Windows 7: Print Spooler Queue - Clear and Reset

steverido · 16 Dec 2011

Thanks very much, I deleted the folders and restarted as you suggested and this worked.

Have a fantastic Christmas and New year.

Regards

Steve

Brink · 16 Dec 2011

You're most welcome Steve.

noelcm · 25 Dec 2012

Please help.

I cannot locate these folders

C:\Windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS

Print spooler is present under Services, but when I click start it says "cannot!"

NoelDP · 25 Dec 2012

Please open an Elevated Command Prompt window and run the following commands

NET START SPOOLER
SC QC SPOOLER
SC QUERYEX SPOOLER

post the results

Here are some instructions to make life easier

1) To open an Elevated Command Prompt Window (the ECP window), click on Start, All Programs, Accessories – then right-click on Command Prompt, and select Run as Administrator. Accept the UAC prompt.
2) To run the commands easier, highlight the block of commands, and right-click on the highlight – select Copy. In the CP Window, click on the black/white icon at top left – select Paste. The commands will run but may not complete the last command, so hit the Enter Key once.
3) To copy the results... click on the Black/White icon in the top left, and select Edit... 'Select All', and hit the Enter key - then use Ctrl+V or r-click+Paste to paste it into your response.

AnthonySlipp · 14 Feb 2013

Thanks for this! This is so good to know for future reference.

Brink · 14 Feb 2013

You're most welcome Anthony. Glad it could help.

JulesBartow · 25 Mar 2013

Thank you for posting this solution

. Microsoft's "Cancel All Print Jobs" button is a Charlie Foxtrot. Having to start and stop services and delete files in obscure locations leaves me with a headache imagining they hired Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian and Snooki as half vast programmers in Redmond.

If it weren't for nice guys like you, I'd have documents sitting in queues for another 10-months --for half a dozen printers that don't exist anymore. What should be intuitively obvious to the most casual observer ain't even close.

This is an example of why everybody is moving towards Apple Macs/iPhones and Google/Android and LAMP

Call me an anachronism if you want, but this has gotten worse with Windows 8. Every basic action now requires a Google search. I'm booting up in Chameleon Hackintosh and Ubuntu more and more often now because the learning curve is not as high, steep or laced with as many crevasses and avalanches.

Brink · 25 Mar 2013

You're most welcome Jules, and welcome to Seven Forums. I'm glad it was able to help.

c8b8c · 4 Weeks Ago

I got issue:

Now i see in step 4. above that the PRINTERS folder should not be erased. We'll I erased it and then created a new folder by the same name. Now i cannot print. Please help me print again.

The details:
A large .pdf file clogged my printer and then slowed my machine to a crawl. In safe mode i managed to get into the ..SPOOL\PRINTER folder to see a "shock wave flash object" at 235 megs dated the time i made my last print and it was locked. Also in this folder were over 1.1 million files totaling over 8 GB! Hmm. Because selecting and deleting was taking too long I deleted the folder PRINTERS and then recreated it after the hour it took to delete all the files. After reboot i print and see the Kyocera printer queue flash SPOOLING under the Status column but then in a flash of my eye it then says "deleting - spooling". The .shd file and shockwave flash files are made in the ..SPOOL\PRINTERS folder but are size 0KB. No change in status if i restart the print spooler service.

Windows 7: Print Spooler Queue - Clear and Reset

Print Spooler Queue - Clear and Reset

Print Spooler Queue - Clear and Reset problems?