Word Crashes When Trying to Connect to a Printer
Since its initial release in 1989, Microsoft Word has grown to be the industry standard in word-processing software. Although designed to be stable on most operating systems, malfunctions do occur, often in the form of program crashes related to specific user actions. Printing is a crucial function of the software; if Word crashes each time you try to connect to the printer, it can cause data loss and file corruption.
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Printer Drivers
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The correct drivers allow your computer to communicate with the printer. Outdated or corrupt printer drivers can cause Word to crash each time you try to print. The most recent driver releases are generally available on the printer product page of the manufacturer's website. Once you download and install them, restarting the computer will reset the settings and enable your computer to recognize the new driver.
Network Printers
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When Word receives a command to print a document, it automatically tries to connect to your default printer. For most personal computers, the default printer drivers are installed directly on your hard drive. For work computers, however, the default may be a network printer, with drivers installed on a network location. If you are disconnected from the network and try to connect to the printer, Word may crash instead of displaying an error message. Ensuring that you're connected to the network or installing the drivers on your hard drive should solve that problem.
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User Profile Corruption
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Occasionally, the settings for a user profile on your computer will become corrupt. If Word crashes when you try to print, you can try printing from a different user's account or a test user account. If switching accounts solves the problem, corrupt settings are probably to blame. The Microsoft Word support website recommends printing from the functioning account or contacting your computer's manufacturer for information on how to fix a corrupt account.
Reinstalling Solution
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Issues that occur during the installation of the Word software can cause printing problems. If you have ruled out problems with the printer drivers, the printer itself and your computer, reinstalling the software is an easy solution. The current version of Word must be uninstalled completely before you restart your computer to clear the cache and reinstall Word.
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References
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