GTIIT Printer Connection Issues On Personal Computers

Some authorized GTIIT members may encounter issues when trying to connect to our public printer queues Staff-Print-Q or Staff-ColorPrint-Q after upgrading their Windows system or setting up a new laptop. The following error messages may appear:

  • "The credentials supplied are not sufficient to access this printer. Do you want to specify new credentials?"
  • "Operation could not be completed. (Error 0x00000005) Access is denied."
  • "Cannot print [filename]. Be sure that your printer is connected properly and use the Control Panel to verify that the printer is configured correctly."
  • "Windows cannot connect to the printer. Operation failed with error 0x0000011b."


Root Cause

This issue is caused by a Windows security setting that restricts users from installing or using print drivers. The vulnerability and Microsoft's security updates addressing it are collectively known as "PrintNightmare", officially referenced as CVE-2021–1675, CVE-2021–34527, and CVE-2021–34481.

Solution (Fix on Personal Computers)

  1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator

    • Search for Command Prompt in Windows.
    • Right-click and select Run as administrator.


  2. Run the following command to modify the necessary registry setting:

    reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint" /v RestrictDriverInstallationToAdministrators /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
  3. Restart your computer and try re-adding the printer. Follow the instructions in Add GTIIT Printers Into Your Computer.

  4. If the issue persists, repeat the steps:

    • Run the same command again.
    • Restart your computer one more time and attempt to add the printer again.

Need Further Assistance?

If the issue is still unresolved, please contact IT Support for further assistance.


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