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I've got some network printers shared on a 2003 server. I set them as deployed in a GPO. All my XP machines get the printer. My windows 7 machines show success in applying the policy, but the printers do not appear in the list. Any ideas? I have the "Point and Print Restrictions" set to disabled under the Computer Configuration as well.

jscott
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Untalented
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  • Do you have both 32 bit and 64 bit drivers installed on the print server? – jscott Apr 15 '11 at 20:27
  • I don't, however if I double-click the printer going to \\servername it installs fine and prints on 32-bit and 64-bit windows 7 machines. As a test I installed the printer on a 2008 R2 server and shared it then added that printer to the deployed list. It still doesn't show up on the Windows 7 64-bit machines. I checked the resultant set of policy snap-in and the policy is taking effect successfully. – Untalented Apr 15 '11 at 20:52

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What happens when you browse to one of the printer queues from a Win7 machine? If the printer doesn't silently install when you goto \server\printer then you know it's a driver or permissions issue. jscott is correct that the x64/x86 issue is the cause of this issue 90% of time.

Bret Fisher
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  • If I browse to the server \\server and double-click the printer it installs without an issue and I can print to it as well. What's weird is I believe it initially working on my Windows 7 machines, but not XP machines. After I added pushprinterconnections.exe to the GPO the printers disappeared on the Windows 7 machines. So I moved my Windows 7 machines to a new OU and created a new GPO without the startup script and they still don't show. I thought Windows 7 machines were supposed to just ignore pushprinterconnections.exe when found. Maybe this messed up my machines? – Untalented Apr 15 '11 at 21:38
  • It appears it works when pushing out a policy to the User, but not when I push a policy set for the computer although it shows as applying successful in the "Resultant Set Policy" snapin. The only machines it doesn't work on is Windows 7 machines. – Untalented May 31 '11 at 14:17
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First, be sure you print server have 32bit and 64bit drivers, then you will be sure you have GPO problem( Driver name and version must match exactly ).

With Windows 7, I haven't been able to deploy shared printer to a computer via computer configuration gpo, only via User configuration (both with script and GPP).

Maybe you should consider using GPP. Work with 2003 DC, the GPO only need to be created from a Windows 7 or Windows server 2008 R2. They will also work on XP, but require an update, available from WSUS as optional. KB is KB943729.

As for printer, you can create, update, set as default, you also do some targeting (only affect the printer if the user is on a specific group or if he log on a specific computer ) Targeting can also be configured to use custom WMI call. Pretty powerful.

Levesquejfrancois
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