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Add a printer attached directly to the network

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To add a printer attached directly to the network

  1. Open Printers and Faxes.

  2. Double-click Add Printer to start the Add Printer Wizard, and then click Next.

  3. Click Local printer attached to this computer, clear the Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer check box, and then click Next.

  4. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish setting up the printer by selecting a printer port, selecting the manufacturer and model of your printer, and typing a name for your printer.

  5. When the Add Printer Wizard prompts you to select the printer port, click Create a new port.

  6. From the list, click the appropriate port type and follow the instructions. (By default, only Local Port and Standard TCP/IP Port appear in the list.)

Notes

  • To open Printers and Faxes, click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.

  • To add a new port type, see Related Topics.

  • To add and set up a printer connected directly to the network, you must be logged on as a member of either the Power Users group or the Administrators group.

  • The Add Printer Wizard shares the printer and publishes it in Active Directory by default, unless you select Do not share this printer in the Printer Sharing screen. In Windows 2000 Professional, the Add Printer Wizard does not share the printer automatically; you must select Share as to share and publish the printer.

  • You must clear the Automatically detect and install my Plug and Play printer check box because the printer is attached directly to the network, not to a Windows 2000 computer.

  • If you intend to share the printer with clients other than those running Windows XP or Windows 2000, you need to install the appropriate printer drivers for these clients on the print server. When clients running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, and Windows 98 connect to the printer, the server automatically downloads the correct driver to the client.

  • The following Group Policy settings can change the default behavior of the Add Printer Wizard:

    Allow printers to be published is enabled by default; you can disable it to prevent printers from being published.

    Automatically publish new printers in the Active Directory is enabled by default; you can disable it to prevent the Add Printer Wizard from automatically publishing printers when adding a new printer.

    Browse the network to find printers is enabled by default; you can disable it to prevent the Add Printer Wizard from browsing the network for shared printers.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Set Ports and Protocols
Share your printer
Publish a printer in Active Directory
Add printer drivers for other versions of Windows
Establishing a naming convention for printers
Set Group Policy for printers