Can't print without restarting Print Spooler Service

This is beyond weird.

About 10 weeks ago my workstation quit being able to print. I have 3 HP
Network printers on a small domain based network with a Windows 2003 server.
I believe this to have started after installing a LaserJet 5100dtn driver,
but HP thinks that is just a coincidence at this point. I have tried a
zillion things with HP tech support to no effect.

Here's the symptoms:

If I reboot I can print for maybe 20 minutes. then i can't.

The usual remedy is to restart the "Print Spooler" service. then in a
minute or two it will print. But for only another 20-30 minutes or so.

If I try to print and can't, rebooting will cause everything to print all at
once as soon as i log back on to the network. Then it works again for
another 20-30 minutes.

This is the only workstation on the network that has that problem. I am
running XP pro SP2 on it with all of the latest updates, patches, fixes, etc.
I have checked and rechecked the updates.

The print jobs have been passed on to the printer's spooler in some cases
and the Windows print queue is empty and i still have to restart the Print
Spooler Service.

Some print jobs are stuck in the Window's Print Queue (Start, Printers and
faxes) and restarting the print job from that location has no effect.

All three printers work from other workstations and from the Windows 2003
server. The printers are true network enabled printers and have reserved IP
addresses reserved by the server's DHCP server. I can ping the printers just
fine from the workstation.

My Windows firewall is turned off.

I replaced all my network cables and bought a brand new 1000BaseT Switch and
everything reports to be working at full 1 Gbit speeds. I upgraded the NIC
drivers at the workstation and the file server and everything reports no
errors and passes all tests. Everything can ping everything else so i don't
believe its the network timing out or something odd like that.

No, i didn't try a system restore, yet as that would cost me days of
reloading important software, updates, patches, registration,
authorizations,etc.

I really hitting the wall on this one and I'm desparate for any help!

Thanks in advance.

So you are printing directly to the printers not to a shared printer on the
Win2k3 server?

I suggest deleting all printers and drivers from the machine which is
exhibiting the problems.

Follow Bruce Sanderson's directions to remove the drivers from the system
after deleting the printers.

Also what type of network print ports are you using?

The 3 printers are standalone network devices and are not attached to the
file server directly. The 3 printers are connected with ethernet cables to my
hub/switch on the network. The file server does not act as a print server
and is not configured to be a print server.

The Print spooler must be running in some form because the "Printers and
Faxes" list contains 15 printers (including Acrobat and others that are not
hardware printers).

I can't delete the printers, I get a message thats says "Printers cannot be
removed. Either the printer name has been ttyped incorectly, or the
specified printer has lost its connection to the server...."

Under Server Properties, drivers, it won't let me delete some of the drivers
indicating that the specifid printer driver is currently in use"

"HP Standard TCP/IP Port"

I will try the more drastic removal tool in the link to remove the drivers
and report back.

I'd first start by using the Standard TCP/IP port that ships with the
product.

Most likely there is some sort of version conflict with the 3 drivers on the
one system.

Once you get the drivers removed download the latest from HP and start over.

[darkmallard]

SOLUTION: Disable Bi-directional in the printer's properties (if it's on a Print Server, you have to do this on print queue's printer properties).

I thought maybe the printer was sending or expecting some info to or from the queue, so I thought of Bi-Directional printing. I remembered it from back in the mid-90s doing tech support with consumer printers, and figured it couldn't hurt to try it on enterprise network printing.

This has happened to us a few times with random and different HP models.

This has fixed it every time.

Good luck!

-Mike

[johnnydepth]

Superb Mike. Works for me!