Preventing access to "Printers and Faxes"

[geezer]

Is there a quick and easy way to restrict access to the installed printers on a Windows XP based pc? We have a pc that is used by a lot of different users and they are constantly changing the default printer, and I would like to deny access to the installed printers. I would like to set the default printer and then "lock" it from any changes.

 

[kiepie]

Also like to know that, and how can I stop people from changing the date and time? Believe me some people do stupid stuff like that.

 

[killadoob]

date and i have no idea

geezer why not just share the 1 printer you want to be used?

unshare the rest

that way they only have access to the 1

 

[rwenzori]

I am pretty clueless about group policies but if you go Start.. Run.. gpedit.msc on each machine there might be something you can set in there that your ordinary user won't know how to unset.

 

[geezer]

The default printer is a laser printer, and the other is a colour inkjet printer. We need to print on both, but mainly on the laser (±250 pages per day) and less often on the colour inkjet(±20 per day). When the default are changed to the inkjet, we find that we have wasted a lot of expensive ink on plain black text printouts and we would like to prevent that from happening.

 

[xistenz]

I am pretty clueless about group policies but if you go Start.. Run.. gpedit.msc on each machine there might be something you can set in there that your ordinary user won't know how to unset.

In Group Policy Editor, goto
User Configuration
|
--> Administrative Templates

And then have fun. Don't go overboard though

 

[xistenz]

Or set the printer permissions to deny manage printers permissions to the required user/users.

Make sure that simple file sharing is disabled.

 

[ghalied]

Also like to know that, and how can I stop people from changing the date and time? Believe me some people do stupid stuff like that.


To accomplish the above:-

Run/gpedit.msc

Computer configuration/Windows settings/Security settings/Local policies/User rights management - "Change the system time" = Admin and Power users, remove all other Users/Groups if they are in there.

 

[ghalied]

Preventing access to "Printers and Faxes"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there a quick and easy way to restrict access to the installed printers on a Windows XP based pc? We have a pc that is used by a lot of different users and they are constantly changing the default printer, and I would like to deny access to the installed printers. I would like to set the default printer and then "lock" it from any changes.




There are a few ways to accomplish printer management. One way is group policy the other is simpler via the Security Permissions Tab.

gpedit.msc

computer configuration/windows settings/security settings/local policies/user rights management – “Devices – Prevent Users from installing printer drivers -Enabled
For the above policy to be effective, be sure to first uninstall drives for a printer that was previously used or those that are still currently installed, if the driver was previously installed this policy has no effect.

On the security tab of the printer,set the permission for the User to Print only, with this they can only print and not manage the printer once you’ve installed it.