The "Print Spooler" is a basic service of the Windows operating system that allows the computer to interact with a printer. The main task of this service is to manage the print queue, i.e. sending all print jobs to the printer. If the print spooler generates an error message, it may be a sign that the service is no longer functioning correctly or that it is having trouble interacting with the printer software. This article will help you solve the problem, but it is very likely that you will need to try more than one of the methods described in order to do so.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Change the Print Spooler Properties
Step 1. Access the service properties
Changing the print spooler's operating options alone doesn't solve every kind of problem, but it's still a great starting point for our investigation. The methods in this guide should work on any version of Windows operating systems, from XP up to the most modern versions (they may also be effective for operating systems older than XP):
- Open the "Run" dialog box using the Win + R hotkey combination. In the "Open" field that appears, type the command services.msc and press the Enter key. When the "Services" window appears, double-click the service related to the print spooler.
- Alternatively, access the Start menu, select the Control Panel item, choose the Administrative Tools icon and finally open the Services window. When the "Services" window appears, double-click the Print Spooler service.
Step 2. Restart the print spooler service
To do this, press the Stop button and, after waiting for the service to stop, press the Start button located in the "General" tab of the window relating to the properties of the print spooler. Some of the problems that can plague the printing process are solved simply by restarting the service. Do not close the window when finished, there are other small changes to be made.
Step 3. Configure the Print Spooler Service to start automatically
Select the "Automatic" item from the "Startup Type" drop-down menu. In this way, the print spooler will start automatically every time you turn on the computer, managing every print request in a timely manner. When finished, press the Apply button located in the lower right corner of the window to save all the changes made.
Step 4. Change the recovery settings
First go to the "Recovery" tab. This section controls the actions to be taken in the event of a service failure. A few small changes to the settings can increase the chances that the print spooler will automatically fix any malfunctions, minimizing the chances of a complete program shutdown. Change the available options as follows:
- "First try": restart the service.
- "Second try": restart the service.
- "Subsequent attempts": no action.
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"Reset the failed attempt counter after":
Step 1. day.
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"Restart the service after":
Step 1. minute.
- When finished, press the Apply button to save the changes.
Step 5. Prevent desktop interactions
To do this, go to the "Connection" tab. If the "Allow service to interact with desktop" checkbox is checked, deselect it. Leaving this option enabled can cause problems and, in the case of a sufficiently modern computer, there is no need for it. At the end, press the Apply button as usual.
Step 6. Restart and try printing again
After making these changes, you will be ready to try printing again. You may need to restart your computer for the new settings to take effect. In case the problem occurs again, continue reading.
Step 7. Check dependencies
Open the "Properties" window for the print spooler again, as described above, and access the "Dependencies" tab. Look at the box "This service depends on the following system components". Check the operating status of each of the services that appear in the box:
- Return to the "Services" window again. If you closed it, open it again as described in the first step of this method.
- Identify all the services in question by comparing the name that appears in the "Dependencies" tab with the one that appears in the "Name" column of the "Services" window.
- Check that each service is active by making sure that in the "Status" column it says "Running".
- Make sure each service in question is configured to start automatically. Check that "Automatic" is listed in the "Startup Type" column.
- If one of the services on which the print spooler depends does not show all the characteristics listed, restart it. To do this you can use the appropriate controls located at the top of the "Services" window; alternatively you can select the service in question with a double click of the mouse and use the buttons in the "Properties" window.
- If the "Stop" and "Start" buttons are not enabled for use, or if restarting the service the values of the "Status" and "Startup Type" properties do not change as they should, try reinstalling the drivers as described in this section. If this procedure does not work, you will need to follow one specifically designed to solve problems related to the service in question, sometimes including the risk of having to modify the Windows registry.
Method 2 of 3: Reset the Printer to Default State
Step 1. Clean the print queue
Often this step automatically solves the problem; it is also an indispensable process to be able to continue with the steps of this method.
- Open the "Services" window (press the key combination "Win + R", type the following command "services.msc" in the "Open" field and press the "Enter" key).
- Select the "Print Spooler" service and press the "Stop Service" button (in case it is still running).
- Navigate to the following folder "C: / Windows / system32 / spool / PRINTERS". To do this, you may need to enable the display of hidden and system files and / or enter the password for the system administrator account.
- Deletes all files contained in the indicated folder. However, do not delete the "PRINTERS" folder. Remember that this step clears all current print jobs, so make sure no users on your network are using the printer.
- Return to the "Services" window, select the "Print Spooler" service and press the "Start Service" button.
Step 2. Update the printer drivers
Your printer drivers may have become corrupted and cause problems that plague the print spooler when it tries to send improperly formatted data to the printer. To fix this, try updating the print device drivers. If the attempt does not lead to the desired solution, continue reading.
Step 3. Uninstall the printer
The software that manages the printer may have become corrupted causing malfunctions. The following procedure will allow you to quickly remove it and proceed with a new installation:
- Disconnect the printer from your computer or, in the case of a wireless device, disconnect it from the network.
- Perform a search using the keywords "devices and printers", then select the relevant icon that appears in the list of results to open the management window.
- With the right mouse button, select the problem printer icon. Then choose the "Remove device" option from the context menu that appeared.
Step 4. Delete the printer drivers
The printer drivers must be uninstalled separately from the device itself. Do not close the "Devices and Printers" window and do the following:
- Select any of the icons related to the other printers installed on your computer, then press the Print Server Properties button on the menu bar.
- Go to the "Driver" tab of the "Properties" window that appeared.
- Select the printer drivers you just deleted and press the Remove… button.
- Choosing the "Remove driver and driver package" option will remove the installation software in addition to the drivers. Choose this setting only if you have the driver installation file or if you know where to find it.
Step 5. Reinstall the printer
Reconnect it to your computer and follow the instructions that appear on the screen to proceed with the installation of the device. If you have deleted the driver installation files, you need to download them again. To do this, go directly to the printer manufacturer's website.
Step 6. Uninstall the printer using the "Print Management" tool
Sometimes, in the event that the printer or its drivers continue to be detected by the system or are not uninstalled correctly, this system utility can solve the problem. This tool is only available for Pro / Ultimate / Enterprise versions of Windows 7 and Pro / Enterprise versions of Windows 8. Perform the following steps:
- Access the Start menu and select the Administrative Tools item, then choose the Print Management icon. Log in by providing the system administrator account password. Alternatively, access the Start menu, select the Control Panel item, choose the System and Security category, click the Administrative Tools icon and finally select the Print Management item.
- To expand the Print Server item, select the corresponding arrow icon located in the left panel within the window that appeared.
- Select the arrow icon next to your computer (labeled "Local").
Step 7. Select the Printers item located in the left panel
Inside the right pane, locate the printer that is causing problems, then right-click it and choose the "Delete" option.
- Choose the Driver item in the left panel. Select the driver used by your printer with the right mouse button, then choose the "Delete" option to uninstall it (you will not be able to uninstall a driver while it is in use by a printer installed on your system).
- Alternatively, select the driver to uninstall with the right mouse button and choose "Remove driver package" from the context menu that appeared. This option removes the drivers and deletes the installation files. While this is sometimes necessary, this step will prevent you from installing new drivers without first downloading the relevant installation file again.
- Plug the printer back into your computer and reinstall. In case you have deleted the driver installation file, you will first need to download it from the device manufacturer's website.
Method 3 of 3: Run a System File Scan
Step 1. Restart your computer in safe mode
While not always necessary, this step increases the likelihood of the scan being successful.
Step 2. Open the "Command Prompt" as a system administrator
Run a search using the keywords "command prompt", then, with the right mouse button, select the relevant icon that appears in the list of results and choose the item "Run as administrator". In this case you will need to provide the system administrator account password.
Step 3. Scan for integrity of system files
Within the command prompt window that appears, type the command sfc / scannow and press the Enter key. Make sure you enter the command exactly as it appears. This tool scans all system files for damaged ones and attempts to restore them.
This procedure restores the default state of your system, this means that any changes made will be lost. Therefore, make a backup before proceeding with the scan
Step 4. Wait for the scan to finish
When checking the integrity of system files, do not close the Command Prompt window. At the end, check the results obtained:
- If you can see the following message "Windows Resource Protection: Corrupted files found and restored", restart your computer normally and try to print a document.
- If you can see the following message "Windows Resource Protection: Could not restore some of the damaged files found", continue reading.
- If you have different messages, try using one of the other methods listed in this guide.
Step 5. Locate the damaged files
If the system file scan found any problems, but was unable to fix them, you will need to do it yourself. Learn more by following these steps:
- Within the Command Prompt window, type the following findstr / c command: "[SR]"% windir% / Logs / CBS / CBS.log> "% userprofile% / Desktop / SFC_Scan_Details.txt" and press the key Enter.
- Locate and open the "Scan_Details_SFC.txt" file that appeared on your computer desktop.
- Look for the section relating to the operations carried out on today's date. Find the name of the damaged or missing file.
Step 6. Get a fresh copy of the files
To do this, use a second computer on which the same version of Windows has been installed and copy the file in question and then transfer it to your system. Alternatively, download a fresh copy of the file directly from the web. In the latter case, make sure you are using a reliable and safe source.
You can also extract the file of your interest directly from the Windows installation disc
Step 7. Install the new file
Below you will find the instructions to replace the damaged or missing file with the new version:
- From the Command Prompt window, type the following command takeown / f followed by a space and the exact path where the damaged file is located. The complete command should appear similar to the following: "takeown / f C: / windows / system32 / corrupted_filename" (without quotes). When finished press the Enter key.
- Now type the second command, icacls (corrupted file path) / grant administrators: F. Replace the string "(corrupted file path)" with the same path and file name used in the previous command.
- Now transfer the new file using the following command copy (new file path) (corrupted file path). Replace the string "(damaged file path)" with the same path and file name used in the previous command; the string "(path to new file)" will be replaced with the path and name of the new file.
Advice
- Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional x64 may have a bug that prevents the computer from sending print requests to certain printer models. To fix this, you can download the patch directly from Microsoft's website.
- There are many tools that can be downloaded from the web and can automatically fix the problems that plague the print spooler. Always use safe and reliable sources for your downloads to prevent your computer from being infected with viruses and malware.
