Remote assistance/desktop and network printer connection issues

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Bit of a headscratcher.
I had a user having issues with an "access is denied" error when trying to add a network printer. I had to remove the driver manually by RDP, the stubborn SOB refused to move with GUI methods and the user had to leave. I then RDP'ed back on as the user and added all her printers back in, sent a test page to the original problem printer, which completed successfully. I sent the user an email asking her to verify the printer worked when she got into work the next day.
Job done, or so I thought.

I get a phone call from the user next morning. She cannot access any network printers but every other network resource seems to be available. She now also gets a printer setup popup when opening some excel files, this seems to point to the software not recognising that she has a default printer, which she does have.
I offer remote assistance, I get the error "No users are currently logged on" when she very definitely is logged on to the domain (i.e I got her to log out, verified she was logging in to the domain, and she has access to all domain resources except printers).
So I try RDP, see if that will connect. Very quickly a message comes up that it cannot connect.
I repeated both with IP addresses as well as computer names.
I can connect to the computer using the C$ share, regedit and computer management.

So, two separate issues here really:
1) Why would all network printers become unavailable (user has tried deleting and adding them again, no change in status). There are about 7 and the user reports they are all unavailable. No other users have issues with these printers.

2) Why would RA give me that error message. I've searched fruitlessly for at least an hour on that one.


Whoops, almost forgot: XP SP3, and yes, we've tried rebooting

 

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Maybe somehow or someone has changed her permissions or profile. Have you checked those?

 

1. Printer spooler service running??
2. Is she using local firewall??
3. By any chance ANYTHING has changed in her user profile??

 

@GBL, effective permissions show she has print permissions
@melhiore-I got her to try stopping and starting spooler, any firewall settings will be globally set and no other user has this issue
If it was a firewall issue for RA/RDP I would get a different error message with RA. That error message is the one that's puzzling me the most.

I also checked what services she has running against mine, there's no difference as far as I can see. I also checked registry for both printer and Terminal services values, yet again the same as I have.

Everything seemed to be as it should be when I was logged in as her, it's as if somehow logging off while RDP'ed has changed something in the users profile, but I can't figure out what it is.

 

Very strange, Can she request remote assistance? Anything in the event logs? Is it possible to log in to the computer with a different profile and test?

 

The only solution I see is site visit. There must be something not right with user account and RDC to it than... Strange thing happens...

 

@DCPromo--requesting RA is not possible on our system. Nothing unusual in event logs.

I've escalated it to desktop so fingers crossed they'll look at it. They rejected it the first time because I foolishly used the word "printer", knowing full well they wouldn't bother to read it properlyand just punt it back to service desk.