XP Printer reinstalls itself, Cant remove printer

[Matt Webb]

On one of my nodes in the network, an XP Pro computer, I used a script
to remotely install a printer and its driver. The install put the
printer in the printer and faxes folder, but the printer never worked.
Some strange error.. Who Cares what it was..

Here's the point. Since it didn't work and I dont have time to mess
with it, I want to remove it. R-Click, delete removes the printer.
Log the user off and back in again and the printer is back. I didnt
use a GPO to install the printer, just a batch file that I ran locally
on his system. The batch file and all startup or general links to this
file have been removed. Ive tried deleting the associated reg keys, it
comes back still.

This happens with two printers on this computer. Its an HP printer and
a Canon printer. All printer jobs in the network are sent to a
Win2kServer, acting as a print server. No other nodes had their
printers installed via batch file, and no one else has problems. Its
just this one node, where i tried this script.

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

when you used rundll32 with the /ga switch you will need to remove it using
rundll32 with the /gd switch.



--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Matt Webb]

Thanks, Ill try it. If I dont have the original script anymore, can i
just create a new one and put that new switch in?

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

yes

this will generate the help file
rundll32 printui,PrintUIEntry /?




--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Matt Webb]

Thanks for the help so far. I looked up more information about the
rundll32 printui command line tool. This page has a pretty good break
down of the available switches
http://www.robvanderwoude.com/index.html. Using the rundll32
printui,PrintUIEntry /gd /n\\machine\printer command line i get the
error message "Error in printui.dll Missing entryrintuientry".
There is actually two printers on this users computer that im trying to
remove. I can still select and delete them, and they still show up on
reboot. I double checked AD U&C Org. Units, there are no GPO's that
install printers. The msconfig doesnt show any startup calls, Startup
Folder is empty..even HKLM
&HKLU\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\run reg keys have
nothing about installing printers.

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

these are per machine connections.

they live in HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contol\Print\Printers

Find them, delete them from the registry if you are comfortable with that,
then stop the spooler, start the spooler.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

 

[Matt Webb]

Alan, Thanks for all your help so far. On this one computer I have two
printers that are acting strange. One printer is a Canon, the other is
an HP. Well, this registry key worked for removing the Canon, but not
the HP. After deleting them both from the registry, I rebooted and the
Canon didnt come back like it has been. The HP on the other hand did.

 

[Alan Morris [MSFT]]

Delete that key again, reboot, then logon as local Admin to see if the key
gets created without logging onto the domain.

You might need regmon to determine when the key gets written.

--
Alan Morris
Windows Printing Team
Search the Microsoft Knowledge Base here:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;[ln];kbhowto

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.