I currently attach printers to my Win 7 users via logon vbScript. Old, cumbersome and unreliable to say the least. I really need a new method as the old script was written circa W2k and is starting to get really flakey. I rewrote the script in modern ' vb parlance' but then ran into security issues with local admin rights during driver installs. i'd rather not contend with that can of worms.
So i've begun setting up deployment of the networked printers via the W2k8 R2 Enterprise server (with Print Management installed). The printers deploy as expected but this alone does not allow me to trash the vbScript method. I still need to set the default printer according to a series of security groups. I have a script written that will do the job but i believe there is a timing issue during logon preventing the default setting from "sticking". I tried Deploying to Machine instead of User but my users (where the GPO is linked) are in different OUs than the computers and nothing deployed.
If i run the script locally via double-clicking it, it sets the default printer properly according to the security group. The problem is not the script. But when the script runs during logon, the default remains what the GPO deploy happens to set it too. I am certain the script runs because I wrote it to log it's actions to a text file...
Solution 1:
Figure out how to make the script's setting stick
Solution 2:
So as a last resort, i've started toying with the [Control Panel Settings -> Printers] section of the GPO. In there, a default printer can be set. While there isn't an obvious way for this option to use security groups, a little digging uncovered "Item-level targeting". This appears to allow me to set criteria by which the defaults can be set.
As in SecurityGrp1 = Printer1, etc...
Problem is my LDAP string syntax is only as good as my copy/paste ;)
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this.