stop and clear print jobs - how?

[CR Optiker]

WinXP Home, HP Deskjet 812c, HP Laserjet 1100

I have two older printers connected to my printer port, HP Deskjet 812c and
HP Laserjet 1100, by way of an electronic bidirectional T-switch.
Occasionally, I forget to switch the switch and direct a print job to the
wrong printer. This, of course, causes garbage to print.

At that point, I'd like to stop and clear the print job so I don't waste
ink/toner and paper in printing pages of garbage. If I open the printer
dialog, there are commands to pause printing, as well as to cancel the
current job and cancel all jobs. This easily clears jobs not yet started,
but does not cancel and clear the job in progress. It indicates that it is
doing so, but it doesn't happen.

I have also found that with my old computer running Win98 and an HP Deskjet
720c instead of the 812c, I could clear everything by shutting down the
system including power off to the printer, then rebooting. With the new XP
and 812c system, that doesn't clear the preint job and it continues
printing garbage as soon as the system is rebooted and paper is in place in
the printer.

My current solution is to open the Task Manager and Processes tab. By
sorting the running processes by RAM usage, I can find a few that look like
they might be associated with the printing process - for example, the
spooler service. If I close those processes, I am able to clear the jobs,
but not knowing for sure what processes to stop, I am uncomfortable doing
that. Also, because I don't necessarily get all processes associated with
printing, I'm not sure this is working consistently.

One solution is to change the hardware. Both of these printers are parallel
port devices, so adding a second port eliminates the problem. I considered
that at some point in the past and for some reason - maybe shortage of
slots, but don't remember - discarded that approach. New USB printers, or
at least one new USB printer would also solve the problem. That is the
solution that will eventually occur, but with both printers still
proividing the capability I need, I'm hesitant to arbitrarily replace one
or the other. So, I'm really looking for a way to clear the problem to make
thngs more convenient, until I am ready to buy a new printer.

Is there a simple, clean and reliabel way to disrupt printing with this
configuration and clear the disrupted print jobs?

Thanks very much!

Optiker

 

[tcfs1et02]

WinXP Home, HP Deskjet 812c, HP Laserjet 1100

I have two older printers connected to my printer port, HP Deskjet 812c and
HP Laserjet 1100, by way of an electronic bidirectional T-switch.
Occasionally, I forget to switch the switch and direct a print job to the
wrong printer. This, of course, causes garbage to print.

At that point, I'd like to stop and clear the print job so I don't waste
ink/toner and paper in printing pages of garbage. If I open the printer
dialog, there are commands to pause printing, as well as to cancel the
current job and cancel all jobs. This easily clears jobs not yet started,
but does not cancel and clear the job in progress. It indicates that it is
doing so, but it doesn't happen.

I have also found that with my old computer running Win98 and an HP Deskjet
720c instead of the 812c, I could clear everything by shutting down the
system including power off to the printer, then rebooting. With the new XP
and 812c system, that doesn't clear the preint job and it continues
printing garbage as soon as the system is rebooted and paper is in place in
the printer.

My current solution is to open the Task Manager and Processes tab. By
sorting the running processes by RAM usage, I can find a few that look like
they might be associated with the printing process - for example, the
spooler service. If I close those processes, I am able to clear the jobs,
but not knowing for sure what processes to stop, I am uncomfortable doing
that. Also, because I don't necessarily get all processes associated with
printing, I'm not sure this is working consistently.

One solution is to change the hardware. Both of these printers are parallel
port devices, so adding a second port eliminates the problem. I considered
that at some point in the past and for some reason - maybe shortage of
slots, but don't remember - discarded that approach. New USB printers, or
at least one new USB printer would also solve the problem. That is the
solution that will eventually occur, but with both printers still
proividing the capability I need, I'm hesitant to arbitrarily replace one
or the other. So, I'm really looking for a way to clear the problem to make
thngs more convenient, until I am ready to buy a new printer.

Is there a simple, clean and reliabel way to disrupt printing with this
configuration and clear the disrupted print jobs?

I haven't tried this -- but I think if you cancel the job, then delete
the files in the spool, it should be really killed.
I use Win98, in that the spool is in the "temp" directpory, by default
c:\temp. Windows might not let you do that, though maybe deltree would
work.
I think XP has a separate spool directory.

Maybe ask in more hardcore Windows venues if you can't make this work.
Also, Google on the names of the tasks you see and you should get some
clues as to what they do.

Something that might avoid the problem entirely: get a USB to parallel
cable/adapter, plug one of the printers into that via a USB port. These
are not expensive. (The 1100 has a small, "C" size parallel port.)

 

[CR Optiker]

I haven't tried this -- but I think if you cancel the job, then delete
the files in the spool, it should be really killed.
I use Win98, in that the spool is in the "temp" directpory, by default
c:\temp. Windows might not let you do that, though maybe deltree would
work.
I think XP has a separate spool directory.

Maybe ask in more hardcore Windows venues if you can't make this work.
Also, Google on the names of the tasks you see and you should get some
clues as to what they do.

Something that might avoid the problem entirely: get a USB to parallel
cable/adapter, plug one of the printers into that via a USB port. These
are not expensive. (The 1100 has a small, "C" size parallel port.)

Thanks very much for the suggestion...the parallel to USB is a good
suggestion and would certainly take care of the problem at its source. I'll
look for one next time I get to Circuit City, or one of the other local
electronics stores.

I posted to another forum and got the following, which also sounds like a
good thing to try - probably do this first and see what happens...