Print spooler died?

[bgfs]

We had a problem on a Win 2000 server containing half of our network print ques today where it looks as though the print spooler had died. We suspect a HP print driver may have caused the problem. The symptoms were in order to access the printers folder you had to stop the spooler service. To access a printers properties, you had to start the spooler again but it would only work for one printer. If you wanted to access another printer you had to go through the proedure again. No printers could print. All printers are TCP/IP or LPR. The printers all recorded that they are in a ready state. We tried re-installing the system files but that didn't work. We have also removed any drivers we suspect which also didn't Anyone got any ideas as it would be a real bind to set up all the printers again?

 

[wdoellefeld]

I didn't see you state this. Did you delete everything in the spool folder?

FRCP

http://www.frcp.net

(my side business)

 

[danomac]

Check your spool folder. The spooler crashing can be caused by corrupt drivers as well, and not necessarily just on the server. It can be the client that has corrupt drivers. Did you check the error log to see who was accessing the printer right before it crashed?

Also, we have a couple of newer HP printers that seem to crash the spooler when it runs out of paper. I haven't figured out why it does this yet, after calling HP, they started blaming Microsoft.

 

[Seaspray0]

Download from microsoft "cleanspl.exe" and clean out your print spooler. Reinstall your printers and their drivers.


A+/MCP/MCSE/MCDBA