Print Spooler stops after trying to print a PDF file and it will not restart.

Anonymous

Original Title: Print Spooler![](http://i4.social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/resources/images/trans.gif?cver=2.13.0068.4)

Hello,

The print spooler stops after trying to print a PDF file and it will not restart. The only way I have been able to print again is to do a System Recovery. When I try to print a PDF file again the print spooler does the same thing.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanx,

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hi binofelix,

· What happens when you try to restart print spooler when it stops? How are you trying to restart the print spooler service? Do you get any error message or any error code?

Try the steps below and check if it helps:

Step 1:

When the print spooler service stops, try restarting it and check if it helps. If you have already tried the steps then ignore Step 1.

a. Click Start and then type "services" (without quotes) in the Start Search box.

b. In the results area, right-click services, and then click “Run as administrator”.

You will be prompted to type the password for an administrator account. Click Continue if you are the administrator or type the administrator password. Then, click Continue.

c. In Services Window locate the service “Print Spooler” and double click on it.

d. Make sure that the Startup type is set to “Automatic” and the Service status is “Started”.

Step 2:

Try running the printer troubleshooter and check if it helps.

Open the Printer troubleshooter

Step 3:

Try the following Microsoft Fixit and check if it helps.

Fix printing problems by resetting the print spooler (Applicable to Windows 7)

Also, have a look at the following article links:

Why can't I print?

Printer problems in Windows

****Hope this helps. Let us know if you need further assistance.

Thanks and Regards, Santosh Y – Microsoft Support

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Hello Joe,

Thank you for your reply.

I would suggest you to rebuild print spooler service and check if it helps. Please follow these steps:

a. Press Windows + R keys, type notepad in run window and press Enter.

b. In notepad, copy and paste the following:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Spooler]

"DisplayName"="@%systemroot%\system32\spoolsv.exe,-1"

"Group"="SpoolerGroup"

"ImagePath"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\

74,00,25,00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\

00,70,00,6f,00,6f,00,6c,00,73,00,76,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,00,00

"Description"="@%systemroot%\system32\spoolsv.exe,-2"

"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"

"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001

"Start"=dword:00000002

"Type"=dword:00000110

"DependOnService"=hex(7):52,00,50,00,43,00,53,00,53,00,00,00,68,00,74,00,74,00,\

70,00,00,00,00,00

"ServiceSidType"=dword:00000001

"RequiredPrivileges"=hex(7):53,00,65,00,54,00,63,00,62,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,\

00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,49,00,6d,00,70,00,65,00,\

72,00,73,00,6f,00,6e,00,61,00,74,00,65,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,\

00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,75,00,64,00,69,00,74,00,50,00,\

72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,43,00,68,\

00,61,00,6e,00,67,00,65,00,4e,00,6f,00,74,00,69,00,66,00,79,00,50,00,72,00,\

69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,4c,00,6f,00,61,\

00,64,00,44,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,65,00,72,00,50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,\

6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,53,00,65,00,41,00,73,00,73,00,69,00,67,00,6e,\

00,50,00,72,00,69,00,6d,00,61,00,72,00,79,00,54,00,6f,00,6b,00,65,00,6e,00,\

50,00,72,00,69,00,76,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,67,00,65,00,00,00,00,00

"FailureActions"=hex:80,51,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,14,00,00,\

00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,01,00,00,00,60,ea,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Spooler\Performance]

"Close"="PerfClose"

"Collect"="PerfCollect"

"Collect Timeout"=dword:000007d0

"Library"="winspool.drv"

"Object List"="1450"

"Open"="PerfOpen"

"Open Timeout"=dword:00000fa0

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\Spooler\Security]

"Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,78,00,00,00,84,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\

00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\

00,00,02,00,48,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\

05,0b,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\

20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,\

01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00

c. Save the file as .reg file on the desktop.

d. Right click .reg file and select run as administrator.

e. Click yes, when message prompts.

Note: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/back-up-registry

I hope this helps.

Thank you

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52 additional answers

Anonymous

2011-07-19T22:35:15+00:00

Do your symptoms match what I describe in what follows.

I would check the status of the Print Spooler Service.

Click on the Start button and select Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services. Locate Print Spooler in the list. Check that it has started and that the StartUp type is Automatic.

I suspect that it has stopped and that just starting it will not solve the problem.

You may need to show hidden files. Type Folder Options in the search box above the Start button and select View, Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files" is unchecked. You need to scroll down to see the second item. You should also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file types" is not checked.

Now access Windows Explorer and select c:\windows\system32\spool\printers. Normally this folder should be empty but there is a problem when files with “spl” and “shd” extensions stick there. Delete the files and restart your computer. This may resolve your immediate problem.
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Anonymous

2011-07-20T00:10:30+00:00

I do this step every time in order to get the printer to work. I have the files there, delete them, and depending how everything feels, I can get the printers back immediately, I have to logoff/logon, restart or shutdown. Everytime something different is required to get them back.

I think it's something to do with the HP1020 printer, what I don't know.....

Lois
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Anonymous

2011-07-20T00:20:12+00:00
Have you removed Adobe Reader and are you now using Foxit Reader? If yes are you still seeing the same problem?

Event Viewer Reports
1. Normally when an error occurs on your computer looking in Event Viewer should be your starting point for finding a solution. Most system related errors are logged and getting an exact copy of the relevant report is important. Unfortunately understanding the reports is not easy and most computer users need help with their interpretation. I have more to say later on interpretation.
2. Event Viewer comprises three main Windows logs. These are Application, Security and System. For troubleshooting purposes System is by far the most important.
3. To access the System log select Start, Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Event Viewer, from the list in the left side of the window select Windows Logs and System. Place the cursor on System, right click and select Filter Current Log. Check the box before Error and click on OK and you see only Error reports. Click on the Date and Time Column Header to sort. You may need to click a second time to see the latest Report at the top.
4. A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double click on the error you want to copy. Click on the Copy button to place a copy on your Clipboard and close Event Viewer. Now start your message and paste into the body of the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from Event Viewer.
5. There are three types of Report, being Information, Warning and Error reports. In most situations it is Error Reports that offer the best information but occasionally Warning Reports provide useful clues.
6. All reports have date and time stamps and when troubleshooting it is important to concentrate on more recent reports. Study reports since the point when the computer was last booted and then check whether a similar report appeared in the previous session. If errors do not repeat investigation as to why they occurred is wasted effort.
7. Within individual reports the more important information is Event ID and Source as these help when looking for help on the internet. The description is equally important and copying the exact text for use as the search criteria greatly helps getting better results when using Google. Do not paraphrase descriptions when asking others for help.
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