Automatic Setup of Network Connected Devices

[JoelM]

This setting is under network discovery in the advanced sharing settings. When adding a new computer to the network the Windows installs all network printers it can find. I don't want all of them automatically added. I'm adding the ones I want via active directory.

Is there a way to turn off automatic setup of network connected devices by default via GPO?

 

[SAFCasper]

You can simply disable the service via GPO. Display name is Network Connected Devices Auto-Setup with service name of NcdAutoSetup

 

[Markverhyden]

Not sure I understand. There is a check box in advanced settings for auto discovery. Are you saying that if it's unchecked it's still auto installing network devices?

 

[JoelM]

You can simply disable the service via GPO. Display name is Network Connected Devices Auto-Setup with service name of NcdAutoSetup

Yes. However I can't see a way to disable this via GPO

 

[JoelM]

Not sure I understand. There is a check box in advanced settings for auto discovery. Are you saying that if it's unchecked it's still auto installing network devices?

No. If I do that it doesn't auto install. I would however like to change this setting via GPO rather than having to manually do it on each machine.

 

[HCHTech]

You can simply disable the service via GPO.

But make sure your document this in your client notes - this sounds like the kind of thing that could cause some wasted troubleshooting time if you've forgotten that you overrode the default behavior two years down the road.

 

[JoelM]

It's not "Network Discovery" that I'm trying to turn off. It's the option for "Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices" that I would like to turn off via GPO.

 

[Markverhyden]

No. If I do that it doesn't auto install. I would however like to change this setting via GPO rather than having to manually do it on each machine.

Did you see the link below in your searches?

https://www.technig.com/enable-network-discovery-via-group-policy/

 

[JoelM]

Did you see the link below in your searches?

https://www.technig.com/enable-network-discovery-via-group-policy/

Yes, but I think that will turn off "Network Discovery" rather than just the automatic setup of network connected devices which is what I want.

 

[Markverhyden]

Yes, but I think that will turn off "Network Discovery" rather than just the automatic setup of network connected devices which is what I want.

Here's another possibility if you haven't already seen it.

https://social.technet.microsoft.co...printer-in-add-printer-wizard?forum=w7itproui

 

[britechguy]

I preface this with, "I do not wish to start a flame war, I wish to understand better."

Might I ask why, exactly, you want to turn this off? What is the end result you're trying to achieve? There may be a far easier way to achieve it.

 

[JoelM]

I understand not wanting to start a "flame war"
Here is my thought.
I have a network with 9 printers. I want to push them to install via GPO. This will install them and name them with a specific naming convention so an individual knows where that printer is rather than just a printer name by model. Most printers are the same or similar model. I have them created on the server and have even tested pushing them out via GPO & they install and get the name I want them to have.
In addition Windows wants to help out and sees the printers on the network and kindly installs every printer on the network using the printer model for a name. This double installs every printer & now the end user has twice as many printers to look through. I know I can manually remove the check box that exists to stop this from happening but I was hoping there was a way to uncheck the box that exists from a GPO. Right now I go and delete all the extra printers manually & then go and remove the checkbox on the "Turn on automatic setup of network connected devices" so additional items don't randomly install in the future.

 

[britechguy]

Ah, I understand the situation now.

Now my question is: Could you do this "in reverse"? That is, let Windows install all these printers, being its helpful self, and then go out and rename them appropriately afterward? I'd have to imagine there'd be a way to uniquely identify each device and rename it using a script of some sort.

 

[Markverhyden]

Personally I'd rather not have networking discovery turned on for Domains for security reasons. But that does make for higher maintenance if things change a lot.

 

[HCHTech]

Now my question is: Could you do this "in reverse"? That is, let Windows install all these printers, being its helpful self, and then go out and rename them appropriately afterward? I'd have to imagine there'd be a way to uniquely identify each device and rename it using a script of some sort.

This is what I was thinking while reading this thread. Isn't there a single registry key containing printer definitions? Does this article help? You can absolutely export the correct key from a computer set the way you want it and then script replacing that key in all of the others.