Homegroup printer offline, requiring restart of print spooler
I just got a new computer (Desktop2) at home, running Win7 Home Premium and have encountered an odd problem. I was able to connect and install two printers, shared via homegroup on Desktop1 (Win7 Ultimate). The printers are a Canon ip4200 and a Samsung 1710. Both are connected to Desktop1 via USB. The Canon uses bidirectional communications and the Samsung does not. Within a couple of minutes after Desktop2 starts up, both printers go offline. The issue is clearly with Desktop2 since I can print to the printers on Desktop1 and another laptop that is also connected to the homegroup while Desktop2 cannot. Here's what I currently know. - Restarting the print spooler on Desktop2 will allow me to print for another couple minutes, but soon the printers go offline again, requiring another print spooler restart. - The printer will go offline whether or not I print to it from Desktop2. - Desktop1 and another homegroup connected laptop have no problem printing to either printer once the printers have gone offline on Desktop2. - The Canon printer does not go offline if it is connected to Desktop2 locally --> so this doesn't appear to be a printer driver issue. - Both Desktop1 and Desktop2 are running x64 versions of Win7. The printer driver versions are the same on both systems. - I put in a different ethernet nic in Desktop2 (Intel vs. embedded Realtek) and the problem continued --> so this doesn't appear to be a network driver issue. Any thoughts on what to investigate next? Thanks, Scott
January 14th, 2010 9:58pm

Hi Scott,You need to find the Windows 7 compatible driver for the computers. For Canon PIXMA iP4200 For Samsung ML-1710 Important Note: Microsoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. This contact information may change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information. Please install the drivers for Windows 7 on all of the Windows 7 computers. If the issue persists, I suggest you temporary disable the firewall on the problematic computer. If the above suggestions do not help, please follow the steps below to add the shared printers on the problematic computer. 1. Click Start, click Control Panel and double click Devices and Printers.2. Click Add a Printer. 3. Select "Add a local printer". 4. Select "Create a new port". Choose "Local Port" as the type of the port. 5. In the box "Enter a port name", type the address as the following format. \\[IP address of the host computer]\[The Share Name of the printer] Then click Next. 6. Choose the correct driver in the driver list. If no available driver, click the button Windows Update, wait for the process finishes and then look for the driver again.7. Finish the installation. Arthur Xie - MSFT
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January 15th, 2010 11:44am

Arthur, Thanks for your reply. The drivers installed on both machines are the Windows 7 compatible versions. Scott
January 15th, 2010 9:18pm

There must be incompatible printer drivers exist on Desktop2. As the printer drivers are loaded by one process when a printing job starts, the incompatible driver will affect the printing job even when you print with another printer driver. I suggest you follow the steps below to clear the printing sub system, and then reinstall the printer on Desktop 2. Step 1======Start Windows Explorer, and then rename all files and folders in the following two folders: c:\windows\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86 To rename a file, we can right click the file and select Rename. Step 2 ======1. Click Start, type REGEDIT in the Start Search Bar, and then press ENTER.2. Navigate to and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environment\Windows NT x86 View the list of subkeys. There should be only the following subkeys: Drivers Print Processors If there are any keys other than those listed above, follow these steps: a. On the File menu, click Export. b. In the File Name box, type a descriptive name for this key -- for example, type WindowsNTx86regkey -- and then click Save to save it to your local Desktop. We can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environment\Windows NT x86 registry key to restore the key if you experience any problems after you complete this procedure. c. Delete all keys other than Drivers and Print Processors. Step 3======Navigate to and click the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors registry key. View the list of subkeys. There should be only the following subkeys: BJ Language Monitor Local PortMicrosoft Document Imaging Writer MonitorMicrosoft Shared Fax MonitorStandard TCP/IP PortUSB MonitorWSD Port If there are any keys other than those listed in above, follow these steps to delete them: a. On the File menu, click Export. b. In the File Name box, type a descriptive name for this key -- for example, type Monitorsregkey -- and then click Save to save it to your local Desktop. We can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors registry key to restore the key if you experience any problems after you complete this procedure. c. Delete all keys other than the 5 listed above. Step 4. Disconnect the printer cable from the computer, and then restart the computer. Step 5. Reconnect the printer cable to the computer, install the Windows 7 compatible printer and add the printer as a shared printer with the method in my previous email.Arthur Xie - MSFT
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January 18th, 2010 9:43am

Thank you Arthur.First, please note that I am running the x64 version of Windows 7.Here's what I did and the results:1. Removed printer drivers and registery keys from Dekstop2 as you suggested, except that I I left the standard/default Shared Fax and XPS printers installed.2. Rebooted Desktop2.3. Powered off the Canon printer, disconnected it from Desktop1 and connected it to Desktop2.4. Powered on the Canon printer. The drivers were automatically installed since they are included in Windows 7.5. Successfully printed a few times over the course of 10 minutes.6. Powered off the Canon printer, disconnected it from Desktop2 and reconnected it to Desktop1.7. Powered on the Canon printer.8. From Desktop2, browsed to Desktop1, right-clicked on the Canon printer and chose "Connect ....".9. Successfully printed a test page.10. In about 2 minutes, the Canon printer connected to Desktop1 turned grey in the Printers folder on Desktop2.11. Restarted the print spooler on Desktop2, after which the Canon printer connected to Desktop1 in the Printers folder on Desktop2 was no longer grey.12. In about 2 minutes, the Canon printer connected to Desktop1 turned grey again in the Printers folder on Desktop2.13. From Desktop2, browsed to Desktop2, right-clicked on the Canon printer and chose "Connect ....".14. Received an error dialog indicating that the connection to the printer could not be completed, with an error code of 0x00000002.15. Restarted the print spooler on Desktop2.16. From Desktop2, browsed to Desktop1, right-clicked on the Canon printer and chose "Connect ....".17. The connection succeeded.The problem does not appear to be with the driver. From Desktop2 I can print to the Canon printer when connected locally and remotely. However, in order to print to the Canon printer on Desktop1, the print spooler needs to be reset after a couple of minutes regardless of whether or not it was previously printed to.And since I have another system that can print without problem over the network to the Desktop1 printers, it's unlikely that it's a sharing issue. The user accounts are the same on all machines.I've looked for references to the error code 0x00000002 but haven't found anything applicable/useful yet.Scott
January 19th, 2010 9:47pm

I am having an almost identical problem, on a different printer. Restarting the Print Spooler is the only fix. However, in my case the biggest difference is that my printer is connected directly to my network (it's a Brother 7820N). The printer works for the first few minutes after my machine is booted, and works again for a few minutes after I stop and then start the Print Spooler service. The rest of the time, it shows as offline. I am running Windows 7 x64 Home Premium. The other Windows XP and OS X based computers find the printer just fine. Furthermore, if I try to "add" the existing printer as a new device, even when it is showing offline, the Windows 7 add printer wizard finds it on the network with no intervention (I can also ping the printer and access its web-based management console) -- I can 100% confirm that I have a network path to the printer! This is very frustrating! I have had terrible experiences with Vista but so far this is my only complaint about Windows 7!
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March 1st, 2010 2:15am

Here is what I did to fix this with our Konica-Minolta BizHub Pro 950 printers. My problem was identical to yours. The printer's web interface worked fine, I could ping the printer, but for some stupid reason windows print spooler thinks that the printer is offline. It turns out that the printer doesn't handle SNMP updates properly or at least in a way that MS print spooler can understand.Open the printer queue on the print server or the machine where the printer is a "local" printer. printer->propertiesPorts (this is for a network printer so you should have a standard TCP/IP)Highlight the port for your printerConfigure portTurn off SNMP statusThis will not effect printing in any way but you might not get updates about low ink or out of paper. Look for a firmware update for your printer or jetdirect card for your printer to see if that helps. I have also heard of a setting called SLP-keep-alive that you have to telnet into HP printers to set which seems to help.
March 11th, 2010 2:25am

I also found this article from Microsoft regarding this problem. However it seems to only pretain to Server 2003 and not Windows 7. Perhaps they did not move the fix to windows 7?http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/946198?p=1
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March 11th, 2010 2:40am

Had the same problem with Network printers, turns out the protocol went from RAW to LPR, once I when into the print port propterties and change it back to RAW i have not seen the problem again.
April 9th, 2010 6:04am

I also have had the same problem with my printer - HP Color LaserJet 2600n - when I was trying to print to it from my laptop using the HomeGroup sharing of printers. I had the same symptoms: I could send the document to the printer, but it would not print until I restarted the computer that the printer was physically connected to. The only way I was able to solve the problem was to disable Bidirectional Support. Once I disabled that, I could print from my laptop to my printer that is connected to my desktop. The way you disable the Bidirectional Support is to right-click on your printer icon in the control panel and select Printer Properties, select the Ports tab, and remove the checkmark next to Enable Bidirectional Support. This is not the perfect solution because I will not get the notifications from my printer when the printer is out of paper or when a particular toner cartridge is low, etc. But at least I can share the printer with my laptop without having to physically unconnect the printer from the desktop and then connect it to my laptop each time I want to print from my laptop. Hopefully, when I buy a new printer, it will be compatible right out of the box with Windows 7 HomeGroup and enable me to share a printer effortlessly. I hope this helps someone else solve the problem. If you have a better solution, please post it here, I'd be interested to see if it will work better for me.
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April 10th, 2010 4:12pm

Thanks! That fixed the problems. I knew it was a silly setting someplace. Appreciate your help.
April 12th, 2010 5:44am

Same here I have an HP 7780 on the network and it would appear off-line unless there was something in the spooler when I booted the laptop. Disabling SNMP caused printing to begin. With all the different devices and both network and USB connections it seems more like Windows 7 issue.
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July 6th, 2010 10:19pm

Usually the driver crashes and preempts the print spooler. the famous HP LJ 1020 made an expert on printing, because the driver is faulty. read on... IF you have the HP LaserJet 1020 then the fix is found all the way down on this reply. you have two options: OPTION1 www.computesimple.com and buy the ebook there it will help you solve your problem and others. go to the end of this to find another link for the print spooler fix . Chapter 1 7 First things first, Don't forget to LOL 7 Before OOB (Out of the Box) 8 Out of the Box Experience 9 Single Click or double Click? 10 The Start button, Start Menu and Taskbar 11 MY Computer or Computer 14 The RUN Dialog Window 18 Copy and Paste (Ctrl C, Ctrl V) 20 The Undo and Redo Commands 23 Selecting and copying multiple items 24 Drag and Drop 25 Create a new folder 27 Browsing for files and folders, file proprieties 28 Address Paths 34 Screen captures – Screen shots 35 Working with archive files 36 Antivirus Antispyware vs. Ad-Aware or Bugs 39 User Profile cleaning and maintenance 42 Disk Cleanup – To clean your user profile 45 Users and Profile Backup 48 Wild Cards 50 Chapter 2 Recovering your computer 51 Burn your recovery DVDs 52 Creating a System Image 56 Recovering your computer from the System Image 63 Recovering your computer from the recovery partition 72 Recovering your computer from the Recovery DVDs 74 Lenovo recovery from DVDs - Example 86 Installing the Windows® OS 93 Windows® partitions and Disk Management 95 Installing Windows® OS from the CD/DVD 97 Windows® XP Professional 98 Installing Windows® 7 114 Installing new drivers 124 Problems with Automatic Driver Installation 130 Chapter 3 132 Expanding your Computer’s abilities 132 Downloading and Installing Applications 133 Installing RealPlayer® 141 Installing ITunes® 144 Burning CDs DVDs 146 Necessary Software 150 Downloading and installing OpenOffice® 152 The Insert key Problem 156 Chapter 4 157 Windows® OS and Control Panel 157 Inside the Box or inside the Tower 158 S-ATA Hard-drive Connection 159 Familiarize yourself with the Operating System 161 Control Panel 162 Programs and features 163 Backing UP your data 165 Default Programs and File Extensions 168 Folder Options 171 Network and Sharing Center 175 Internet Options 177 Windows® Update and Windows® Firewall 178 Devices and Printers 179 Add a network printer 180 Installing a shared printer 188 Sharing a printer 189 Troubleshooting the printer 191 Device Manager 197 The Notification Area 198 Microsoft SyncToy 201 WinMerge 206 Chapter 5 209 Troubleshooting 209 Troubleshooting your Windows Start-Up 210 Hard Disk tools 212 System Restore 216 Troubleshooting your PC – Msconfig 218 Troubleshooting your computer - The SysInternals® Tools 222 ERD Commander 230 Troubleshooting your printer and print spooler 231 Chapter 6 Networking 234 Network IP addresses 235 Setting up your network 236 Network Overviews 237 Tweaking your Verizon DSL network 239 Troubleshooting your wired network connectivity 243 Connecting to your wireless network 248 Troubleshooting your wireless network 252 Transferring or migrating data to the new computer 256 Remote Desktop 272 Remote Desktop Options 278 Windows® Firewall in Windows® 7 282 Chapter 7 286 More Fun Stuff 286 Manage an IPOD® with ITunes® 287 Downloading YouTube® files for iPods. 297 HandBrake 299 Manipulating CDs DVDs and ISOs 300 Video LAN Player VLC player 305 Virtual Machines 306 or OPTION 2 www.gameaddict.eu where you'll find a tutorial for the print spooler and search for "print spooler" to find the thread, or HP 1020.
September 10th, 2010 7:56pm

hmmm... I started having this same problem with a Brother MFC-210C yesterday (2011/07/08). Sorry to jump in on a rather old thread, hopefully someone will notice. Desktop with USB connected printer works fine. New laptop worked for several weeks through the network. Now it doesn't. Both are running W7HPx64. Printer was shared using normal file and print sharing, and both these W7 machines tried to create their own Homegroups (which I don't really see the point of). I ignored the Homegroup at first but the desktop user wanted to stream files to the Sony PS3 and messed around with his homegroup and network settings. So I set both computers to the same Homegroup (the one generated by the laptop if it matters) and everything seemed fine. that would've been 2 or 3 weeks ago. I'm not sure if anyone tried to print since but last night I could not. I copied my document from the troublesome laptop (My wife's) to my laptop (Also W7HPx64 and in the same homegroup) and was able to print without problem. Now after reading this page, I'll have to try leaving my laptop on for awhile to see if it fails. oh yeah, I replied to the post about SNMP status because my printer is connected through USB and there is no TCP/IP SNMP setting. Even on the client system (Laptop) the printer properties shows USB (Shows the server properties really). I've seen this before on Vista and W7. Should I change Bi-Directional support from 'AUTO' to 'OFF'? Thanks. Shannon
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July 9th, 2011 10:59am

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