To deploy printer connections by using Group Policy on computers that are running versions of Windows released prior to Windows 7, you must add the PushPrinterConnections.exe utility to a computer startup script or to a user logon script. The PushPrinterConnections.exe utility reads the printer connection settings from Group Policy and adds the appropriate printer connections to the computer or user account (or updates existing connections).

The PushPrinterConnections.exe file automatically detects and exits on computers running Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2. These computers have built-in support for printer connections that are deployed using Group Policy, so you can safely deploy this file to all the client computers in your organization.

Note

The following procedure assumes that you are using the version of the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) that is included with Windows Server 2008 R2. To install GPMC on Windows Server 2008 R2, use the Add Features Wizard in Server Manager. If you are using a different version of GPMC, the steps might vary slightly.

To add the PushPrinterConnections.exe file to startup or logon scripts

  1. Open the GPMC.

  2. In the GPMC console tree, navigate to the domain or organizational unit (OU) that stores the computer or user accounts where you want to deploy the PushPrinterConections.exe utility.

  3. Right-click the GPO that contains the printer connections that you want to deploy using Group Policy, and then click Edit.

  4. Navigate to one of the following locations:

    • If the printer connections are deployed per-computer, go to Computer Configuration, Policies, Windows Settings, Scripts (Startup/Shutdown).

    • If the printer connections are deployed per-user, go to User Configuration, Policies, Windows Settings, Scripts (Logon/Logoff).

    Note

    Client computers running Windows 2000 do not support per-computer connections.

  5. Right-click Startup or Logon, and then click Properties.

  6. In the Startup Properties or Logon Properties dialog box, click Show Files. The Startup or Logon window appears.

  7. Copy the PushPrinterConnections.exe file from the %WINDIR%\System32 folder to the Startup or Logon window. This adds the utility to the GPO, where it will replicate to the other domain controllers with the Group Policy settings.

  8. In the Startup Properties or Logon Properties dialog box, click Add. The Add Script dialog box appears.

  9. In the Script Name box, type: PushPrinterConnections.exe

  10. To enable logging on client computers running Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, or Windows 2000, in the Script Parameters box, type: –log

    Log files are written to %WINDIR%\temp\ppcMachine.log (for per-computer connections) and to %temp%\ppcUser.log (for per-user connections) on the computer where the policy is applied.

  11. In the Add Script dialog box, click OK.

  12. In the Startup Properties or Logon Properties dialog box, click OK.

  13. Use GPMC to link the GPO to other OUs or domains to which you want to deploy the PushPrinterConnections.exe utility.

Additional considerations

  • You must have Administrative permissions to perform this task.

Additional references

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