Fixing a stuck print job
Just about a year ago, I gave a tip on what to do if you get a print job that hangs up. This problem seems to be fairly common since I have recently seen posts at several blogs about it. So I am revisiting the problem. The tip I gave involved the command line. For whatever reason, some home PC users are afraid of the command line so I’ll point out a little utility mentioned at Lifehacker. The program is called Stalled Printer Repair and provides a graphical user interface.
Just for the record, the command line steps are (Vista will require administrator privileges):
sc stop spooler
del %windir%\system32\spool\printers\*.*
sc start spooler
As is so often the case in Windows, there are other ways to accomplish the same task. For example, the command shell “net” can also be used instead of “sc”. Just replace “sc” with “net” in the commands given above.
Another approach is to use the services management console. Enter “services.msc” in the Run line or the Vista Start Search line. Find the entry for “Print Spooler” and stop the service. Next, manually delete the files in the folder Windows\system32\spool\printers. Then restart the Print Spooler from the services console. (Vista will require administrator privileges.)
Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.