[Samba] Installation and management of printer drivers from windows 7 clients (printers and faxes missing!)

[Lars Erik Kolden]

Hello there.

I have a network with 35  new Windows 7 (64 bit) PCs  that should
connect to printers via a cups/samba server. I want them to use their
own windows drivers, and I want these to be installed automatically
from print$ when they first connect.

I'm trying to install the drivers from the clients as described here:
http://samba.org/samba/docs/man/Samba-HOWTO-Collection/classicalprinting.html#id2627720

It looks like I have configured everything according to docs, but when
I connect to the samba server from windows explorer  there is no
"Printers and faxes" icon, just the printers that are picked up from
the cups configuration. Hence I cannot get into the
Properties->Advanced window as suggested by the samba docs. If I do it
from an XP client instead, it seems to be working as it should. I get
the Printers and faxes folder, and I can select Properties->advanced
when right clicking on the printers. Which again gives me the
opportunity to install drivers, but not 64 bit drivers, as my xp
installation is 32 bits. So I should probably connect from a 64 bits
client for that.

Does anyone have a suggestion to what might be wrong? Isn't this
method of doing it appropriate for windows 7, or is there something
I've done wrong? Please see my configuration file below.

Btw, I've tried logging in with both  root and another printadmin, and
I've set up the clint with a root account as well.

smb.conf:

[global]
        netbios name = odin
        server string = ""
        workgroup = workgroup
        security = user
        wins support = yes
        encrypt passwords = true

        local master = yes
        os level = 255
        preferred master = yes

        hide dot files = yes
        invalid users = bin,sys
        strict locking = yes
        oplocks = yes
        client lanman auth = yes

        load printers = yes
        printing = cups
        printcap = cups


[printers]

comment = All Printers
path = /var/spool/samba
browseable = no
guest ok = yes
writable = no
printable = yes
printer admin = root, @ntadmins, @smbprintadm
# use client driver = Yes

[print$]
comment = Printer Drivers
path = /usr/share/cups/drivers
#browseable = yes
#guest ok = no
#read only = yes
write list = root, larsekol


And yes, I seem to have full permissions with the root user.

Thanks in advance for any suggestion, this is really bugging me.

Lars Erik