Error Message: Spoolsv.exe Has Generated Errors and Will Be Closed by Windows

Article ID: 312052 - View products that this article applies to.
This article was previously published under Q312052
Notice
This article applies to Windows 2000. Support for Windows 2000 ends on July 13, 2010. The Windows 2000 End-of-Support Solution Center
(http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=http%3a%2f%2fsupport.microsoft.com%2fwin2000)
is a starting point for planning your migration strategy from Windows 2000. For more information see the Microsoft Support Lifecycle Policy
(http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/)
.
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SYMPTOMS

If you open the Printers window or attempt to print from any program, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Spoolsv.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows.
or
Printer operation cannot continue due to lack of resources.
or
Subsystem unavailable.
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CAUSE

This issue can occur if a printer driver that is installed on the computer is damaged.
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RESOLUTION

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/ )
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

To resolve this issue, remove printers and printer drivers, and then delete the items that are under certain keys in the registry. Follow these steps:
  1. If possible, remove any printers that are listed in the Printers window.

    To remove a printer, right-click the printer in the Printers window, click Delete, and then click Yes to confirm the deletion.
  2. In the Printers window, on the File menu, click Server Properties.
  3. On the Drivers tab, remove all of the installed printer drivers.

    To remove a printer driver, click the driver, click Remove, and then click Yes to confirm.
  4. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  5. Export the following registry keys:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print
  6. Delete any items that are listed under the following keys (do not delete the keys themselves):
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3
  7. Delete any non-default items that are listed under the following keys:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Monitors
    The list of Default monitors includes:

    • AppleTalk Printing Devices (When Services for Macintosh is installed)
    • BJ Language Monitor
    • Local Port
    • PJL Language Monitor
    • Standard TCP/IP Port
    • USB Monitor
    • Windows NT Fax Monitor (When a Fax Modem is installed)

    For additional information about which items are not default, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    260142
    (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260142/EN-US/ )
    How to Troubleshoot Windows Printing Problems
  8. Delete any items that are listed under the following keys:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Printers
  9. Quit Registry Editor.
  10. Restart your computer, and then reinstall the necessary printers.
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Properties

Article ID: 312052 - Last Review: October 30, 2006 - Revision: 2.4
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
Keywords: 
kbenv kberrmsg kbprb kbprint KB312052
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