Install all network printers Powershell script help

ryno252 · 2021-04-28T18:15:11.000Z

Hi all,

trying to wrap my head around how to throttle the adding of all the printers via the below PS script. There’s approx. 200 printers on the print server and I’m installing all of them on a master VDI image so GP won’t hose the user’s session the first time they connect if I did it that way instead. Every time I run the script it does work mostly but it never completes due to the sheer number of printers it’s trying to install at once. The whole desktop gets covered in Adding printer dialogs and then ultimately freezes up requiring a vm reset thus only partially installing what I need. VM is Windows 10 Ent., domain joined, domain admin account.

$printers = Get-Printer -Computername ps1
$server = "\ps1"
ForEach ($printer in $printers) {
$printermap = $server + $printer.name
Invoke-Expression ‘rundll32 printui.dll PrintUIEntry /ga /in /q /n $($printermap)’
}

$printers = Get-Printer -Computername ps1
$server = "\\ps1\"
ForEach ($printer in $printers) {
  $printermap = $server + $printer.name
  Invoke-Expression 'rundll32 printui.dll PrintUIEntry /ga /in /q /n $($printermap)'
}

If there’s a better way I’m open to it.

Please and thank you.

Neally · 2021-04-28T18:48:50.000Z

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Neally · 2021-04-28T18:50:18.000Z

a ‘dumb’ solution would be just to add sleep?
e.g.

$printers = Get-Printer -Computername ps1
$server = "\\ps1\"
ForEach ($printer in $printers) {
  $printermap = $server + $printer.name
  Invoke-Expression 'rundll32 printui.dll PrintUIEntry /ga /in /q /n $($printermap)'
  start-sleep -seconds 2 #wait 2 seconds
}

titusovermyer · 2021-04-28T20:26:26.000Z

I use the Start-Sleep command in my printer install scrips. If you’re having issues, just extend the “sleep” time.

furicle · 2021-04-29T12:25:15.000Z

If you wanted to get cute, maybe you could count running related processes and sleep until the count is less than x?

ryno252 · 2021-04-29T12:39:13.000Z

Neally:

a ‘dumb’ solution would be just to add sleep?
e.g.

$printers = Get-Printer -Computername ps1
$server = "\\ps1\"
ForEach ($printer in $printers) {
  $printermap = $server + $printer.name
  Invoke-Expression 'rundll32 printui.dll PrintUIEntry /ga /in /q /n $($printermap)'
  start-sleep -seconds 2 #wait 2 seconds
}

Thanks @alexw . That did the trick with 18 seconds or so. MUCH appreciated!

jimlong3 · 2021-07-01T18:18:09.000Z

You can try using PrintUI’s /c option, which seems a lot faster (on my wee examples) than Invoke-Command. Set $PC to your PC name (no ‘\’) and run this:

RUNDLL32 PRINTUI.DLL,PrintUIEntry /ga /b "FriendlyName" /c "\\$PC" /n\\PrintServer\PrinterShareName

If your script takes 18s per PC, that could take a while for a list of PCs… I can’t tell you if this way would be faster. You’re already in a position (I’m not) to measure the timing, so…

Another concept, have 2 nested ForEach loops, the outer one ForEach ($Printer …) and the inner one ForEach ($PC…). This way, you’d launch the install process on a PC, then while it’s running launch it on another (and another and…), then come back to the first PC for the next Printer. If you’re really pressed for time, divide the PCs into batches for the inner ForEach. That would get you back to the 1st PC in your list sooner, to get the next Printer installed on it ASAP. Make each “batch” into a Job if you’re really-really in a hurry…

BTW, ‘/q’ suppresses those dialogs…