I can't print my documents after disabling a bunch of Windows services


  1. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    I can't print my documents after disabling a bunch of Windows services


    I have an old and low-performance laptop. It was working very slow and using too much CPU. I decided to turn off (disable) unnecessary services to give it a boost. And I did so; now my system works much faster. The complete and exact list of disabled services are listed below.

    Code:
    Application Management
    Base Filtering Engine
        IPsec Policy Agent
        IKE and AuthIP IPsec Keying Modules
    Bonjour Service
    Cryptographic Services
    Desktop Window Manager Session Manager
    Diagnostic Policy Service
    Distributed Link Tracking Client
    Extensible Authentication Protocol
    Extensible Authentication Protocol
        WLAN AutoConfig
    Function Discovery Provider Host
        HomeGroup Provider
    Function Discovery Resource Publication
    Human Interface Device Access
    Intel(R) Rapid Storage Technology
    IP Helper
    Network Connections
    Network List Service
    Network Location Awareness
    Offline Files
    Peer Name Resolution Protocol
        Peer Networking Grouping
    Peer Networking Identity Manager
    Program Compatibility Assistant Service
    Protected Storage
    RtVOsdService Installer
    Sandboxie Service
    Security Center
    Server
    Shell Hardware Detection
    SQL Server VSS Writer
    TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
    Themes
    WebClient
    Windows Font Cache Service
    Windows Media Player Network Sharing Service
    Windows Presentation Foundation Font Cache 3.0.0.0
    (Note: The indented service names are dependent to the preceding ones in the list.)

    I have been using my system for one or two months with those services disabled without any problem. Today, I tried to print an MS Word document into a PNG file. But I saw that no printers are listed. I clicked on the "Add Printer..." button and got this error message:

    Code:
    [File in the directory]
    The Active Directory Domain Services is currently unavailable.


    Note: I don't have a physical printer, instead I have installed a virtual printing software called "PDF Creator", which prints documents to PDF or PNG files. It was working perfectly fine.

    The problem is definitely due to those disabled services. It looks like I disabled a critical service among all those unnecessary ones. I really don't want to re-enable all those services one-by-one and try restart the system after each one. Can you please tell me which service is causing this problem?

    Windows Version: 7 Ultimate x64 SP1
    Office Version: Professional Plus 2013
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #2

    I saw that the "Print Spooler" service was not running. I tried starting it. It wasn't disabled; it was in the "manual" mode. Once it started, I was able to print my document. I don't know why, but somehow, the programs are not able to manually start the Print Spooler service on their own. I will be glad if someone explains the reason for this.
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 10,796
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bits 7601 Multiprocessor Free Service Pack 1
       #3

    Print Spooler service should have startup type=automatic
    When I stop the service.... printer dialog doesn't popup so no job can be sent to printer queue.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Can I make a simple .bat file which will start PS service when I run it? If yes, what commands should I write in it?
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 1,519
    Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit, Mac OS X 10.10, Linux Mint 17, Windows 10 Pro TP
       #5

    A service set to automatically start should be started after booting up or rebooting.

    Some suggestions on the batch file question:
    https://www.google.com/search?site=&....0.1HxlzZtwrCY
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 64
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #6

    Would this work?

    Toogle Print Spooler.bat
    Code:
    for /F "tokens=3 delims=: " %%H in ('sc query "Print Spooler" ^| findstr "STATE"')
    do
    (
        if /I "%%H" NEQ "RUNNING"
        (
            net start "Print Spooler"
        )
        else
        (
            net stop "Print Spooler"
        )
    )
    (Source)
      My Computer


 

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