Spool problem with NT Server SP6a

[Pharquah]

ArghhH! Why always at the worst possible time?!
Okay, I have an NT Server (SP6a) with about 20 network printers installed on it via HP Jet Direct boxes.
After installing the last printer on the server, I re-installed SP6a, and re-booted.
Lo-and-behold, the error message appeared that there was an access violation in spoolss.exe. Now the spooler service will not start. I have no printers and I cannot add any new ones.

There is an article in tech-net about this referring to a US Service Pack - I'm thinking this is a pre SP6a article...

Also I have ensured that the 3 drivers are running in the devices applet relating to printing (the ones that all begin with p - sorry for the vagueness, I'm writing this away from the office).

So anyone with any (and I mean ANY) ideas on how to get my printers back will be much loved and hailed forever as a God. Honest. :0)

Thanks for Reading,

Pharquah.

 

[PeterTyler]

I have heard of this problem before using JetAdmin to manage the JetDirects. The error was solved by using "TCPIP Printing" to connect directly to the JetDirect and bypass the HP protocol.

I am sorry I cannot show you how to do this but I am sure there is an article on MS TechNet or HP's site

 

[Zelandakh]

Bouncing the server will cure the problem. Most common causes are clients spooling to the spooler, anti virus software and lack of hard disk space.

Set the clients to print directly to the printer (which is a spooler), get your AV software to skip spo*.* from c:\winnt and move your server spool directory to somewhere that has loads of room.

 

[TheLad]

Try this Microsoft TID. Have used it many times with success:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q246838

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[Pharquah]

Thanks for replying to everyone who has -

We disabled virus checking and the printers were already using TCP/IP. It's not a disk space or hardware problem (quad xeon 700, 1GB Ram, 78 GB RAID 5 etc etc) - We found out that the problem was the JetAdmin software itself - once we had removed and reinstalled that, the printers re-appeared - they needed renaming, but, thankfully, they seem to be Okay.. Phew...

Thanks again to everyone

Pharquah