Error Message When You Print from Internet Explorer: Printing Error: The Printer Cannot Be Found

When you attempt to print from Microsoft Internet Explorer, you may receive an error message similar to the following: You may be able to print a test page and print from other programs, such as Microsoft Word, but you cannot print from Internet Explorer.

This behavior can occur if any of the following conditions are true:

• The printer driver is damaged.
  
  -or-
• The Iepeers.dll file is damaged or is the incorrect version.
  
  -or-
• The spool settings for the printer are incorrect.

To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods, as appropriate to your situation.

Method 1

Remove and reinstall the printer driver.

If you are using a third-party driver provided by your printer manufacturer instead of a driver included with Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), follow the instructions provided by your printer manufacturer to remove and then reinstall your printer driver.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then click Add/Remove Programs.
2. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click the item listed for your printer (if the item is displayed in the list), and then click Add/Remove.
3. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
4. Right-click the printer, and then click Delete.
5. Double-click Add Printer to start the Add Printer Wizard, and then click Next.
6. Follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the printer driver.
7. Repeat steps 1 through 7 to remove and reinstall all printers in your Printers folder.

NOTE: You may want to install the most current printer driver available for your printer. To obtain the latest printer drivers, contact your printer manufacturer.

For information about how to contact your printer manufacturer, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: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.

Method 2

Extract the original Iepeers.dll file from the Windows Me CD-ROM, and then replace the Iepeers.dll file on your hard disk.

NOTE: Do not use this method if you have installed Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Internet Tools. The Iepeers.dll file included in Internet Explorer 5.5 SP1 is a later version of the file than the version that is on the Windows Me CD-ROM. To determine which version of Internet Explorer is installed on your computer, start Internet Explorer, and then click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. If "SP1" appears in the Update Versions line, this means that Internet Explorer 5.5 SP1 and Internet Tools are installed, and you have the latest version of Iepeers.dll file for Internet Explorer 5.5.

1. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2. In the Search for files or folders named box, type iepeers.dll.
3. In the Look In box, click Local Hard Drives, and then click Search Now.
4. In the Search Results list, right-click Iepeers.dll, and then click Rename.
5. Type iepeers.old, and then press ENTER.
6. Insert your Windows Me CD-ROM into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Press and hold down the SHIFT key as you insert the CD-ROM to prevent it from starting automatically.
7. Click Start, and then click Run.
8. In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
9. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click Extract File.
10. In the Specify the system file you would like to restore box, type iepeers.dll, and then click Start.
11. In the Restore from box, click Browse, and then browse to the x:\win9x folder (where x is your CD-ROM drive), and then click OK.
12. In the Save file in box, click Browse, browse to your x\Windows\System folder (where x is the drive on which Windows Me is installed), and then click OK.
13. Click OK to extract the file.
14. Click OK in response to the The file has been successfully extracted message, and then click OK to close the System Configuration Utility dialog box.
15. Register the Iepeers.dll file:
    1. Click Start, and then click Run.
    2. In the Open box, type regsvr32 iepeers.dll, and then click OK.
16. Restart your computer.

Method 3

Specify different spool settings for the printer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
2. Right-click the printer, and then click Properties.
3. On the Details tab, click Spool Settings.
4. Click Start print job so program finishes printing faster, click Start printing after last page is spooled, and then click OK.
5. Restart your computer.
6. Start Internet Explorer, and then attempt to print a Web page.
7. If this does not resolve the issue, repeat steps 1 through step 3, click Print directly to the printer, and then click OK.
8. Restart your computer.

For additional information about troubleshooting the "Cannot Print from Internet Explorer" error message, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about troubleshooting printing issues in Windows Me, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: