windows 7 · Talk About IT!

Set default printer (without creating a printer) with Group Policy

I got disappointed after searching high and low on Google for how to use Group Policy in order to set a default printer. Almost every article I read assumed the reader had a print server available, or would deploy a local printer connection right from the Group Policy Management Console. Finally, I found the solution! In the environment that I support, we have “Printer Packages” by the manufacturer. These packages are essentially printer queues with default settings already entered for the Printer Preferences - you know, the items you CAN NOT change easily from a remote location, to many systems?

best practices

Files Preferences FAQ

Group Policy Files CSE allows SysAdmins to ensure file(s) exist on clients when logging into the domain. If you’ve never used it before, you can beat your head against the wall, so learn from my mistakes / tributions with setting this up.

SSID

Forcing Wireless Networks on clients

Do your employees complain they can’t connect to your network resources, only to find they are on a different Wireless network?

installation

Deploying Windows Monthly Updates (without WSUS)

In connection with another article about Deploying Windows Updates via the Command Line, I have come to notice that it is not the end-all we thought it once was. With the Roll-Up Updates for Windows 7, 8.1, and 10, I have found a better way to deploy updates.

Name Resolution Woes

It’s 2017, and DNS has taken over as the de-facto standard for name resolution. It’s been this way for many years, and we like it! It’s organized, hierarchical, and makes sense!

However, DNS is not always what computers will use.

admin share

Add Network Clients, Protocols and Services via Command Line

In a previous post, I talked about why I couldn’t access any file shares, or connect remotely to some systems. The issue was caused by services, protocols and clients missing from the network adapters. Now that the issue had been identified, I had two choices: manually touch every machine, using the mouse for most of the work, or automate the process. This post describes the latter.

admin share

Can’t connect to the ADMIN$ or IPC$ shares on a computer?

Troubleshooting the ADMIN$ or IPC$ shares can be a painful ordeal for some.