Cannot start Print Spooler

[Guest]

Running Windows XP Home, version 5.1 Service Pack 2

The Print Spooler service is set to start automatically. When the computer
is turned on, I get the pop up error message titled "Spooler Subsystem App".
I have never used a Lexmark printer and I have followed the KB article 324757
to clean up the registry keys.

In the Event Viewer, I get the message : Faulting application spoolsv.exe
version 5.1.2600.2696, faulting module localspl.dll version 5.1.2600.2180,
fault address 0x0001139d

I tried manually starting the Print Spooler, but still get that Spooler
Subsystem App message after a minute or two and the Print Spooler is not
started.

Can anyone help please ?

 

[Cari \(MS-MVP\)]

Did you also follow Bruce Sanderson's article to COMPLETELY clean up all
remnants of printer drivers on your PC?

http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/CleanPrinterDrivers.htm

 

[Guest]

Hi Cari,

I have followed that article to clean up the spooler (and got the message
spooler cleaned) but still getting the "Spooler Subsystem App" pop-up error
message. Are there any other things that I can do ?

Thanks

 

[Dieter]

Hi,

localspl is the windows port monitor. Check the ports used:
Export ports from registry-Key: "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\Ports"
Delete non-standardports and restart spooler.

Dieter

 

[Guest]

Thanks Dieter,

Can I please check with you what I should delete ?

I have the following under Ports :

Default
COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4, all with data of "9600,n,8,1"
FILE
LPT1, LPT2, LPT3
Ne00, Ne01

Which one(s) should not be there ?

Thanks

 

[Dieter]

Hi,

the ports seems to be OK. I have even more than them.

One thing you can try, which is often mentioned in those cases, is to run

sfc /scannow

to check the actual files against system standard files.

If all that fail you can try running "Debugging Tools" (download from
micrsoft) or "ntsd"
(available on your system) , attach it to the spooler-process (spoolsv.exe)
and wait until
it crashes. Perhaps the stack trace or the statement at 0x0001139d will give
you some hints.

ntsd -p <pid for spoolsv.exe> (from taskmanager with enabled
pid-column)
type "g" for go to run the debuggee
when stopped, type "kd"

Even one more possibility is to rebuild localspl.dll from Driver Developpers
Kit with
embedded debugging information.

If you don't succeed let me know, I could send it to you.

Good luck

Dieter

 

[Guest]

Hi Dieter,

I have run sfc/scannow, it does not fix the problem.

I have tried your second option, and came up with a whole screen of data
which does not mean anything to me. It is too much to type here but I have
done a screenshot, is there anyway I can show you the data ?

Thanks so much for helping

 

[Dieter]

Hi,

you can send me the data per mail.([email protected])
But before doing so please download a debugged version for localspl.dll from
my homepage
http://www.lvbprint.de/bin/ddklocalmon.dll
and save it to system32-Path.

then open registry and change "localspl.dll" to "ddklocalmon.dll" in key
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors\Local Port\Driver
Don't forget to set it back later !

Then start spooler process and run "ntsd -p <Spoolerpid>". You should get
more output.

It seems that localmonitor reads port data from time to time.(you can see
that in ntsd).
Perhaps you have problems with bidi-settings for a port.


Dieter

 

[Dieter]

We could locate the error!

There was an entry in the registry key "PostSPUpgrade"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\PostSPUpgrade]
"UpgradedDrvVer"=dword:00000003
"UpgradedDrivers"=hex(7):75,00,6e,00,69,00,64,00,72,00,76,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,\
6c,00,00,00,00,00
= unidrv.dll

To solve the problem, just delete the key.

The only article concerning the key ist 832219 with Windows 2000 with
updating drivers.

In this case the OS is Windows XP and there are no drivers installed at all
and no network printer connected.

So, if anyone has similar problems, check the key above.

Dieter