very welcome as I fear that now the more I tinker the more difficult it becomes to sort it out.

 

Are you using PushPrinterConnections.exe?

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc722179(v=ws.10).aspx

 

Thanks for that BudTheGrey,

No not using pushPrinter.exe but you have reminded me to mark the thread resolved. The vbs had a few typos in it and also group policy for Windows 7 kit wasn't being user properly.