Is there way to make network printer to be the default print all the time?

[VMWareWSS2015]

Currently, I have a network printer which has been setup thru UEM printer mapping.   I set that to be the default printer.

Everything works great once the user gets a new linked clone VM.

The issue I am running into is when we introduce local printer.   When local printer is connected directly to the physical machine then

inside the VM, the local printer becomes the default printer instead and network printer.

Of course, if we remove the local printer then network printer is becomes default again.

Help assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[DEMdev]

Hi VMWareWSS2015,

Does it help if you disable ThinPrint default printer redirection?

[VMWareWSS2015]

Thanks for the quick response...UEMdev..

I have not tried it.   We will give it go...

[VMWareWSS2015]

since this appears to involve making a change on the parent image, it will disable the default printer redirection for the entire pool.  Is there another way?

In the vast majority of instances, we want any locally attached printer to be the default.  It is just on these few workstations that we do not want the local printers to be made the default but rather network printer to be the default.

[Wimp777]

I have had no success using registry keys to stop the Thin print service. My workaround is setting the service to manual through local security policies and leave the services stopped. If a user needs a local printer they use a shortcut I create with UEM to start up the services to access the local printer. When they re log the services will be back in their original stopped state. However, I do not map printers through UEM my users add what they need from the print server.

UEM handles my printer settings for capturing users added network printers and what default they have selected.

[DEMdev]

Hi VMWareWSS2015,

Indeed, the registry setting in that KB article is in HKLM, so that would apply to all machines.

I'm hardly familiar with Horizon, so I'm not sure whether there's an alternative. Looking at the vdm_client ADMX template (in the "Horizon 7.4.0 View GPO Bundle", VMware-Horizon-Extras-Bundle-4.7.0-7395453.zip), I see a Redirect printers user policy setting that "Determines if local printers are automatically redirected when clients connect to the remote desktop". Maybe that would work for those few workstations?

[VMWareWSS2015]

UEMdev,

Thanks for the info.

I did download vdm_client ADMX template like you suggested but I did not see policy setting about "Determines if local printers are automatically redirected when clients connect to the remote desktop". 

I did come across though under scripting definitions "Connect all USB devices to the desktop or remote application on launch."   Is this the one or similar one you're talking about?

Thanks in advance..

[DEMdev]

Hi VMWareWSS2015,

Hmmm, strange... I see:

[JohnTwilley · Accepted solution]

You can still use ThinPrint, but just disable having ThinPrint set the default printer.

Try adding the following via Group Policy or in you Master Image.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ThinPrint\TPAutoConnect]

"DisableSettingOfDefPrinter"=dword:00000001

"UserDrivenDefaultPrinter"=dword:00000001