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Printer spooler may crash randomly on a Windows Server computer that has an HP printer installed

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This article provides a solution to an issue where the printer spooler crashes randomly on a Windows Server computer that has an HP printer installed.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2012 R2
Original KB number:   947477

Symptoms

On a Windows Server based computer that has an HP printer installed, the printer spooler may crash randomly.

Cause

This problem occurs because of one of the following files:

  • Hpbmmon.dll (HP Master Monitor)
  • Hpzpi4wm.dll (HP Print Processor)
  • Hpzpp4wm.dll (HP Print Processor)
  • HPtcpMon.dll (HP TCP Port monitor)

Resolution

To resolve this problem, contact the third-party manufacturer for help.

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, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.

Workaround for the problem caused by Hpbmmon.dll

To work around this problem, remove the HP Master Monitor. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Start Registry Editor.

  2. Locate and then click the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors\HP Master Monitor.

  3. On the File menu, click Export.

  4. In the File name box, type HPprinter, and then click Save.

    Note

    If you want to restore this registry subkey, double-click the HPprinter.reg file that you save in this step.

  5. Right-click the HP Master Monitor registry entry, and then click Delete.

  6. Click Yes.

  7. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

  8. Rename the Hpbmmon.dll file to Hpbmmon.old. The file is in the location C:\WINDOWS\system32\Hpbmmon.dll file.

Workaround for the problem caused by Hpzpi4wm.dll or Hpzpp4wm.dll

Note

If this printer does not work with WinPrint, the following steps may not work. If this situation occurs, contact HP to upgrade the HPZPP4WM print processor to the newer version.

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click Printers and Faxes.
  3. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
  4. Click the Advanced tab, and then click Print Processor.
  5. Click WinPrint in the Print processor box, click RAW in the Default data type box, and then click OK two times.
  6. Rename the Hpzpi4wm.dll file to Hpzpi4wm.old. The file is in the location: C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\Hpzpi4wm.dll.
  7. Rename the Hpzpp4wm.dll file to Hpzpp4wm.old. The file is in the location: C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRTPROCS\W32X86\Hpzpp4wm.dll.

Workaround for the problem caused by HPtcpMon.dll

  1. Start Registry Editor.

  2. Locate and then click the registry subkey: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors\HP Standard TCP/IP Port.

  3. On the File menu, click Export.

  4. In the File name box, type HPprinter, and then click Save.

    Note

    If you want to restore this registry subkey, double-click the HPprinter.reg file that you save in this step.

  5. Right-click the HP Standard TCP/IP Port registry entry, and then click Delete.

  6. Click Yes.

  7. Locate and then click the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors\Standard TCP/IP Port.

  8. Double-click Driver, and then verify that the value of the Value data box is tcpmon.dll.

    Note

    If the Driver registry entry does not exist or its value is not tcpmon.dll, create the Driver registry entry, and then set its value to tcpmon.dll. To do this, follow these steps:

    1. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click String Value.
    2. Type Driver, and then press ENTER.
    3. Right-click Driver, and then click Modify.
    4. In the Value data box, type tcpmon.dll, and then click OK.

  9. Exit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

  10. Rename the HPtcpMon.dll file to HPtcpMon.old. The file is in the location: C:\WINDOWS\system32\HPTcpMon.dll.

More information

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.