Resources for troubleshooting printer issues in Windows XP

This article contains links to content that describes how to fix the most common printer issues. Look to see if your printer issue is addressed by these links.

This article also lists system and online resources that you can use to help you solve your printing problem. For example, this article describes how to use the Printing Troubleshooter, which is included in Windows XP and provides guided assistance to help you diagnose and solve your printer issue.

To resolve the most common Windows XP printer issues, visit the following Microsoft Web sites:
To resolve most printer issues, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Finding printer help in Windows XP

Windows XP Help and Support Center contains many help topics to help you solve printer problems.

To locate printer help in Windows XP, do the following:

1. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. On the Help menu, click Help and Support Center.
3. In Help and Support Center, click Fixing a printing problem.
   
   You can also type search terms into the Search field in Help and Support Center, and then press ENTER.
4. Select a topic that addresses your printer problem.

How to use the Printing Troubleshooter

The Printing Troubleshooter is included in Windows XP and has step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting the following printing problems in Windows XP:

• You cannot install a local printer.
• Your photo printout quality is poor.
• Your document does not print at all.
• Some of your printer's features do not work.
• Printed text or graphics is incomplete.
• Fonts are missing or do not look the same as they do on the screen.
• Printing is unusually slow.
• You cannot print from an MS-DOS-based program or from the MS-DOS command prompt.
• You receive the following error message:
  The printer driver is not compatible with a policy enabled on your computer that blocks Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 kernel-mode drivers.

How to start the Printing Troubleshooter

If you are already familiar with Windows XP Help and Support Center, click here (hcp://help/tshoot/tsprint.htm) to start the Printing Troubleshooter automatically.

If you are not yet familiar with Windows XP Help and Support Center, or if the link does not work, we recommend that you follow these steps to start the Printing Troubleshooter:

1. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. On the Help menu, click Help and Support Center.
3. In Help and Support Center, click Fixing a printing problem.
4. In the right pane, click Printing Troubleshooter.

How to use the Printing Troubleshooter

1. Click the option that describes the problem that is occurring, and then click Next.
2. Repeat step 1 until your problem is resolved or you have reached the end of the troubleshooting path. Notice that you can click Back at any time to repeat the last step, or click Start Over to start the Printing Troubleshooter again.

Most Windows XP printer problems can be resolved by visiting the following Microsoft Web site: The following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles address frequent printer problems.

If you cannot resolve the problem by using the Windows XP or online resources that are listed in this article, you can use the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site to find a solution to your problem. Some services that the Microsoft Customer Support Services Web site provides include the following:

• Searchable Knowledge Base
  Search technical support information and self-help tools for Microsoft products.
  http://support.microsoft.com/search?ln=en-us&sd=gn (http://support.microsoft.com/search?ln=en-us&sd=gn)
• Self Support
  Select a Product Solution Center.
  http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub (http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub)
• Microsoft Customer Support Newsgroups
  Contact your counterparts, peers, and Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs).
  http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/en-us/default.aspx)
• Software and Updates
  Find software and updates on the Download Center.
  http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx)
• Assisted Support
  Select a product to view your assisted support options.
  http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub (http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=hub)

If the resources that are listed here do not help you resolve the problem, or if you experience symptoms that differ from those that are described in this article, search the Microsoft Knowledge Base for more information. To search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Next, type the text of the error message that you receive or a description of the problem in the search field.

Note If the problem is not resolved, unfortunately this content is unable to help you any further. So, you might want to ask someone for help, or you might want to visit the following Microsoft Web site:

For troubleshooting steps and an automatic fix for common printer problems in Windows, please see the following Microsoft web page:


Troubleshooter: Printer problems in Windows (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/printer-problems-in-windows)