Default printer keeps changing.

[Mark Morrison]

Is there a way to stop Windows XP from changing my
default printer designation. I have a local printer
installed, which I select as the default, and another
printer attached to another computer which is networked.
For some reason the default printer designation keeps
changing to the networked printer. Most frustrating.

Thanks
Mark

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

If your local printer is connected via USB, go into the Device Manager,
scroll down to the USB Controller entries (click on the + to expand the
tree).... doubleclick on each USB Root Hub.... in Power Management ensure
that the option to turn off USB port to save power is NOT checked... do this
for each and every USB port you have.

XP likes to have a printer attached.. perhaps XP thinks of it as a security
blanket...... if the local one is missing, it likes to go looking for
networked ones. Since it then finds a networked printer, but still doesn't
find the local one, it will set the networked one to be default.

Cari
www.coribright.com

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your reply Cari. Actually I don't have any
printers connected to this computer via USB, Parallel or
good old serial. The one that I want to remain as default
is connected through a SMC Barricade hub/firewall and is
shared from there with another computer. The printer that
Windows keeps switching the default designation to is
connected directly to the other computer via USB and I
only have access to that one through the windows network.

Thanks
Mark

 

[timfogbreak]

I have this exact same problem with my laptop. I am in my office th
majority of the time and set the default to my local printer (standar
parallel cable attached)

However, I have a network attached printer in our corporate HQ (200
miles away) that I use when visiting. If I fire up the laptop at hom
to check email. XP sets the corporate printer as default and the nex
morning in my office all my printing ends up, shall we say, no
conveniently located.

Any ideas


-
timfogbrea