Set Up a Default Network Printer

When 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.

Solution

The easiest way to solve this is to script it into a batch file using the command:

RUNDLL32 PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry

Details can be found by typing following in run box:

RUNDLL32 PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry /?

This allows you to add any number of network printers, and choose which one you want as default.

You can also deploy settings such as peripherals and default paper settings (duplex, etc).

Novell have a good article on this at:

Push Printer Settings along with Printer Driver

Alternative

WARNING: 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:

1. Create a new user who is named Test: a. Log on to the client computer as Administrator. b. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage. c. Under System Tools, expand Local Users and Groups, right-click Users, and then click New User. d. Create a new user who is named Test.

2. Quit the Computer Management snap-in, and then display hidden files and folders: a. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Folder Options. b. 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. 3. Log off the computer, and then log on as the Test user account that you created in step 1. 4. 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:

5. After you add the network printer, log off the computer, and then log on as Administrator.

6. Load the Test registry hive: a. Click Start, click Run, type regedt in the Open box, and then click OK. b. Click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then click Load Hive on the File menu. c. 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. d. Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then click Open. e. In the Key Name box, type Test, and then click OK.

The Test registry hive is loaded under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

7. Insert the default user Test registry file under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE: a. Click the following registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\Printers b. On the File menu, click Export. c. In the File name box, type print.reg, and then click Save. d. Click the Test registry subkey, and then click Unload Hive on the File menu. e. Click Yes to confirm that you want to unload the key and all its subkeys.

8.a. Click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry key, and then click Load Hive on the File menu. b. Open the C:\Documents and Settings\Default User.WINDOWS file. c. Click the NTUSER.DAT file, and then click Open. d. In the Key Name box, type Test, and then click OK.

The default user "Test" registry file is inserted under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

9. On the File menu, click Import. 10. Open the folder where you saved the Print.reg file, click Print.reg, and then click Open. 11. 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. 12. Click the Test registry key, and then click Unload Hive on the File menu. 13. Click Yes to confirm that you want to unload the Test key and all its subkeys. 14. Quit Registry Editor. 15. 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.

Once you have done this on one machine save the print.reg file onto the network somewhere easy to access then for all other machines start at step 8 and load the print.reg file that you saved to the network rather than recreating it.