AddWindowsPrinterConnection

[greatbarrier86]

Hi,

I'm not entirely sure how to do this in PowerShell. It's easy to do in
VBScript, but can someone offer me some assistance for this in PoSh?

Thanks.
Jason

[Shay Levi]

Hi Jason,

Try using WSH or WMI. I offline so I can't test both methods but it should
do the job:

$net = new-object -com wscript.network

## 1. adds a network printer to an MS-DOS printer port, such as LPT1
$net.addPrinterConnection "LPT1", "\\Server\Print1"

- or -

## 2. add a remote windows-based printer connection
$net.addWindowsPrinterConnection "\\ServerName\PrinterName"

WMI:

## add a new printer connection to a remote computer

$computer = "."
$printer = gwmi -list | where {$_.name -eq "Win32_Printer"}
$printer.addPrinterConnection("\\ServerName\PrinterName")

-----
Shay Levi
$cript Fanatic
http://scriptolog.blogspot.com

[Shay Levi]

WMI one-liners using [wmiclass] type accelerator:

# for local use
([wmiclass]"Win32_Printer").AddPrinterConnection("\\ServerName\PrinterName")

# for remote computers
([wmiclass]"\\$computer\root\cimv2:Win32_Printer").AddPrinterConnection("\\ServerName\PrinterName")

[greatbarrier86]

Shay,

1. Which do you recommend? WSH or WMI?
2. Can most methods be invoked in the wmi manner? eg:
AddNetworkConnection...etc

[Shay Levi]

WMI can run from a central location against remote computers, WSH can't.
It depends on your needs. In terms of performace, WMI calls are slower then
WSH.

-----
Shay Levi
$cript Fanatic
http://scriptolog.blogspot.com

> Shay,

[greatbarrier86]

I'm only going to run it on the local computer so i wont use WMI. Also, is
using WSH the appropriate way to do this. I've also seen stuff related to
like [system.assembly....] I dont particularly understand it. Do you know
what i am referring to? I think it's related to .net

[Shay Levi]

There is one more method you might want to check, using printui.dll:

## Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314486/

## Windows 2000,2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q189105/

As for system.assembly, it looks like .NET stuff, can you be more specific?