Print spooler keeps stopping

[ge0rge]

I have a laptop running Win 7 32-bit. I configured a network printer, which is an HP Deskjet 720 that is connected to an XP machine and shared. That worked fine. But I just purchased a new 64-bit desktop, and I can't print to that network printer. I can install the printer, and the status shows it's available/ready. But when I try to print a test page, nothing happens. When I check the document status, I get a message saying that the print spooler needs to be started. I've restarted it several times, but it still doesn't work. I've searched the forum and Googled this problem. Lots of users seem to have this same issue. I've tried all suggestions, but nothing works. The spooler is set to automatically start, and the restart time after error is zero.

I decided that I'd try replacing the printer driver. But when I go into Control Panel and look at printer properties, the Advanced tab where I should be able to update the drive is all grayed out. So I'm stuck.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[ken9122]

Have you tried to connect the printer directly to the laptop to see if it will work there?
ken

 

[Bill2]

george,

This is the HP win7 driver page for your printer.

Product search results

Also, there is a patch posted on HP forums for 64 bit systems. I think it'll help you. See this page (scroll down).

Deskjet 710/720/810/820/100 Series printers - Patch for 64 b... - HP Support Forum

 

[ge0rge]

george,

This is the HP win7 driver page for your printer.

Product search results

Also, there is a patch posted on HP forums for 64 bit systems. I think it'll help you. See this page (scroll down).

Deskjet 710/720/810/820/100 Series printers - Patch for 64 b... - HP Support Forum

Bill2;

Many, many, many thanks!!! That patch with the DLLs did it!

One more question: How did you find this solution on the HP forum? I had searched there and couldn't find anything. What did you search on? (This would help me in the future.)

Regards,

geo

 

[Bill2]

Glad it worked for you. Dont remember what exactly i searched for but i went to HP forums in the first place because of some problems a couple of ancient printers had been giving. But searching for "deskjet 720" or something like that should do the trick.

 

[rocky19xx]

I have an HP laserjet 1020 that was printing fine up until last week. Now it does not print the print spooler service will not stay in a running condidtion. I am running windows 7 x64.

I have deleted c:\windows\system32\spool\printers

I had automatic updates on and have noticed that I installed many updates lately. I have disabled automatic updates. I am in the process of trying to remove the updates that have been installed in the last week or so. I am also getting event viewer errors...
/////////////////
<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event">
- <System>
<Provider Name="Service Control Manager" Guid="{555908d1-a6d7-4695-8e1e-26931d2012f4}" EventSourceName="Service Control Manager" />

<EventID Qualifiers="49152">7034</EventID>

<Version>0</Version>

<Level>2</Level>

<Task>0</Task>

<Opcode>0</Opcode>

<Keywords>0x8080000000000000</Keywords>

<TimeCreated SystemTime="2011-01-05T13:58:28.864976200Z" />

<EventRecordID>125759</EventRecordID>

<Correlation />

<Execution ProcessID="904" ThreadID="3280" />

<Channel>System</Channel>

<Computer>bob-PC</Computer>

<Security />

</System>


- <EventData>
<Data Name="param1">Print Spooler</Data>

<Data Name="param2">3</Data>

</EventData>


</Event>
////////////////////
Any ideas? I have also downloaded the latest drivers from HP

 

[NetMammal]

Possible solution for Windows 7 64-bit

I have a solution which worked for me on 64-bit Windows 7.

Download the HP Print Diagnostic tool HPPDU.exe at HP Print Diagnostic Utility - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

Run this tool, it will start the print spooler, and worked through whatever problems kept making it crash.

Mind you I got into this problem differently than those above I think: someone installed Norton A/V on top of an already installed Microsoft Security Essentials install. Even after the uninstall, the spooler kept crashing after re-start.

This is the second time I've found the HP print Diag tool has performed some sort of invisible magic for me, its a charmer, I just wish I knew what it is doing that I am missing.

-Dave

 

[rocky19xx]

You can try deleting the files in:

c:\windows\system32\spool\printers

The HP diagnostic tool was no help for me, as it just detected the print spooler error and temporarily restarted the spooler after which it stoped again.

I discovered part of my problem was with Visio 2003 and the Visio Viewer 2007. After I deleted both of these software packages the print spooler restarted and did not shut down.

I ultimately solved my issue by doing a complete reinstal of windows 7 and being extra cautious about the updates and software I install

 

[JVN]

Just to add that as long as July 2011 it still happens. I've found it on a Win 7 (x64) machine. No Windows' updates. No IE 9 installed. No Visio soft. Two HP printers.


Went directly to the directory suggested by Rocky19xx and I saw two files (00005.SHD and 00005.SPL) with creation date and time exactly the date and time the first time I had the printer error. I deleted the files and the Spooler Service ended stopping at his own.


It worked for me, but it would be good to identify what caused the problem. At the present time I can't remember any specific action, directly related with the error. I can't discard the possibility of being some HP bug, as it is the only software I can imagine is involved in the printing fact, aside, obviously, of the Win 7 own bugs.

 

[sealer]

So long, HP

I have a HP 1020 also. It worked for about three months after I got my new computer with Windows 7. Then some update messed it all up. I have spent three weeks fooling through all these steps (downloading the driver software afresh, using a restore point before the problems started, deleting files from the print spooler, trying work-around drivers, etc.). The fixes may have worked for a day, but the problem kept coming back. Plus, I had an HP 1012 laserjet printer that HP has decided will not be kept current for Windows 7.

I have implemented a solution found on another thread. Kiss HP goodbye and get a Brother (HL-2270DW) for under $100. Print spooler works no problem. Plus its wireless (I no longer have to keep a print server computer running) and it prints duplex. Sell the other two printers on Craigslist for $25 each, and I have a $40 investment in a terrific new printer without the PITAs dealing with the HP issues.

If HP actually paid attention to these forums and corrected the problems with the 1020 printer driver (and if they would update the drivers for the 1012 for Windows 7) they would have kept me. Now, I want nothing to do with them.

Yo, Hewlett Packard management, its called THE MARKET, and others are better than you at winning it!!! I LOVE the new Brother printer (the second Brother printer in my household now). Adios!!!

 

[Teffy]

this worked for my Brother printer on Win 7 x64

I, too, was having fits with print jobs listed in the queue as "printing" without generating any activity at the physical printer. I think I had been trying to use Windows drivers instead of those from the printer manufacturer, so this thread prompted me to try Brother support.

To get my Brother DCP-7020 printer to print from Windows 7 (x64), I downloaded and ran these Brother files, following the directions on the download webpages under "How to Download and Install":

First:
"Uninstall Tool" listed under "Utilities/Windows 7 (64-bit)"

Second:
"Full Driver & Software Package" listed under "Drivers/Windows 7 (64-bit)"

I also navigated to the "Brother DCP-7020 USB Printer Properties" window, "Ports" tab, and put a check in the checkbox for the "USB002 Virtual printer port for USB. Thus I was finally able to print something on an actual piece of paper!

THANK YOU

http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public/us/us/en/dlf/dlf/000000/004300/dlf004325.html? reg=us&c=us〈=en∏=dcp7020_us&type2=1&os=93&flang=8&dlid=dlf004325

http://welcome.solutions.brother.com/bsc/public/us/us/en/dlf/dlf/000000/004100/dlf004101.html? reg=us&c=us〈=en∏=dcp7020_us&type2=2&os=93&flang=4&dlid=dlf004101&dispforlist =1

 

[JVN]

Some more information

Hellow again.

Months later I've definitely stablished a relation with the software Adobe Acrobat X Pro (not discarding the HP driver problem which, of course, seems to be underlying).

Scanning images into .pdf files has the bug that somtimes (randomly, in principle) it generates a file which when printed from Windows 7 to certain HP printers causes the spool service to stop.

The possibility that other software in other circunstances generate similar erroneous files is not discarded.

The bypass is that pointed previously: to delete the file from the directory [FONT=&quot]c:\windows\system32\spool\printers

Good luck.
[/FONT]

 

[nickg2011]

Single pdf causing issue

I had the same issue exactly. HP 1020 on 7 Ultimate x64. 2 files created in the spool/printers folder exactly when I tried to print and the spooler crashed. Remove the files, try to print my pdf again, it crashes again. I removed the files tried printing a word doc, succesfully, opened a different pdf and printed succesfully. Re-try the orignal pdf, it crashes. The pdf I was trying to print had very wide margins, probably outside the regular print area, so I switched it to landscape and it prints. Don't know if the margins were actually the issue, or if just modifying the file by switching it changed things enough. Either way, in my case it was definitely caused by the specific file I was trying to print.

 

[ericwi]

I've managed to overcome by using JVN's suggestions ie go to c:\windows\system32\spool\printers and removed anything in that folder. Is the folder supposed to be empty? What sort of files go into that folder. Weird.

 

[LesLewis]

Print Spooler Solution

My company has been plagued with the Windows 7 print spooler issue for a while now, and for anyone that is interested, I have an answer that has finally solved the issue.

First we changed all HP printer to use the Universal Print Driver. That didn't solve the issue, though it's still a nice idea when trying to keep the network compatible.

What the real problem was hasn't much to do with the drivers, but the print processors that they use.

If you go to the printer properties -> Advanced tab -> Print Processor button, change the print processor to WinPrint. If you are using a print server, or network shared printers, you might want to do this to all the printers.

This will not solve your issue though. You will still want to go into the Registry and update the print processors listed in HKLM\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3 and HKLM\System\ControlSet002\Control\Print\\Environments\Windows x64\Drivers\Version-3 .

Just go down the list and change the PRint Processor to WinPrint manually.

Or just do what I do, and search the HKLM for Print Processor and change where it needs to be done.

Then restart the print service and you should be good to go.