I have a problem with Printing

[Colon Terminus]

My printers have worked fine for years, no problem.

Starting today I cannot print, my printers are unresponsive. Jobs are
queued, but printing never commences.

Problems noted:
When I click Start|Settings|Printers I get an error box stating - This file
does not have a program associated with it for performing this actiion.
Create an association in the Folder Options control panel.

When I open Control Panel, there is no "Printers" icon. The icon with the
printer symbol on it is named "Folder".

Please help if you can. If you can't help, then thanks for reading.

 

[Bob I]

Try Start, Run. plug into the box

net start spooler

and click OK.

 

[Colon Terminus]

Try Start, Run. plug into the box

net start spooler

and click OK.

My printers have worked fine for years, no problem.

Starting today I cannot print, my printers are unresponsive. Jobs are
queued, but printing never commences.

Problems noted:
When I click Start|Settings|Printers I get an error box stating - This file
does not have a program associated with it for performing this actiion.
Create an association in the Folder Options control panel.

When I open Control Panel, there is no "Printers" icon. The icon with the
printer symbol on it is named "Folder".

Please help if you can. If you can't help, then thanks for reading.

I tried your suggestion, to no avail.
I verified beforehand that the Spooler service was started (I restarted it
anyway at your suggestiion).
There was nothing in Event Viewer that suggests the Spooler service failed
to start. As a matter of fact, there is nothing unusual in the Event Viewer
at all for the past several months.

A Google Groups search reveals that several others have posted this same
problem over the past several years and no one has yet to come up with a
solution. I'm guessing this is just another unexplained "gotcha" that'll
require a complete format/reload of Windows ... long live Microsoft!

 

[Bob I]

Try Start, Run. plug into the box

net start spooler

and click OK.

Colon Terminus wrote:


file

the


I tried your suggestion, to no avail.
I verified beforehand that the Spooler service was started (I restarted it
anyway at your suggestiion).
There was nothing in Event Viewer that suggests the Spooler service failed
to start. As a matter of fact, there is nothing unusual in the Event Viewer
at all for the past several months.

A Google Groups search reveals that several others have posted this same
problem over the past several years and no one has yet to come up with a
solution. I'm guessing this is just another unexplained "gotcha" that'll
require a complete format/reload of Windows ... long live Microsoft!

Perhaps
Print Spooler Stops Scheduling Print Jobs
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318152/en-us

 

[Colon Terminus]

Perhaps
Print Spooler Stops Scheduling Print Jobs
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/318152/en-us

Thanks Bob for your response. I wish it were so simple, but it's not. As I
mentioned earlier, this problem has been posted on this august forum several
times previously and not one of the experts who hang out here had any advice
whatsoever for the poster(s). I'm quite certain that this is just one of
those unsolvable problems that crop up from time to time with Windows
workstations. I've reloaded backups from every day all the way back to April
6th. without resolving theproblem. Going back beyond the 6th of April would
be a real disaster. This computer has been without print services for over
24 hours now and it is becoming critical ... I'm just gonna bite the bullet
and redo the machine, it has run nonstop 24/7 since June 27, 2004. 'Tis
probably time to redo it anyhow. The machine performs some critical
functions that would be extremely cumbersome to move to another workstaton.
In fact, it is really less hassle to do a format/reinstall of the O/S and
all software than it would be to move the functionality to another
workstation.

If I start now, the machine will be up and running when the users come to
work tomorrow

I appreciate your efforts to help.

 

[James]

Thanks Bob for your response. I wish it were so simple, but it's not. As I
mentioned earlier, this problem has been posted on this august forum several
times previously and not one of the experts who hang out here had any advice
whatsoever for the poster(s). I'm quite certain that this is just one of
those unsolvable problems that crop up from time to time with Windows
workstations. I've reloaded backups from every day all the way back to April
6th. without resolving theproblem. Going back beyond the 6th of April would
be a real disaster. This computer has been without print services for over
24 hours now and it is becoming critical ... I'm just gonna bite the bullet
and redo the machine, it has run nonstop 24/7 since June 27, 2004. 'Tis
probably time to redo it anyhow. The machine performs some critical
functions that would be extremely cumbersome to move to another workstaton.
In fact, it is really less hassle to do a format/reinstall of the O/S and
all software than it would be to move the functionality to another
workstation.

If I start now, the machine will be up and running when the users come to
work tomorrow

I appreciate your efforts to help.

I had a similar problem with a networked printer that worked fine also
and then quit. It is a local printer shared on another pc. It seems
the local spooler on the printer pc and the local spooler on the
workstation came into conflict. The problem was solved by disabling the
workstation spooler and just using the spooler on the printer pc. This
happened on 2 Win2k boxes at the same time so I suspect it is the
printer pc that has decided to act up but since all is again working
well and that pc will be retired by the end of summer there is not much
point in fighting it now.

Good luck

James

 

[Bob I]

Thanks Bob for your response. I wish it were so simple, but it's not. As I
mentioned earlier, this problem has been posted on this august forum several
times previously and not one of the experts who hang out here had any advice
whatsoever for the poster(s). I'm quite certain that this is just one of
those unsolvable problems that crop up from time to time with Windows
workstations. I've reloaded backups from every day all the way back to April
6th. without resolving theproblem. Going back beyond the 6th of April would
be a real disaster. This computer has been without print services for over
24 hours now and it is becoming critical ... I'm just gonna bite the bullet
and redo the machine, it has run nonstop 24/7 since June 27, 2004. 'Tis
probably time to redo it anyhow. The machine performs some critical
functions that would be extremely cumbersome to move to another workstaton.
In fact, it is really less hassle to do a format/reinstall of the O/S and
all software than it would be to move the functionality to another
workstation.

If I start now, the machine will be up and running when the users come to
work tomorrow

I appreciate your efforts to help.

More than welcome, I guess sometimes one can't afford the leisure of
tracking down the cause. Hope to hear your back in business today.

 

[Colon Terminus]

More than welcome, I guess sometimes one can't afford the leisure of
tracking down the cause. Hope to hear your back in business today.

Computer was done about 6:30 AM.
Back up and running fine.
Printing invoices.
The ability to print invoices is fairly important to the business.

Wait'll they get MY invoice ... that'll choke the damn thing agian!