Can't connect to a shared printer; Access denied (Server 2003)

[redbeacon]

Hi all, decided to try my luck here.

 

I have this problem plaguing me ever since I have set up a Windows workgroup.

 

I have one client PC, a desktop Server running Windows Server 2003, and a printer directly attached to the server. I plan to add more clients but that's not going to happen for another month or two.

 

Since this is a workgroup setup and not a domain, the user accounts aren't unified.

Because I have a user called Jasmine that wants to print, these are the user information that I have on the computers that pertain to Jasmine, one of my lovely colleagues:

 

Client

Username: jasmine

Password: whitepetals

 

Server

Username: jasmine

Password: administrative01

Printer's network name: hp6110aio

Permissions:

- Administrators: Print, Manage Printer, Manage Documents

- CREATOR OWNER: Manage Documents

- Everyone: Print

- Power Users: (same as Administrators)

- Jasmine: (everything, including changing permissions and taking ownership)

 

For troubleshooting purposes, I gave Jasmine all the available rights.

 

Upon having Jasmine logon to her client PC, I connected to the hp6110aio printer and I typed in jasmine,administrative01 as the user credentials in the User/password dialog box. It installed the printer drivers onto her PC, and we were able to print from then on.

 

However, when the server is rebooted and goes online for the second time (i need to install patches and what-not), she receives errors when trying to print from various programs. A test print from her Vista PC gives this error: "Test print failed. Access is denied".

 

Now, the only temporary way that I can think of to fix this problem is to re-create the printer for her. But this defeats the purpose of usability and making the printer available as long as the server is online. Plus, it's very leceh if I have to keep on creating that printer for her on her PC.

 

Does anyone know what I can do? I hear it's a permissions problem (correct me if i'm wrong)

 

Thanks!

[redbeacon]

............??

[redbeacon]

After pulling my hair out listening to my sweet Jasmine complain of "Can't Print, Access Denied" errors everytime after I reboot the server. I finally found this after tons of hours of searching:

 

Windows XP's/Vista's Advanced User Accounts control panel

 

Accessible via

Control Panel

>>

User Accounts

>>

Manage Your User Accounts

,

or via the Run dialog box when you type in

 

control userpasswords2

 

...the Advanced User Accounts is a repository in which you can store foreign passwords -- be it a password for a website, another computer in a contiguous Windows domain that you want to have access to, or even Google Mail and MSN.

 

Reference: Advanced User Accounts control panel.

 

And my problem's solved.

 

P.S.: Vista Home versions have this disabled cuz they ain't made for networking

[edition]

but do u noe wat causes it to happen ? i assume tt the below 2 have printing rites regardless of their password .. unless the 1 with "whitepetals" pw do not have the rites ..

 

Username: jasmine

Password: whitepetals

and

Username: jasmine

Password: administrative01

[redbeacon]

Now, take note that this behaviour only happens in a simple Workgroup, not when all computers are in an Active Directory domain.

 

[1] The assigning of permissions (or "rights", as you've mentioned) is done onto the Server, where that particular thing is stored. That thing may be a printer, a file, shared folder, etc.

 

[2] In my particular case, how I gave my dear Jasmine permissions to use the printer was just to add the username "jasmine" onto the printer that's connected to the Server.

This is done via the Security page on the printer itself. And that's it.

 

unless the 1 with "whitepetals" pw do not have the rites

 

[3] You're somewhat right.

In actual sense, the password that is stored for "jasmine" on the Server does not match the one on her workstation.

 

[4] When I had Jasmine log on to her workstation with her "whitepetals" password credentials and to connect to the printer on the Server, the Server begins asking for her credentials. Therefore, the key in your username and password dialog box comes up on her PC.

 

[5] Why the Server does not immediately proceed to grant access to my dear Jasmine is because when Jasmine's workstation attempts to use the password of "whitepetals" to authenticate itself to the Server, it rejects this request because the "jasmine" account on the Server has the password of "administrative01".

Much like how when you enter the wrong password to your own computer you can't log-in and use the PC, if you wanna put it this way.

 

[6] Back to where I get Jasmine's workstation to connect to the Server, I then proceed enter the password "administrative01". The Server then allows Jasmine's workstation to have access to, and to print to the printer on the Server.

 

[7] The problem is, in Workgroup setups, access like these are one-time only.

This means, when the next time the Server is rebooted, everything is forgotten, and Jasmine can no longer use the printer anymore because she is no longer authenticated to it. That is, unless I delete and re-add (connect to) it again.

 

[8] I could assign the "jasmine" username the same password on both her workstation and the Server. This will work, but due to company requirements, I wasn't able to.

 

[9] I've read several topics on how to tackle this inconvenient behaviour.

The solution? Use the Advanced User Accounts control panel. It lets you store username/password credentials of things that you want to access but is located on another computer.

 

[10] This is unlike when all computers are part of an Active Directory domain.

Usernames and passwords are unified across the whole network so there's no such strange behaviour like this.

But this is a different topic for another day.

 

[11] Why would there be such a behaviour? Ask Micr0soft; they're the ones who designed Windows and Windows Server.

They make hard-to-use products that, unfortunately, we depend on anyways. Also, they make geeks out of us pulling our hair out when the proverbial sh!t hits the fan when something's not working

 

Pretty technical stuff there, ain't it?

Edited March 29, 2009 by redbeacon

[edition]

oh ty for ur detail description where it gif me a clear mind wat's was exactlly happen .. cau tis problem nv occur on me before .. cau the printers i set is to allow everyone print on it .. for ur case, it allows me to learn sometink ..

 

thanks for sharing .. =)