Error message when you attempt to print or fax document: "No printers are installed"

When you attempt to print a Microsoft Word document or send the document as a fax, you may receive the following error message: To determine the unique number that is associated with the message that you receive, press CTRL+SHIFT+I. The following number appears in the lower-right corner of this message: You may receive this message even though you have a printer installed.

Note Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

There is no default printer driver installed

If you have a printer connected to the computer, but you do not have a default printer set up, use the Add Printer Wizard to install your printer and set it as the default.

If your printer is installed already, follow these steps.

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
   
   NOTE: In Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers and Faxes on the Windows Start menu.
2. Right-click the printer, and then click Set as Default on the shortcut menu.

If your printer is not installed yet, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
   
   NOTE: In Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers and Faxes on the Windows Start menu.
2. Double-click the Add Printer icon, and then follow the instructions onscreen.
3. When the wizard is completed, right-click the icon for the printer in the Printers dialog box, and then click Set as Default on the shortcut menu.

NOTE: Some printers have their own setup routines that bypass the Add Printer Wizard. Follow the instructions in your printer documentation to ensure that your printer is installed and configured correctly. If you need assistance to install your printer, you can use the articles listed in the "More Information" section of this article to contact your printer manufacturer.

A printer driver is damaged and requires reinstallation

You need your Microsoft Windows CD-ROM, the printer driver disk, or the CD-ROM from the printer vendor to complete this procedure.

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings and then click Printers.
   
   NOTE: In Microsoft Windows XP, click Printers and Faxes on the Windows Start menu.
2. Right-click your default printer, and then click Delete. If you are asked whether you want to remove extra files left on the system, click Yes.
3. Double-click the Add Printer icon, and then follow the instructions to reinstall your printer driver.

If you have a printer driver that is supplied by your printer manufacturer, or you need to obtain an updated driver from your printer manufacturer, refer to one of the articles that is listed in the "More Information" section for contact information.

The Win.ini file has incorrect, duplicate, or missing entries

You may need to correct the Win.ini file. To complete this procedure, you need to know the name of your printer driver.

NOTE: This cause does not apply to Windows Vista, to Microsoft Windows 2000, or to Microsoft Windows XP. The Win.ini file is used in Microsoft Windows 98 and in Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) to load certain settings for the system. In Windows Vista, in Microsoft Windows 2000, and in Microsoft Windows XP, the Win.ini file is used for backwards compatibility.

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type Win.ini.
3. In the Look in box, click your local hard drive, and then click Find Now.
   
   The Win.ini file is displayed at the bottom of the Find dialog box.
4. Check the file size in the Size column. If it is larger than 64 kilobytes (KB), the Win.ini file is considered large. A large Win.ini file may indicate duplicate entries, which can cause this error message.
   
   NOTE: A very large Win.ini file may indicate a damaged Win.ini file. If you suspect the Win.ini file is damaged, see the "The Win.ini File Is Damaged, or There Are Other Problems with the File" section of this article.
5. Double-click the Win.ini file to open it. If the file is too large to open in Notepad, click Yes on the following message:
   This file is too large for Notepad to open.
   Would you like to use WordPad to read this file?
6. Look for duplicate entries or sections. If you find any duplicate sections, you can comment them out by placing a semicolon (;) in front of the duplicate lines.
7. The Devices section of the win.ini should list the friendly name of your printer, followed by an equal sign, the driver name, a comma, and then the port or network path.
   
   If the Devices section is missing, add it, as in the following example:
   [Devices]
   HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
   HP LaserJet IIISi=HPPCL5MS,\\Server\Sharename
   NOTE: The first HP LaserJet 4/4M is an example of a local printer. The HP LaserJet IIISi is an example of a network printer.
   
   
8. If you make any changes, click Save on the File menu, and then restart the computer.
9. After the computer restarts, attempt to print the document again in Word.

The Win.ini file is damaged, or there are other problems with the file

If the previous methods fail, you must create a new Win.ini file. Use this last method only after you attempt the previous methods.

NOTE: This cause does not apply to Windows Vista, to Windows 2000, or to Windows XP. The Win.ini file is used in Windows 98 and in Windows Millennium Edition (Me) to load certain settings for the system. In Windows Vista, in Windows 2000, and in Windows XP, the Win.ini file is used for backwards compatibility.

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type Win.ini.
3. In the Look in list, click your local hard drive, and then click Find.
4. Right-click the Win.ini file, click Rename, and then type Win.old.
5. Quit any programs that are running, insert your Windows CD-ROM, and then run Setup.
6. Follow the instructions of the Setup Wizard to complete Windows setup.

NOTE: If you rename or delete the Win.ini file, and then restart the computer without running Setup, Windows automatically creates a new Win.ini file. However, the new Win.ini file contains only the Desktop section and the Embedding section. The Devices section and all other sections configured by your computer are missing.

IBM Client Access/400 software is installed

This error message can occur when you have the IBM Client Access/400 software installed. You can resolve the problem by uninstalling the IBM Client Access/400 software, but this may not be an ideal solution in most cases.

To help resolve this problem, contact IBM to determine whether you have the latest available patch.

There is a problem with the way that your fax software is set up

If you receive this error message when you attempt to send a fax, there may be a problem with the way that your fax software is set up. If your fax software is provided by a third party, refer to the documentation included with the software, or use the links in the "More Information" section of this article to locate the manufacturer of your fax software.

Word 2002

For more information about printing problems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Word 2003 and Word 2007

For more information about printing problems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Vendor information

For information about how to contact your vendor, visit the following Microsoft Web site: 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.