Remove jobs from the spooler without restarting the computer in Windows XP

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Remove jobs from print queue printer properties

Who has not ever want to remove documents from the print queue, with the option to "Cancel all documents", and has not been possible? Tends to be somewhat annoying, and usually we end up solving it having to restart the computer and turning off the printer, but sometimes even so is sufficient. Operating system indicates instruction that are simple and can remove all jobs in the print queue "stuck" without restarting the computer. First to know a bit about how Windows manages the printing of documents. When you print any document, Windows sends it to a file with a specific format. This file is usually created in the folder:

C: / WINDOWS/system32/spool/PRINTERS

with file names like: FP00002.SHD, FP00002.SPL, 00003.SPL, 00003.SHD, etc.
To illustrate this manual, we generated a printing error in a controlled document. If we print a document and we get an error indicating that it has been printed, we can see and try to cancel it from the

1. Start button - Settings - Control Panel "Printers and Faxes".
2. Select the printer error has been printing and double clicking on it.
3. Windows will show a window with the jobs that are printed at this time, your status, the document name, owner, the number of pages, size sent to the printer and the total size, the date of shipment, the port used , etc.
4. If we try to cancel the document to print other documents, you have to press the right mouse button on the document that has been of "Error - Printing", will show a context menu, select "Cancel".
5. If pressing "Cancel" in the menu does not work, we try accessing the menu "Printer" - "Cancel all documents".

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Cancel work of the print queue manually

If that does not work with the option to "Cancel all documents" we have a last option, before restarting the computer. It is the removal of documents in the print queue manually. This takes us to the folder where normally saved these documents:

C: / WINDOWS/system32/spool/PRINTERS

If we try to delete these files will show the error message.

Since these files are opened by the process of Windows Spooler (Spooler - C: / WINDOWS/system32/spoolsv.exe) we will not delete until we stop this process. To stop click on the button "Start" - "Run" and enter "services.msc", press "OK". (Also can open the "Services" from "Start" - "Settings" - "Control Panel" - "Administrative Tools" - "Services"). We will show the window management of Windows Services, select the service "Print Spooler", click with right mouse button on "Print Spooler" and select "Stop" from the context menu. If there are other services that depend on it, Windows will show a warning to stop also the appropriate service. If not directly stop the service. After stopping the Spooler service, and we should stop removing documents from the print queue.

Note: sometimes it is not necessary or delete these documents, it is enough to stop and start the Spooler service in Windows.

After deleting these files, restart the Spooler service, we will access the printer properties that have gone to see the work of printing error (actually, with the above instructions will remove ALL print jobs both those who failed as they were not). It is noteworthy that the above instructions deletes all print jobs of all printers if we have not set the folder of documents of the print queue manually.

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Change Location of Documents in Windows spooler

Windows allows you to change the location of the spooler jobs, instead of the standard, we can choose another location.

1. To do this go to "Start - Settings - Control Panel" - "Printers and Faxes".
2. Go to "File" - "Server Properties".
3. Go to the tab / tab "Advanced" and in "Spool Folder" we can tell you the path to the folder where you saved the documents we print spooler.
4. After changing the folder and OK, we display a message.

   With the text: Changes made in the spool folder will occur immediately and will not print any document active. It is recommended to allow to complete printing of all documents before you change the folder. Are you sure you want to change the spool folder?

5. Telling us that if we change the location now and there is a document printed or waiting to print will be canceled. Click "Yes" to change the location of the spooler folder.
6. When printing a document, Windows creates the folder above (if any) and save the document print queue in the new folder.