Imagine this scenario: You have 2 servers, 1 is a Domain Controller and File & Print Server (Server01), the other is a Remote Desktop Server for all users to log into (Server02). Both are using Windows Server 2012 Standard R2.

You have deployed printers through Print Management from Server01 to the OU of Server02 with a Loopback Policy set to Merge or Replace.

Your users log on and off of the server and pull through their printers each time. Users complain that:

1. They cannot print
2. They cannot set Default Printers (No Green Tick Appears)
3. There are multiple instances of the same printer

After spending days, and I mean days, on the phone to Microsoft we managed to make a breakthrough.

The reason that this seems to fail is because:

1. When users are logging off or even *disconnecting* (clicking the X in RDP) and logging back on regularly, it is constantly pulling through and removing the printers, making printer corruption likely.
2. Also, when „Client Side Rendering“ is enabled, it will render all print jobs on the Terminal Server which can increase the overhead of printing and likelihood of a print job failing – requiring spooler restarts and subsequently, corrupting the printer.

To resolve this, I have found that the following steps have worked for me:

(NOTE: You will need to organise around 1 hour’s downtime)

1. Log all users off of the Terminal Server and ensure they are informed not to log back in (or disable TS and use Console view)
2. Stop the Printer Spooler on both Server01 and Server02
3. Delete all items „C:\Windows\System32\spool\Printers“ on Server01 and Server02
4. On Server01, go through all printers and untick „Render print jobs on client computers“ under the Sharing tab
5. 
6. On Server02, open GPEDIT.msc and navigate to:
   1. Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Printers > „Always render print jobs on the server“
   2. Set this to „Enabled“ – this will ensure all print jobs get sent to Server01 and reduce the overhead on Server02
7. On Server02, open Regedit and rename the following key to _old
   1. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side Rendering Print Provider
8. Start the Print Spooler on Server01 and Server02
9. Open Regedit on Server02 and a new key should have been created for „Client Side Rendering Print Provider“
10. Add the following REG_DWORD Value to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print\Providers\Client Side Rendering Print Provider
    1. RemovePrintersAtLogoff
       1. VALUE: 0
    2. This will basically prevent the printers being removed each time the users log off/disconnect which will subsequently prevent the corruptions.
11. Log on a user to test

We have now carried out this fix on two Customers with the same set up – 2 x 2012 Servers, one DC and one RDP and so far, after three weeks, the problems have not returned.

HUGE sigh of relief.

Originalbeitrag hier: https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ea51c54b-2734-4987-9f4a-a79f755c8153/windows-2012-r2-printers-showing-twice-and-unable-to-set-default-printer?forum=winserverTS