Caannot invoke "Add Printer" as administrator

[Guest]

I'm setting up my new Vista laptop (brand new HP Pavilion dv6345us, purchased
two days ago).
I'm logged in as an administrator, with full privilieges.
Context:
Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Printers
I try:
File > Add Printer...
Vista refuses, and declares that "This operation has been cancelled due to
restrictions in effect on this computer".

What can I do to get around this roadblock, so I can attempt to install the
printer?

 

[Guest]

Frustrated,

You can try turning off User Account Control (UAC) to see whether that move
get you over this problem. Turn it off using the following instructions:

http://lifehacker.com/software/vist...ur-permission-to-continue+-prompts-230866.php

If this step works, after you install the printer, it's likely best to turn
UAC on again. If this step doesn't work, well then post back and perhaps
someone will have an answer about what to do about it.

 

[koze]

Right click on the installer and select run as administrator, the admin
doesn't have all rights <G>.

Ko

"Severely Frustrated" <Severely (e-mail address removed)>
schreef in bericht
news:[email protected]...

 

[Guest]

Well, wonder of wonders, I figured it out. Color me Less Frustrated ... but
Utterly Bewildered.

I had User Account Control turned off when I first attempted to install the
printer. With UAC off, I could not invoke the "Add Printer..." wizard. Nor
would plug-n-play work -- when I plugged in the printer, nothing happened at
all.

Silly me. I assumed that by disabling UAC, I was merely suppressing all
those annoying "cry wolf", permission-requesting messages from Vista. But it
turns out, as koze remarks above, that in Vista-world an Administrator is not
really an admin, but merely someone who can grant himself admin privileges
when the occasion requires.

Anyway, so I re-enabled UAC, plugged in the printer's USB cable, and presto:
the driver installed itself. More amazing yet, Vista didn't even see fit to
bother me with an Allow/Deny pester-gram, presumably because the printer
drivers were loaded from Vista's trusted cache of HP drivers.

Thanks, kose and freddy, for taking the time to lend a hand.

No thanks, Vista development team.