How to Troubleshoot Print Spooler Errors

If you receive system errors when you try to print documents to a local or network printer, the issue could be related to your print spooler. The print spooler service manages all print jobs in the Windows XP operating system, but occasionally it can stop work properly. The easiest way to troubleshoot error messages related to the print spooler is to restart the print spooler service.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• PC running Windows XP or later

1. Log on to your PC computer with an administrative account.

2. Open the Start menu and click on "Control Panel."

3. Double-click on the "Administrative Tools" icon and then launch the "Services" tool. A new window will open with a list of all the system services installed on your computer.

4. Find "Print Spooler" in the list of services and highlight it.

5. Right-click on the "Print Spooler" entry and choose the "Restart" option.

6. Wait until the print spooler has finished restarting and displays "Started" in the status menu. You should now be able to begin printing normally again.

References

• Microsoft Support: Error message when you use the Add Printer Wizard: "Operation could not be completed"