win2k login (printing) questions...

[flenn]

I have 4 PC's networked, all using win2k. One PC is used as a printserver as well as a workstation. If any of the other 3 PC's want to print, they have to login using username and password (if they aren't already logged on) to the printserver machine. This is a pain and I'd like any machine to just be able to print without having to worry about logging on. Under "Users and Passwords", "Users must enter a username and password to use this computer" is not checked but the users are still forced to login when printing. Is there anything else I'm missing? TIA

 

[Lonyo]

Go onto printer properties and check security and that all users can use it?

 

[xchangx]

You need to create an account under the print server. The account should be what you use to login on the other machines.

After you create the account, change the security properties of the printer to allow them or everyone.

 

[flenn]

It looks like everything under Printer>Properties>Security is OK. Is there a way to log in to the printserver machine without having to type a username/password every time? Right now if one of the clients or the printserver reboots, there'll be a prompt for username/password when you try to share files or print.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: flenn
It looks like everything under Printer>Properties>Security is OK. Is there a way to log in to the printserver machine without having to type a username/password every time? Right now if one of the clients or the printserver reboots, there'll be a prompt for username/password when you try to share files or print.

It should be possible to save the password on the client machines... we just did the exact same thing in my dorm here because my friends and I want to share a printer. XP let us save the password, and I'm pretty sure 2k does too. We also disallowed the printer account from physical login so nobody can attempt to mess with stuff .

 

[xchangx]

On the print server you need to add the accounts of the other machines logon info.

For example, if the other computer login as bob and password is b0b, then on the print server add an account bob with password b0b.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: xchangx
On the print server you need to add the accounts of the other machines logon info.

For example, if the other computer login as bob and password is b0b, then on the print server add an account bob with password b0b.

No, we just added a user "Printer" on the machine with the printer. All the other machines connect as "PrintServer\Printer".

 

[flenn]

OK, thanks guys. I found the problem thanks to xchangx's post. After I read it, I thought that I had already added the user's names and passwords but it made me take a harder look at what might be going on. The problem was that I added user names of the workstation PC's, not the actual login usernames. For example, one of the PC's names (under Network ID) is PC3, but the user logs into Win2k at boot up as "Jim". Well, I set the account name on the printserver to PC3, not Jim. Thanks for the help.

 

[xchangx]

No, we just added a user "Printer" on the machine with the printer. All the other machines connect as "PrintServer\Printer".

Windows 2000's security is slightly different than XP. In 2k everyone connecting to the machine has to login one way or another. So... when a user wants to get a file or print, it has to gain access to the server. By adding the same accounts that the users login under to the print server, the print server automatically checks the user login first, if it doesn't find a match then it prompts the user to login.

 

[CTho9305]

Originally posted by: xchangx

No, we just added a user "Printer" on the machine with the printer. All the other machines connect as "PrintServer\Printer".

Windows 2000's security is slightly different than XP. In 2k everyone connecting to the machine has to login one way or another. So... when a user wants to get a file or print, it has to gain access to the server. By adding the same accounts that the users login under to the print server, the print server automatically checks the user login first, if it doesn't find a match then it prompts the user to login.

And you can't log in as an account on the remote machine with the password saved locally?

 

[xchangx]

I think the whole point was to not have to type in anything.