By default, Windows XP constantly scans the network looking for newly shared resources (i.e. printers & shared folders).  When found, these resources are automatically added to your "My Network Places" and "Printers and Faxes" folders.  Some customers have discovered issues with this feature --- as it sometimes creates multiple instances of a single resource. 

If you find your PC with multiple copies of a single printer (copies are usually prefixed with "Auto" in the name), you may want to disable this feature.  The following steps will disable Automatic Search from Windows XP and will prevent this issue:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and click Folder Options to open the Folder Options dialog box.
2. Click the View tab.
3. In the Advanced Settings list, click to clear the Automatically Search for Network Folders and Printers check box.
4. Click OK.

You can also view the Microsoft Knowledge Base article detailing this issue at:  http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=320138.

Article Link Summary:

• Microsoft KB #320138:  http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=320138