"print spooler service" error Windows XP

[flatspunout]

Hi everyone I'm just an average computer user with a fussy printer, and this was the first forum that came up when I Googled "printer help", so I hope I'm in the right place...any help is appreciated! The short and skinny is my printer stopped working, I attempted to uninstall/reinstall it, and now I'm getting "operation could not be completed, the print spooler service is not running" when I try to add a printer. I'm running Windows XP on a Dell Pentium 4 (maybe that's the problem huh :rolleyes: ) and the printer is a HP DeskJet 895Cse. Thanks in advance for any help, and please try to make it construction paper and cardboard level stuff...I'm lost. Cheers!

-rocky b

[jst3751]

Do you still need help with this problem?

[Info Systems Specialist]

I, too have been having the same problem in addition to another problem.

I am in the process of of implementing updated computers in a small library. I have two computers that are Dell computers with XP and are on a new domain.
I have two other computers on the old domain--Dell with XP. Of the two on the old domain, one computer is attached to a HP 1200 printer and in turn is connected to a print server box so that it can be read as a network printer.

Now the problem is this--on the two updated printers, I have been trying to install the printer driver for the HP1200 so that they can can print to the printer attached to the computer on the old domain. Not only do I get the spooling message, but I can't print. I have reinstalled the printer driver, gone out to HP to get XP printer drivers, but still to no avail. Is this a permissions thing on AD and where would I check (not to familiar with AD) or would it have to do with the print server box. In addition to installing the printer driver, I have also configured an IP address for the port.

HOpe my question is clear as mud, and that somebody out there can assist me in solving this problem.

Thanks,

ISS

[loucapppozzoli]

Printer spooler service needs to be turned on through the services menu. Right click on my computer and go to manage, you should be able to find it from there.

[reverse proxy]

click the start button then choose run, on the run command type in services.msc.. it should bring up the services local window.

under the services local window look for the name "print spooler" then double click the name and another window will pop up, choose the general tab and under it make sure to set the startup type to automatic then press the start button just below the startup type option.

afterwards, click the ok button to save the settings you have made and it should already start the printing service in windows xp.

hope this will help you.. :)

[MUFKER]

i have the same problem and tried what was suggested but that didn't work either. any other thoughts thanks

[allen6368]

A print spooler is software that temporarily stores print jobs on the computer hard disk or in memory until the printer is ready to print them. If you have been waiting an unusually long time for a document to print, or if you see an error message about the print spooler, spooler subsystem, or spooler resources, you might need to change and then restart the Print Spooler service on your computer.

To do this, we recommend that you save your work, and then restart the computer to restart the Print Spooler service. If you don not want to restart the computer, try these steps instead.

To change or restart the Print Spooler service and Printer Repair You must be logged on as an administrator to perform these steps.
1. Open Administrative Tools by clicking the Start button Picture of the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Administrative Tools.
2. Double-click Services. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. Right-click the Print Spooler service, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab, next to Startup type, make sure that Automatic is selected.
5. If the service is not already running, under Service status, click Start, and then click OK. Administrator permission required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

[pctech33]

Hi,

Go to Start / Run and type in "services.msc" without quotation marks, then press Enter or click OK.

In the window that opens (Services) look for "Print Spooler" on the right

Right-click "Print Spooler" and select "Properties".

Click on the "Recovery" tab and change all 3 drop-down boxes to "Restart The Service".

Make sure the 2 text boxes underneath say "1" in them.

Click Ok until you are back at the Services window, close it and you're good to go.

Go back into the properties of the "Print Spooler" tab and be sure to click Start to restart the Print Spooler service and it will restart the service immediately.

The Print spooler depends on the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service. Is this service disabled? Go to services.msc look for RPC. Check state: Automatic

[jst3751]

Go to Start / Run and type in "services.msc" without quotation marks, then press Enter or click OK.
In the window that opens (Services) look for "Print Spooler" on the right
Right-click "Print Spooler" and select "Properties".
Click on the "Recovery" tab and change all 3 drop-down boxes to "Restart The Service".

Very poor incorrect advise. You NEVER EVER EVER NEVER want to set all 3 settings to "Restart the Service." If there is indeed a problem causing a service to stop repeatedly, your advice will lead to an endless loop which will then have domino effects on the computer until finally the computer gets to a point where the operating system runs out of resources and stops.

Please do not come on here jumping on a 4 year old post giving poor advice.


The Print spooler depends on the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service. Is this service disabled? Go to services.msc look for RPC. Check state: Automatic

UH, if the RPC service is stopped whether or not it is auto or manual or disabled, the computer no workey right. In fact, if the RPC service is stopped, the Print Spool Service is the least of your worries.

[canonjen]

worked for me. thanks!

[pctech33]

Hi,

Trying to start the Print Spooler Service you see a message like this:

Could not start the Print Spooler service on Local Computer.
Error 2: The system cannot find the file specified.

If you look at the Print Spooler Service in the Services applet, it shows the Print Spooler Service set to Automatic, but it is not running and will not start.

If you look in the Event Viewer System log you will see a message similar to this:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: Service Control Manager
Event Category: None
Event ID: 7000
Description:
The Print Spooler service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified.


An Error 2 means that the specified file could not be found.

In the case of the Print Spooler Service, the "specified file" is most likely file to be missing is:

c:\windows\system32\spoolsv.exe

Running sfc /scannow will not help you.

You could "try" running sfc /scannow, but it will not replace any missing or corrupted system files since that is not what sfc /scannow is supposed to do.

Somehow you must manually replace the missing or suspicious file.

There should be backup copies of the missing file in other places on your hard disk. When you find a copy of the missing file, just copy it and paste it into the c:\windows\system32 folder where it belongs.

When copying the file, respond in the affirmative if asked to replace or overwrite the existing file.

The most likely places to look for backup copies of missing system files are:

c:\windows\system32\dllcache
c:\windows\ServicePackFiles\i386

If you can't find the file there, search your hard drive(s) and see if you can find a copy. You could also copy the missing file from a working system using a floppy or USB device, email the file to yourself etc.

Deleting the spoolsv.exe file manually would require some extra effort since it is one of the 3498 files that Windows XP automatically looks after. Windows File Protection should automatically replace any monitored file quickly and silently if it ever disappears.

Replacing the file may provide immediate relief for the symptom of the problem but does not actually fix the real problem... which is how did the file ever come up missing in the first place? It is important to fix the actual problem and not just treat the symptom of the problem.

Possibilities are some malicious software has afflicted your system or your antivirus or antimalware programs thought the file was infected (maybe is really was) and quarantined/deleted the file.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-system/error-2-spooler-not-runningcant-print/066291f3-1cc4-43a1-9254-023f84729bf0