How to Clear the Print Spooler of Windows XP
When you print a document in Windows XP, the file doesn't go directly to the printer. The document first goes to the print spooler, where it is checked and verified by the application before being released to your printer. The print spooler controls the flow of documents to the printer and can even be set to store documents once they have been printed. Like other applications on your computer, the print spooler can crash and you have to clear it before new documents can be sent for processing.
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Instructions
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1
Right click on "My Computer" and select "Manage."
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2
Click on "Services and Applications" in the left pane of the "Computer Management" dialog box.
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Click on "Services" under the heading "Services and Applications."
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Scroll down and double click on "Print Spooler" in the right pane of the "Services" dialog box.
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5
Click on the "Stop" button under the heading "Service status:" of the "Print Spooler Properties" dialog box. Leave this dialog box open.
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Click "Start" then "My Computer." Click on "Windows" followed by "System32". Click on "Printers" then "Spool." Or press the Windows key and the E key on your keyboard if you have a keyboard with a Windows key.
Make sure your printer is connected to your computer and there are print files in the spooler---otherwise you will see no files in the "Spool" folder.
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Use your mouse to highlight the files in the "Spool" folder.
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Press "Delete" on your computer's keyboard.
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Press "Alt" and "Tab." Select the "Print Spooler Properties" dialog box.
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Click the "Start" button under the heading "Service status:" of the "Print Spooler Properties" dialog box. Click "OK" at the bottom of the dialog box to close it.
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Click "Start" and "Printers and Faxes," then double click the printer that was having a problem and needed the print spooler cleared. You will see a dialog box with the name of the printer at the top of the box. You may or may not see print files in the box.
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Press F5 on your computer's keyboard to refresh the printer and get the device working.
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Close the "Computer Management" dialog box by clicking on the "X" in the upper right-hand corner of the box.
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Tips & Warnings
You will have to resubmit the documents you were trying to print once you clear the print spooler.
If you experience printing problems again for the same document you are trying to print, it may be a computer memory issue. In that case, restarting your computer system may solve the problem.
