How to straight up delete a printer based on its name?

[kor]

I'm trying to find a way to simply delete a printer (any printer) inside a users profile based on the name of the printer. I don't want any user interaction, I just want the script to run, and poof, the printers in question are deleted.

My searching is failing me. I don't want to delete the drivers for the printers as the users might want to add them back at a later date. I just want to get rid of them as choices in the printers and faxes window.

(XP SP3 btw)

[MrMitchell]

Try post.

Edit: Actually that might only be for network printers, dunno. If doesn't work, search for WMI delete printer and you should come up with some good hits.

Edit2: Got the following (in almost its simplest form) to delete a printer off my machine:

$strComputer = "."
$strPrinter = "Brother HJ-400"

$objWMIService = ObjGet("winmgmts:\\" & $strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")
$objPrinter = $objWMIService.Get("Win32_Printer.DeviceID='" & $strPrinter & "'")
$objPrinter.Delete_

Edited March 28, 2011 by MrMitchell

[kor]

Is there a way to check to see if the printer exists? I get an error when attempting to delete a printer that doesn't exist. This needs to be for a login script, so if the printer doesn't exist, it can skip trying to delete it.

[MrMitchell]

You can try this way instead (this error handling function is straight out of the help file, in the Obj/COM Reference):

Global $g_eventerror = 0

$strComputer = "."
$strPrinter = "Brother HJ-400"
$objWMIService = ObjGet("winmgmts:\\" & $strComputer & "\root\CIMV2")
$collPrinters = $objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select * FROM Win32_Printer")
For $printer In $collPrinters
    $name = $printer.name
    ConsoleWrite("Printer: " & $name & @CRLF)
    If StringInStr($name, $strPrinter) Then
        $printer.Delete_
        If $g_eventerror Then
            ConsoleWrite("Error deleting printer: " & $name & @CRLF)
        Else
            ConsoleWrite("Deleted printer: " & $name & @CRLF)
        EndIf
    EndIf
Next

Func MyErrFunc()
   $HexNumber=hex($oMyError.number,8)
   ConsoleWrite("We intercepted a COM Error !" & @CRLF & _
                "Number is: " & $HexNumber & @CRLF & _
                "Windescription is: " & $oMyError.description & _
                "Source is: " & $oMyError.source & @CRLF)

   $g_eventerror = 1 ; something to check for when this function returns
EndFunc

Instead of getting a specific printer by name this should just go thru all the printers and if the name contains $strPrinter then delete it. You could also use StringRegEx to match a printer name, or StringCompare if you want. If the .Delete_ function fails then it will throw the error and you can have the MyErrFunc() function do whatever you want. I'm not sure if you'll get an error if the PC doesn't have ANY printers, but most XP machines come with a few default printers anyway so I'm thinking that won't be a huge deal?

[kor]

I'll try it tomorrow and let you know.

No, it shouldn't be a big deal. We are leaving a PDF Creator printer as an available option always, so there will always be at least 1 printer present.

[kor]

your code worked great. thank you.

[MrMitchell]

No problem, glad to hear it.