Printers gone and cant add new ones

[lupinus]

I have encountered a problem twice in the space of 2 weeks. The first time I could not resolve it, and re-installed the entire PC (which was in need of it anyway). I thought it was an isolated stuff up, but then another PC is having exactly the same problem.

Basically, the user finds they cant print. Checking the PC, I cannot open the Printer Folder, the system just hangs. Checking the Task Manager, I see the Spool service is eating more and more resources, a memory leak.

If I stop the Spool, I can then open the Printers Folder, but no printers are listed (in both cases there should have been several). I cannot then create a new printer, as the Spool service is not running, and it tells me part of the print subsystem is missing. If I start the Spool again, I am back to being unable to open the Printers Folder (or, if I had it open already, to open the add new Printer icon).

This is a circular problem, and I cant break in.

We are on a Netware 4.2 network, but the default printer on the first PC was a local HP LJ 4050, and the other was defaulted to a network Kyocera 1750.

We have Nortons AV with the latest updates, and are apparently virus free. Both PCs are Windows 2000 with SR-2 and office 2000 was being used when the problems arose (word 2000 in both cases, I beleive, and not the same document).

I am open to suggestions, guesses and divinations...

 

[sleew]

If you stop spool service you can't see neither printer nor you can add new one.If printers works and you are shure that
you have service packs and patches up to date and no viruses than try to remember what was the last application you installed on W2k.It happend to me that some Compaq Buissnies edition of Acrobat reader destroyed my spool service.
Do all patches, memory leaks usualy need patches.Do you recieve "SPOOL.exe generated error" message?
Sleew
Compaq & Microsoft TS
sleew@infosky.net

 

[lupinus]

I have the latest service packs and have installed all the product updates from the update website. The machine is virus free (according to the latest Norton's definitions).

The only software installed on the PC in the last 6 months was Norton's AV (a later version), which I have removed, to no effect.

Is there a way I can re-intall the spool service?

 

[lupinus]

After some fiddling I have discovered something interesting. If I unplug the network cable, the spool service begins to behave itself. Even if I plug the cable back in and am reconnected to the network, I can access the printers, print etc. However, when I reboot the PC the original problem occurs.

I have deleted all the original installed printers and re-created new ones, but the problem persists. I have re-installed the Windows OS but no joy. I will have to format the PC and start again, as I can not fix the problem.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[echoecho]

I have to seen this problem. The spool service runs out of control on some users machines, usually when I stop and restart it behaves. I have not found an clue as to what this is. Bummer for us.

 

[lupinus]

After many fruitless hours of research and testing, I re-installed windows completely. The Machine is currently behaving.

My concern is that this was not an isolated incident. Both times I had to completely remove and install the OS. The repair option offered by MS were a waste of time for this issue.

If it happens again, I will simply have to wipe the HDD and start again. Do not pass Go, do not collect $100...