I have a Windows 7 computer. There is a second computer (xp) that has a printer attached to it and is shared. On the Windows 7 computer I install the printer as a network printer (not tcpip port, etc.) just with the wizard and network printer.

It does not show up for all users in the domain when the logon this pc.

When I do a "real" network printer with tcpip port on a different printer, everyone can see it.

Does anyone know how to make it show up for all users?

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You can use the prnmngr.vbs script.

It's located in %SystemRoot%\System32\Printing_Admin_Scripts\en-US for Windows 7 For XP it's located in windows\system32.

To add printer for all users you use this command:

cscript prnmngr.vbs -ac -p "\\server\printer"
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It did not add it to the users but the users can use this to create a printer. I created a shortcut for them to click. thanks. – johnny Aug 12 '11 at 16:54
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It is important to remember that shared printers are saved on the user profile. This means that when you connect to a "shared" printer (through the wizard), only the user account that connected to it will have access to it.

Local Printers, on the other hand, are global devices that are viewable by all users on a computer. These use "local" TCP/IP ports to connect to a "real" network printer.

So with that all said, let me answer your question. To have a shared printer "showup" for all users, you will need a system in place that will add the printer for each user as they log in.

This is done by crafting a logon script. There are a number of methods and languages you can use, and you have to find the one that works for your environment. Here are some resources that I have found that might help:

Deploy Shared Printers using Group Policy

Windows Logon VB Scripts

Powershell Printer Port add discussion

Hope this helps!

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