No printers? Really? Been working fine for months!

Printers are loaded and working, but when I print I get this message. Syasb before I can print I need to select a printer. As you can see, the window in the upper left shows no printers. I will re-boot and it might work once, then it prints out part of an PDF and I am stuck. The part of a PDF I am having problems with is the one were I first got the problem today.

Sounds sketchy I know, but hopeing it makes sens to somebody!

Welcome
Check the website for updated drivers

If that does not work, try uninstalling and then installing it again. After the uninstall, boot the computer.

Does this happen only with this one document - if yes, i would have a few suggestions.

No, it happens with anything I try and print.

As for loading a driver, which one do you suggest? I can't even print to a file via a PDF when this happens, so I'm not sure that it is a printer driver conflict.

I have a Vista driver for one printer I have at home. I will see if that is a problem. Seems like the trend is that Windows 7 drivers for existing printers are MIA. I like my new PC, but don't care for all of the 64 bit software and printer/ scanner hardware upgrades I've had to buy.

This might be the spoolsv.exe if it is happening with everything. You might want to check in task manager to make sure it is running. You could also check in services.msc to see if the process is started automatically or running properly.

Edit: I am running XP right now, but 7 should have the same print spooler. Post in the thread if this is different in 7.

whats the make/model of printer? Uninstall and reinstall drivers would work for now as have worked previously and then update drivers. A system restore is another idea!

If you suspect the print spooler, you could test that as follows.

1. Go to Services > Print spooler > right click > Properties
2. Click the Recovery tab > set "subsequent failure" either to reboot or a program that starts running to tell you that there were more than 2 failures. Pick any program .exe from your Program files that you can clearly see when it is starting.
3. If that program starts or the system reboots (depending on your setting), then you know something is wrong with the spooler and you need to reinstall the driver for the printer.

Hi PxTx - I am sorry you are running into issues when trying to print. Here are a few things that will hopefully help to solve the problem:

You may need to reinstall or simply update the printer driver. I suggest checking Windows Updates to make sure you have the most up-to-date driver for your printer: Find and install printer drivers.

What has changed to your computer that made the printer stop working correctly? Try troubleshooting and see if it helps to pinpoint any issues: Windows 7 features - Windows Troubleshooting - Microsoft Windows.

If troubleshooting doesn't produce results, take a look at how the printer is installed and determine if any corrections need to be made: Install a printer on a home network

Good luck!

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach