Server 2016 Redirected Printer Change

[dbeato]

I have been reviewing an issue with Server 2016 and printer redirection, there is an application (Epicor) That does not recognize the default printer in the RDS server when they are redirected, the Local Printers to the server work properly.

I reviewed the Server 2008 R2 RDS that was before this and noticed the application works just fine with  printer redirection.

See the registry difference for the Default printer between the RDS 2008 R2 and 2016.

Server 2008 R2 Registry

Server 2016 Registry

Notice that SessionDefaultDevices in Server 2016 is the same as what Windows is in Server 2008 R2.

The registry setting doesn't change for redirected Printers in Server 2016.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\

Have any of you have been experiencing this issue before ?

[dbeato]

This is what I did, created the following script

$key = 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\SessionDefaultDevices'
$keyproperty = Get-ChildItem -path $key | Select-Object Name
$keyenv = $keyproperty.Name
Copy-ItemProperty -path Registry::$keyenv -destination 'HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows\' -Name Device

Then Setup a script to run 10 Seconds after login through the Task Scheduler

%SystemRoot%\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -Command C:\scripts\Set-Printer-Default.ps1

[dbeato]

It has also been shown on other posts:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2399959
https://support.citrix.com/article/CTX104375
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/929270/you-cannot-set-a-redirected-printer-as-the-default-printer-in-a-window
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2620656/invalid-redirected-printers-may-be-available-in-a-remote-desktop-servi

[FiyaFly]

Reached out to @NetworkNerd, whether just for info for him or he might be able to help understand this. He has been quite the expert on Epicor for a while.

[dbeato]

@fiyafly said in Server 2016 Redirected Printer Change:

Reached out to @NetworkNerd, whether just for info for him or he might be able to help understand this. He has been quite the expert on Epicor for a while.

Yeah, I have known he is an Epicor Expert, this is actually Prophet21 but this does not only affect Epicor programs it also affects any other program trying to get the default printer from the HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows registry key.

[JaredBusch]

@dbeato /cry

[dbeato]

@jaredbusch said in Server 2016 Redirected Printer Change:

@dbeato /cry

Yup, they are on 18.1.3190

[SmithErick]

This might be the issue I am facing with a newly spun up Server 2016 Remote Desktop server. Sage 300 CRE relies on a default printer and acts fishy along with odd printer (control panel) issues.

[dbeato]

@smitherick said in Server 2016 Redirected Printer Change:

This might be the issue I am facing with a newly spun up Server 2016 Remote Desktop server. Sage 300 CRE relies on a default printer and acts fishy along with odd printer (control panel) issues.

Might be worth a try to check on it.

[NetworkNerd]

That's a new one I have not seen. We used Epicor ERP 10, and in that product I did see issues with RemoteApp where from time to time the user would not have a default printer selected in Epicor (sounds weird, I know), which would then crash any report they tried to print with an error that value of -1 was not allowed. Getting the user to change the printer to something in their list was the workaround.

Thanks for capturing this. I bet it will help someone else and looks to be already doing so.

[dbeato]

@networknerd said in Server 2016 Redirected Printer Change:

That's a new one I have not seen. We used Epicor ERP 10, and in that product I did see issues with RemoteApp where from time to time the user would not have a default printer selected in Epicor (sounds weird, I know), which would then crash any report they tried to print with an error that value of -1 was not allowed. Getting the user to change the printer to something in their list was the workaround.

Thanks for capturing this. I bet it will help someone else and looks to be already doing so.

YEah, that is what happens for this case, the RemoteApp shows the printer as a question mark. Once you go to File, Printer Setup and DoubleClick the printer then it is all good for the printer but all reporting shows in Portrait mode instead of Landscape mode.