How do I delete or modify Default User's default printer?

Question

I have some computers that I set up a couple years ago by creating a user account, setting it up the way I wanted, and copying that user's directory over Default User's directory. Pretty simple stuff.

One of the things that I did was to add a printer and set it as the default. Straightforward, or so I thought.

Things have changed, and that printer has been removed and replaced with a different printer. I deleted the old printer's object and added the new one.

Now every time a new user logs in, their profile gets copied from Default User, and they get the old printer as their default. This re-adds the old printer object to the system. Now every user can see the old printer's object again.

I want to permanently delete Default User's default printer. How?

Solution

If you want to install and specify a new default printer I think the easiest way is to:

1. Login with a new user
2. Modify it how you please, logout
3. Login as a local admin (not the user you just modified)
4. Right-click on My Computer, Properties
5. Advanced tab, User Profiles Settings button
6. Select the profile you just modified, select Copy To
7. Browse to the Default Profile @ C:\Documents and Settings\Default User, click Ok

This KB article describes another method but it sounds like a pain to me.

Edit: If you just want to remove the default printer you can:

1. Login as a local admin
2. Start -> Run -> regedit
3. Click HKEY_USERS
4. File, Load Hive, browse to C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\ and select NTUSER.DAT
5. Specify "DU" if prompted for a name
6. Browse to HKEY_USERS\DU\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows
7. Look for a key named "Device" of type REG_SZ
8. Double-click that key, remove the data, press Ok
9. Browse back to HKEY_USERS\DU, click the File menu, Unload Hive

Comments

[eleven81]

Thanks, that's what I thought. I was hoping for something quicker, or a utility for the purpose.