Printer stuck in print queue - won't delete

Anonymous
2009-09-03T18:20:26+00:00

Have new Dell Studio XPS and accidentally assigned HP Officejet 4200 to LPT1:(printer port) when all I should have done is plugged in usb.  Now can't delete the document trying to print or the printer itself?  Have plugged printer into XPS (usb) thinking that would create an interupt of some kind & allow printer to delete - but no all it did was create a copy of the 4200 series printer.  Restarted PC & bogus printer is still trying to print.    In the old data processing days I would have plugged in an old printer that required a printer port so that it could print but I don't have an old printer & don't think my XPS even supports that kind of printer port.

Tried '@echo off' from other post - only good on XP?  Found posts in Vista Forum for 'net stop/start spooler' but thought I better ask before screwing

anything else up.

Any idea how I can get this document off this printer so that I can delete the printer?

09/03/09 06:45 pm mst  -  fixed itself.  Shutdown PC, when restarted hours later printer gone.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2009-12-27T18:57:42+00:00

Forget Command Prompt. There's an easier way than that, too! You can just restart the Print Spooler. There are 2 ways to do this, the "formal" way and the "manual" way.

Note: Close any print queue windows before you try any of these methods. Also, this method will work in Windows XP as well.

The "Formal Way": (try this first)

  1. Click the Start button. Right-click "My Computer", and click on "Manage".
  2. In the main section of the window, there should be 3 categories. Double-click on "Services and Applications".
  3. Double-click "Services". Scroll down the list to find the service named "Print Spooler".
  4. Right-click this service, and select "Restart". This should solve your problem. If it doesn't, try the next method.

The "Manual" Way: (try this if the "formal" way doesn't work)

  1. Hit Ctrl + Alt + Del to open Task Manager (in Windows 7, it's Ctrl + Shift + Esc). (Or you can right-click the task bar and click on "Task Manager")
  2. Go to the "Processes" tab. Click 'Show processes from all users' (it may ask for confirmation; click 'OK').
  3. Find the process "spoolsv.exe". Right-click it and click "End process". Close Task Manager.
  4. Click on the Start button. Click on "Run" (Or you can just hit the Windows Logo + R).
  5. Type in "spoolsv.exe" (the name of the process you just ended) and click "OK". This should solve your problem.

Hope this helps,

Rifdhan

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Anonymous
2009-09-04T14:35:30+00:00

I had this same problem about five times now with my HP printer, but the solution was to just wait. Eventually, Windows will clear the print queue for you. If you want it to be cleared faster, you can try using an anti-virus software. The one I use is Windows Live OneCare. You can get a free trial on this site: http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/install/install.htm. Once you've downloaded and installed, run a Tune-Up, and it will clear your print queue.

Important note: This solution no longer works, as Windows Live OneCare is no longer available. Please see my postingfurther down for the solution that works (has the 'Formal Way' and the 'Manual Way').

Hope this helps,

Rifdhan

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Anonymous
2009-09-28T21:54:29+00:00

Hello snerdly, welcome.

To expand on what Rifdhan said, you can pretty much do the same thing by running the 'net stop/start spooler' command in an elevated command prompt. Once the spooler service is stopped, the print que is force-emptied.

You can also stop the service through the 'services.msc' console, as an alternative.

Have a good one!

Thanks!

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-11-08T15:07:19+00:00

    1'st let me say I know nothing about computer's but I did stay @ a Holiday Inn Express last night.

    Logon as Admin, go to cmd promp (type cmd in search):

    net stop spooler

    Type del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\ /Q* and pressEnter

    net start spooler  

    or

    here are some excelent instructions I found for Win 7, will most likely work for Vista as well:

    I would suggest you to clear Printer Spooler files and enable the Spooler service.

    a) Click Start, type "services.msc" (without quotes) and press Enter.

    b) Double-click "Printer Spooler" in the Services list.

    c) Click Stop and click OK.

    d) Click Start, type "%WINDIR%\system32\spool\printers" (without quotes) in the search box and press Enter. In the open window, and delete all files in this folder.

    e) Now, go to “Services” again. Double-click "Printer Spooler."

    f) On the General tab, next to Startup type, make sure that Automatic is selected.

    g) If the service is not already running, under Service status, click Start, and then click OK.

    If issue persists again, try to do SFC Scan. To do so follow below link:

    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929833

    Rifdhan has some very good instructions above.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-11-08T11:37:56+00:00

    How do I start the printer spooler after stopping it

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