Windows XP Home SP2: print spooler stops when "Add Printer" is run.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jack
  • Start date Start date
J

Jack

I have a print spooler issue that appears to resist all the known fixes that
I can find.

I am working on a friends system. When the system starts the Print Spooler
is started (the service is set to automatic). When I try to add a printer I
get "spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to be
restarted" and "operation could not be completed" messages.

This system has been running for 2 years with no problems and the Lexmark
printer has been the only printer ever used. All of a sudden no printers
showed and the spool would not run properly. Also, though the spool starts ,
it times out when I try to stop it!

1, I disabled the Lexmark printer service plus scrubbed the registry of
Lexmark entries based on Bruce Sanders instructions.
2. I followed the steps in MS KB articles 810894 and 324757.
3. I removed all MS patches from around the time the problem started.
4. I ran SFC which not find any files to replace.
5. I cannot do a repair of Windows XP because the recovery CD is a Ghost
image and not an actual XP Home CD and I only have XP Pro CDs which I am
guessing will not repair a XP Home install.

I am at the end of the resources I can find other than doing a re-install.
My problem with that is that after a re-install the problem could return.
What are the files that run the spool? I would like to extract them from a
XP Pro CD to see if that helps.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
 
Do yourself a great big favor and go to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. and
purchase a new printer. Many printers such as HP, Canon, or Epson
will give you less problems in the future.
 
Hi Jack, I have a Lexmark X73, am running XP and am having the same problem.
I went to Lexmark.com and got the "Clean install" utility and the "Patch" to
no avail. Lexmark tech support kept repeating themselves, then said it
something with my PC. I'm going to trash the Lexmark and write a few letters.
Sorry, didn't mean to gripe, it's just that I've tried all that I know as
well...for about 3 months now!! Yours in frustration.. Good Luck! J
 
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