Print spooler is a connecting section between your PC and printing equipment. You can print absolutelu nothing without print spooler. It is responsible for the adjust printing queue and consecutive printing of your papers. Sometimes some third party driver may block print spooer service. For example Lexmark drivers can install LexBce Server service, that can start before printer spooler and this may become a source of conflict.

There are a couple of problems that this article may help to solve:

• you cannot add new printer
• when you try to print, system fails
• printer is added, but there are no entries in Printers and Faxes
• following error appears: "Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close."
• Print Spooler service doesn't start or stop

Important make sure you tried all other ways to solve your problem, like reinstalling and updating printer drivers, performed full virus scan before attempting to make following steps.

If you have a Lexmark printer installed, start with the "Turn off Lexmark print service" section and then, if it is necessary, follow the remaining steps in the order presented to resolve this issue. If you do not have a Lexmark printer installed, go to the "Start computer in safe mode" section, and then follow the remaining steps in the order in which they are presented to resolve this issue.

Step 0. Turn off Lexmark print service

If the Lexmark print service is installed on your computer, turn off the LexBce Server service. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
3. In the details pane, right-click LexBce Server, and then click Properties.
4. On the General tab in the Startup type list, click Disabled.
5. Under Service status, click Stop, and then click OK.
6. Right-click the Print Spooler service, and then click Start (if it is stopped).
7. Exit Computer Management.

Test whether the issue is resolved. If the issue is resolved, you do not have to follow the remaining steps. If the issue is not resolved, go to the "Start computer in safe mode" section, and then follow the remaining steps.

Step 1. Start computer in safe mode

Start the computer in safe mode so that you can remove spool files. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Restart your computer and start pressing the F8 key on your keyboard. On a computer that is configured to start multiple operating systems, you can press the F8 key when the Boot menu appears.
2. Select Safe Mode when the Windows Advanced Options menu appears, and then press ENTER.
3. If the Boot menu appears again and you are prompted to select the operating system on the computer, use the arrow keys to select the operating system, and then press ENTER.
   
   

Step 2. Delete spool printer and driver files

In safe mode, delete the spool printer and driver files. To do this, start Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then delete all the files and the folders in the following two folders (where C: is the drive where you have Windows XP installed):

• C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Printers
• C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Drivers\w32x86

Step 3. Edit the registry

First, remove Windows NT subkeys

Important 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.

Remove the potentially problematic registry entries for Windows NT x86 service subkeys. These may have been installed by third-party printer setup programs and may be interfering with the print spool service. Use the following steps to keep the drivers, print spools, and registry entries that came with Windows on your computer and remove all others that may be causing issues.

1. Start Registry Editor. To do this, click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and expand the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86
   View the list of subkeys (subfolders). There should only be the following subkeys:
   • Drivers
   • Print Processors
3. If there are any subkeys other than the subkeys that are listed in step 2, follow these steps:
   1. On the File menu, click Export.
   2. In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use for this key, such as WindowsNTx86regkey, and then click Save.
      
      NoteYou can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86 registry key to restore the key if you experience any issues after you complete this procedure.
   3. Delete all the subkeys other than the subkeys that are listed in step 2. To do this, right-click each subkey that is not on the list, and then click Delete. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

Second, remove registry entries for printer drivers

Remove the potentially problematic printer driver subkeys, which may be interfering with the printer you want to use. These may have been installed by third-party printer setup programs. Use the following steps to keep the printer driver and registry entries that came with Windows on your computer and remove all others that may be causing issues.

1. Start Registry Editor if it is not open. To do this, click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then expand the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers
   The registry entries for the printer drivers that are installed on the computer are stored in the Version-x subkey or subkeys, where x is a number (typically 2 or 3).
3. Export the Version-x subkey or subkeys. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the File menu, click Export.
   2. In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use for this key, such as print driver, and then click Save.
4. Expand the Version-x subkey or subkeys, and then delete the printer driver entries. To do this, right-click each printer driver subkey, and then click Delete. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.

Third, remove registry entries for default print monitors

Remove the potentially problematic print monitor subkeys, which may be interfering with the printer you want to use. These may have been installed by third-party printer setup programs. Use the following steps to keep the print monitors and registry entries that came with Windows and remove all others that may be causing issues.

1. Start Registry Editor if it is not open. To do this, click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Locate and then expand the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors
   View the list of subkeys. There should only be the following subkeys for the default print monitors:
   • BJ Language Monitor
   • Local Port
   • PJL Language Monitor
   • Standard TCP/IP Port
   • USB Monitor
3. If there are any subkeys other than the subkeys that are listed in step 1, follow these steps:
   1. On the File menu, click Export.
   2. In the File Name box, type the name that you want to use for this key, such as MonitorsRegkey, and then click Save.
      
      NoteYou can use this backup of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors registry key to restore the key if you experience any issues after you complete this procedure.
   3. Delete all the subkeys other than the subkeys that are listed in step 2. To do this, right-click each subkey that is not on the list, and then click Delete. Click Yes when you are prompted to confirm the deletion.
4. Exit Registry Editor.
5. If you have a printer attached to the computer, disconnect the printer cable from the computer, and then restart the computer.

Now verify that the print spooler service is running

Verify that the print spooler service is running. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
2. Expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
3. In the details pane, right-click the Print Spooler service, and then click Start (if it is stopped).
4. Exit Computer Management.

Step 4. Add a printer and print a test page

If you have a printer attached, reconnect the printer cable to the computer, install the printer by adding it to the computer through the Add Printer Wizard, and then try to print a test page. To install the printer you want, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Click Add a printer. The Add Printer Wizard starts.
3. Follow the instructions in the Add Printer Wizard to install the printer that you want.
4. Print a test page to make sure that you can print.