Printer spooler

  • Thread starter Thread starter RRP
  • Start date Start date
R

RRP

Laptop decided not to print any more. I can't print from
Office/Outlook, but can print from Notepad (with Office
XP and Windows XP). With a document open in Office,
selecting File - Print opens the print dialog box that
shows status as 2 documents waiting, but there are no
documents listed in the Printing Queue in Printers and
Faxes. Has anyone had and fixed this problem? Thanks
 
Hi!

Thanks for the help. Yes printer spooler is running, but
still can not print. Can't print a test page from
Printer Properties either, so I went through the Windows
XP Printer Troubleshooter and nothing helped. Network
connection is fine as I can access other network
components. What could it be....?

Thanks - Richard
 
Are you still trying to print to the same printer? Yes, this sounds like a
silly reply but from your posting, it sounds like Word or Outlook is trying
to print to a second printer.... and the 'queue' is for that other printer.
Of course this can be exactly the same printer, just that XP has 'seen' it
as a second one.

(Brief explanation here..... if a printer is connected via USB port, and is
then moved to another USB port one of two things happen. If the printer has
hard coded information in it with an "ID", XP will know it's the same
printer and just understand you've connected it to another USB port. If
there's no ID present, XP assumes you have a second instance of the same
printer and reinstalls it. It sounds like this might have happened at some
point and Outlook or Word is printing to an 'imaginary' printer which
doesn't exist anymore.)

Let's try uninstalling everything that's around in printers....
http://www.coribright.com/Windows/Article One.htm

Step 4 is the most important step.... but especially important in your case!

If something will not uninstall here, stop the print spooler (just like in
my previous posting, but the wording is net stop spooler).... and try again.

Let us know how it goes.

Cari
www.coribright.com
 
Hello!

Thanks for the reply and hints. The problem is solved!
I looked at your website which said to
uninstall/reinstall the printer driver. I tried this
prior to my initial posting on the newsgroup, using the
Windows XP printer troubleshooter wizard. For some
reason, it wouldn't let me uninstall the printer driver,
so the printing problem remained, and prompted by first
posting to the newsgroup. I just tried deleting the
driver again via Server Properties, and first closed
Outlook, Word, etc (which I thought were closed the first
time when I tried the wizard a few days ago) and the
printer driver was able to be deleted. I added the
printer using the wizard and now I can print. So problem
solved! Thanks for your help Cari.

The USB connection problem sounds like it would be a
tough one to solve if you hadn't run across it before.
My printer is a network printer so I don't have that
problem, but I will remember that when I upgrade my home
computer with a USB-connected printer. Cheers - RRP
 
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