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Old Aug-09-2007   #1 (permalink)
carol
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print spooler service not running

I'm using windows XP, a short while ago I started getting error messages to do with the print spooler, then I was unable to print because of the print spooler not running. So I reinstalled windows XP, but was then unable to install my printers because the print spooler service is not running. What is it and how can I remedy it? My computer has 2 drives in, one of which from a previous computer. after I had moved all the files I wanted, I formatted the old spare drive. It has happened since then but not immediately after.
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Old Aug-10-2007   #2 (permalink)
Alan
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Click on Start, and then click Control Panel.
Double click Administrative Tools then click Services.
Double click the Printer Spooler service and then change the startup type to Automatic.
Reboot to start the service.

Let us know how you get on.

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Old Aug-11-2007   #3 (permalink)
carol
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print spooler

Hi alan,
I followed your instructions but it was already set on automatic. Microsoft keeps asking me if I want to send error reports which I do. Do you think the motherboard is breaking down? I bought the computer 'refurbished' so I'm not sure of its age possibly about 4 years old.

Many thanks Carol
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Old Aug-11-2007   #4 (permalink)
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The information here was taken from the Microsoft site and if there is anything you dont undrestand, just ask and we will explain it to you.
Basically it sounds like you have a corrupted driver installed.

The steps on this page will remove all printers and printer drivers from the computer. The printing subsystem is then "clean" and ready for printers to be added using printer drivers specifically for the Windows version you have.
If you have drivers for several printer models installed (e.g. on a Print Server computer) it may only be necessary to remove the defective printer drivers. At steps 2, and 7, just delete the entries for the printers or printer drivers you suspect are defective. Unfortunately, the files that comprise the drivers are all in the same folder. Also, the same files may be used by the drivers for several printer models. So, selectively deleting the driver files at step 12 may be difficult or impossible. With Windows 2000 and XP, in most cases, deleting the registry entries for the drivers (step 7) will be sufficient, so you may want to skip steps 10 through 12 if you have multiple printer models and don't want to re-install all of them.
Check in Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs; if there is an entry relating to one of the printers, select it, then click Change/Remove. Follow the dialog and "uninstall all" or "remove all" as appropriate. Some "printer software" have programs that show up here and it will be a good idea to remove those before going any further.
If the Print Spooler service is operational:
1. Open the Printers (Printers and Faxes on Windows XP) folder
2. delete all of the printers
3. click File, Server Properties
4. select the Drivers tab
5. for each entry:
a. select the entry
b. click Remove
Usually, this will do a pretty good job of cleaning out drivers with Windows 2000 and later (not so with Windows NT 4).

If the Print Spooler service is not operational, or you want to make certain there are no printer driver remnants, either follow the instructions below or use cleanspl.exe from the Windows 2000, XP or 2003 Resource Kit (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en). cleanspl.exe from the Windows 2003 Resource Kit tools will work on Windows XP.
Some information about cleanspl.exe:
• cleanspl.exe does a very thorough job of cleaning up the print spooler stuff, but it does not remove the spooler service dependency on the Lexmark service (see special information about Lexmark printer drivers).
• You can use it to clean up the spooler stuff on another computer (i.e. remotely).
• When you run it, it asks you if you want to remove some things that are actually delivered (and installed by default) with Windows. In most cases, you should answer No to the corresponding prompts (you don't want to remove the Standard TCP/IP Port or the BJ Language Monitor).
Here's how to clean up the print spooler stuff if cleanspl.exe is not available or you prefer to do things manually.

Warning! be very careful using regedit - if you delete the wrong things, you may render your computer inoperative!
6. open regedit (e.g. click Start, key regedit and press Enter)
7. navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers
under this key, there will be the keys Version-2 and Version-3 (one or the other of these may be absent - not a problem)
the sub-keys under these contain the printer driver configuration information
delete all the sub-keys inside Version-2 and Version-3, but not these keys themselves
The Microsoft Knowledgebase article at Error Message: Spoolsv.exe Has Generated Errors and Will Be Closed by Windows lists some other registry entries to delete, but this is not usually necessary.
8. open a Command Prompt window
9. key the commands
net stop spooler
net start spooler
10. open Windows Explorer
11. navigate to %systemroot%\system32\spool\printers\ and delete any files there. By default, this is where the print spooler stores print files.
12. navigate to %systemroot%\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86 (%systemroot% is usually Windows, but it might be winnt or something else; this is set when the OS is installed).
13. inside w32x86, there will be folders with the names 2 and 3 (one or more of these may be absent - not a problem)
delete all of the files and sub-folders in each of the 2 and 3 folders, but not the folders themselves
inside w32x86, there may be other folders with names starting with "hewlett_packard", "hphp" or something else; delete these folders also
14. restart the print spooler (see steps 8 and 9 above)

Let us know if there is something you are unsure about and we will guide you through it.

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Old Aug-12-2007   #5 (permalink)
carol
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Wink Success

Many thanks Alan. I used the regedit to fix the problem, and have now installed my printers and everything seems to be working fine so I obviously deleted the right things. I am eternally grateful to you for your time and expertise.
Regards Carol
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Old Aug-13-2007   #6 (permalink)
Alan
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You are very Welcome and I am glad you got it fixed.

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