I recently installed a new server on our network for File and Print, it was so that I could decommission the old file/print server that was running Windows 2000 Server.
However due to other things happening I left the old server on running the print queues. As time went on this task worked its way lower and lower on my "to do" list. Due to a new project I needed to clear out the Old HP Rack to make way for a new Dell rack and the only server that was running in this rack was the Print Server so I had to look at this task again.
I was thinking about getting one of the Helpdesk guys to right a quick "How To" sheet on changing printers but I just knew that users do not always follow these and then when it did come to switching off the old print server the Helpdesk would be in undated with calls by users complaining that their printers are not working!
Like always the best thing to do is try and automate things for users as much as possible making changes like that as transparent as possible.
I found this very good little script at: http://www.petri.co.il/changeprintsrv.htm
all you need to do is copy it into your netlogon or scripts folder in your \\domain.com\sysvol\domain.com\scripts and then create a batch file that will call up the exe and then tell it what server to change it from and to eg:
\\domain.com\sysvol\domain.com\scripts\changeprintsrv.exe from printserver1 to printserver2
And it is as simple as that, I added this script in Group Policy so then when the users logged on they got it as part of a policy. It seems to run quite nicely. I noticed on Vista I had to restart the local spool service, but on XP it seemed to work fine!
