SMSINST: Installer Does Not Install Printers

- Microsoft Systems Management Server Installer version 1.0

SUMMARY

Microsoft Systems Management Server Installer version 1.0 does not currently have functionality allowing it to add printers to Windows NT and Windows 95 systems. Using the repackage feature is not sufficient. Microsoft Technical Support does not support using the Systems Management Server Installer version 1.0 for adding printers. The purpose of this article is to present other options for adding printers to client systems.

MORE INFORMATION

There are other options for automatically adding a printer to a system, including, but not limited to, the AddPrinter function and the Con2prt utility.

AddPrinter Function

This is the programmatic method for adding a printer, appropriate for use with Windows NT and Windows 95. Using this method, you can write a custom application to add printers automatically. See the Microsoft Platform SDK for more information on implementing this function.

Con2prt.exe

This is a command line utility from the Microsoft Windows Zero Administration Kit (ZAK) for Windows NT Workstation. This utility allows a network printer connection to be added at a command line on a computer running Windows NT Workstation. It requires no user interaction and can be delivered through normal Systems Management Server software distribution as a batch file or within a Systems Management Server Installer script (by using the Execute Program script item). Please note that this utility works for Windows NT only. There is no equivalent executable program currently available for Windows 95. For more information on this utility, see the Zero Administration Kit Version 1.0, "Administrator's Guide," Appendix B, Utilities and Commands.