Print Spooler Service won't stay running - Windows 11

Anonymous
2022-03-05T17:11:52+00:00

Is there a fix for the Windows 11 Print Spooler Service that I can't get to run? It was working fine until last Tuesday - then no printing. I've removed the printers, uninstalled/reinstalled the software, updated everything. Gone through the suggested steps but problem isn't resolved. I keep getting the following: "The local print spooler is not running. Please restart the spooler or restart the machine." I get this whether I try to print or run print properties.

I can print to the printer(s) from a Windows 10 machine (laptop) with no problems so I don't think it's the printer(s) (Canon Pro-300 and HP Office Jet).

In the control panel there is an Inkjet Printer that I cannot remove - says it's a Canon inkjet printer with Driver unavailable (I found a driver listed at one time - C:\Windows|system\32\drivers\ksthunk.sys). How can I remove this device?

Any suggestions before I start over.

Thanks.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-09-22T04:31:24+00:00

    I finally got mine sorted

    I initially installed a driver for a Sharp Network printer at a client

    MX_D54_PCL6_PS_2103a_English_64bit

    Also installed a Canon printer driver just after that

    and since then, couldn't print

    Spent a few hours with Microsoft online to see if they could find it but they only did the normal checking and all was as it should be

    Eventually made some time to delete everything to do with Sharp and Canon, ie printers, drivers and then folders (under Program Files) as well.

    It seems to work now so fingers crossed it stays working..

    I do have another Canon printer to reinstall but will give it a few days, maybe months??

    Gerry

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-09-19T05:20:45+00:00

    I am having the same problem. I have tried multiple fixes with turning on and off the spooler, removed all the cannon related files manually, deleted all the temp spooler files. When I try and re-install my cannon printer software is fails to install the driver saying that the print spooler isn't running even though it is running. Can't print on an HP machine on the same network that still has drivers installed. this has to be a microsoft update problem, have they come up with any solutions?

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-09-11T11:40:28+00:00

    I had installed the drivers for a Canon Scanner on a new Windows 11 desktop, and Canon in their ultimate wisdom installed all sorts of superfluous additional ****. That's when my problems arose. I have a Window 10 laptop that I have been using the scanner on for years, and there no printing issues on the laptop. I uninstalled everything associated with the scanner from my new Windows 11 desktop and now all printing issues are gone and I can print anything I want from any application. I'll just use the laptop for scanning, and when the laptop dies I'll toss the scanner as well more than likely. I see it as a Canon issue not playing nice with the Microsoft print system. Maybe by the time my laptop dies Canon will have fixed the issue. Canon really needs to get with Microsoft and figure up what is really going on!

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-09-10T20:41:27+00:00

    This problem came back about a 2 months ago. It only shows up if I print from Photoshop or Lightroom. If I print using the Canon Professional Print and Layout, I initially get an error message but the file prints fine. I can print to the Canon Pro-300 from MS Word, no problem. If I print from PS or LR, the print fails and I have to stop the spooler, delete the two files and then restart it again. Then it prints fine until I shut down the computer and restart, usually the next day.

    Of course, that is as of right now. I've probably jinxed myself now and nothing will work......

    I will reach out to Adobe and see if this is a known issue.

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  5. Anonymous
    2022-09-03T11:34:56+00:00

    Unlikely to be helpful, the problem (print spooler stops) occurs on multiple apps and on trying to print a test page.

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