What does the printing subsystem mean: the printing subsystem is unavailable. Error: The local printing subsystem is not running - what to do and how to fix it

Probably, almost every PC user uses Printer. This may be the need to print out reports, coursework, diploma projects, or simply pages from the Internet. But when sending another document for printing, an unsuspecting user receives the message “Error: the printing subsystem is unavailable.” Just calm down, this article will discuss several ways to do this to correct.

Fixing the Windows XP Print Service

First of all, a little theory. This is necessary so that you understand what “the printing subsystem is unavailable” means. This subsystem, in fact, is nothing more than service this operating system, responsible for, as you already understood, working with printing equipment. It sends the selected document to the printer, and if there are several of them, it starts a print queue and arranges for its completion. Let's first say that there are two ways to fix this error. The first method involves launching this service, the second is manual and will require some knowledge from the user.

The first method is to start the service

The very first method is related to direct launch service responsible for printing output. To do this we must take the following steps:

• By clicking on the “Start” button, select “Control Panel”.
• Going to the settings console, select “Administration”. If you are using classic look, then immediately click on the icon that says “Administration”.
• Double-click to go to services. Here we will be able to see all the services used in the Windows X.P. operating system for various operations. They are designated as local. In the Status column, you can see whether a particular service is running in this moment or not.
• We find “Print Spooler” in this list.
• If you see that opposite this service, except empty line, there is nothing else, double-click on it and be transferred to the settings window.
• The startup mode of this service should be set to “Auto”. This can be checked in the “Startup type” line.
• To start the service, click on “Start”.

So, the service is running and the problem with the inability to print should be eliminated. If this is not the case, read the next method.

The second method is manual configuration

If starting the print service did not help and the print subsystem service does not work correctly, then the problem lies elsewhere. In this case, we can only say with confidence that there can be many reasons: from actions malware until there are no critical files of the system itself.

First you need to remove all print devices from the system:

• Click on the “Start” button and select “Printers and Faxes”.
• A list of all devices associated with printing, scanning, and faxing appears. You need to select your device by clicking the right button and then remove it from the system.
• We answer the system’s question with a resounding “Yes.”

On next step We are already getting rid of the print device drivers.

• To do this, go to the “File” menu and click on “Server Properties” in the drop-down list.
• In the window that appears, we need the “Drivers” tab. Now you will need to delete everything that is on the list. To do this, select each of them one by one and click “Delete”.
• Next we open standard conductor and enter in its line: “C:\WINODWS\system32\spool”.
• A directory of the same name will open, where we need to delete the “Printers” folder.
• Having done all of the above, it would be useful to scan the system for malware. For this Any will do antivirus (for example, you can use the free Dr. Web CureIt). It can be downloaded from the official website from current version bases.

After completing the system check, you can move on:

• Through Explorer, go to the “C:\WINDOWS\system32” directory. Here we need to find out if there is a print service file “Spoolsv.exe” in this folder. The name of this file must not contain any other characters: only those listed above. Next, make sure that the size of the library file “sfc_os.dll” is approximately 140 kb. If this file has not been replaced, then its size should not differ either more or less from that indicated above.
• To restore the original files, type “C:\WINDOWS\DllCache” in Explorer and, going to this directory, copy “sfc_os.dll” from it, as well as “sfc.exe”, “sfcfiles.dll” and “xfc.dll” .
• Paste the copied files into the “C:\WINDOWS\system32” directory.
• If you cannot find in this folder necessary files, as an option you can take them from another computer to Windows based X.P., which does not have the described problems.
• Now you need to restart your computer.

Based on practice, both the first and second methods will help solve most problems associated with printer output in Windows X. P. Now you know what to do if the printing subsystem is unavailable and how to fix it.

Almost every user in his daily activities resorts to the services of a printer. Coursework, diplomas, reports and other text and graphic materials - all this is printed on a printer. However, sooner or later, users are faced with a problem when “the printing subsystem is unavailable”; this error occurs, as expected, at the most inopportune moment.

Before we move on to describing the solution to the problem, let's talk a little about what it is and why it is needed. The printing subsystem is an operating system service that manages printing. With its help, documents are sent to the selected printer, and in cases where there are several documents, the printing subsystem forms a queue.

Now let's talk about how to fix the problem. Here we can distinguish two ways - the simplest and the more complex, which will require from users not only patience, but also some knowledge.

Method 1: Start the service

Sometimes you can solve a problem with the printing subsystem simple start relevant service. To do this you need to do the following:

If after this the error is not resolved, you should move on to the second method.

Method 2: Fix the problem manually

If starting the print service did not produce any results, then the cause of the error is much deeper and requires more serious interventions. The reasons for the inoperability of the printing subsystem can be very diverse - from the lack of necessary files, before the presence of viruses in the system.

So, we stock up on patience and begin to “treat” the printing subsystem.

Conclusion

As practice shows, in most cases, the first or second methods can solve the printing problem. However, there are also more serious problems. In this case, simply replacing files and reinstalling drivers cannot be done; then you can resort to an extreme method - reinstalling the system.

If, when trying to interact with printers, Windows XP tells you that the printing subsystem is unavailable, then you can do the following:

Viruses need to be killed first, as they can again break the printing subsystem.

1. Great option - check hard drive on another computer. That is, you take the HDD out of your computer and connect it to another, obviously healthy computer with an installed and updated antivirus.

2. If this is not an option, then I would make a bootable Dr.Web LiveUSB flash drive on a healthy computer (if I don’t have a healthy computer at hand, I would try it on a sick one). I would boot from the flash drive and check my computer. Kaspersky has

Kaspersky Rescue Disk 10. When you click on the link, instructions for creating bootable flash drive on the Kaspersky support site.

3. If you don’t have a flash drive at hand, then you can simply download something from the following:

and check your computer. It is advisable to check with a utility from a different company than the company of the antivirus you have installed. For example. If you have installed Microsoft Security Essentials, then use Dr.Web CureIt or Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. Or better yet, both.

Recovering system files

If we do not have viruses, then we need to restore system files. Perhaps viruses have damaged something and because of this we are not printing.

Open the command line as Administrator. Find Command Prompt in the Start menu and click on it right click mice. Select "Run as..."

In the window that opens, select “ Account specified user:". In the “User” section, select “Administrator” and enter the password.

We write “ sfc /scannow"and press Enter

The Windows File Protection utility will launch.

The utility will check and correct if necessary system files.

I need to try printing something.

Automatic correction

Let's go to the address

http://support2.microsoft.com/mats/printing_problems/ru

Click on the right green button“Run now” and follow the wizard’s instructions.

Checking the Print Spooler service

The Print Spooler service should be running and start automatically.

Open the Start menu and right-click on “My Computer.” Select “Management”

On the left, select “Services and applications > Services”. Find the “Print Spooler” service. The status should be "Running". “Startup type” - “Auto”. If not, then double-click on this service and launch it if necessary and set the “Startup Type” to “Auto”.

Let's try to print.

Emptying the PRINTERS folder

If all else fails, then you need to delete everything from the folder

C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\PRINTERS

Printers must seal.

Conclusion

The above are the steps that I will perform if my printing subsystem in Windows XP is playing around. If all else fails, I'll try to restore the system to a time when there were no problems.

Windows 7 also has problems with the print service. It is treated in the same way.

The computer's OS printing system may be damaged after the PC is infected with a virus. This manifests itself in the following: if you try to print a file, a message appears on the screen stating that the printing subsystem is unavailable.

You will need

• - a computer with Internet access.

Instructions

When submitting a print job, the user always expects that this action will go without a hitch. But this does not always happen - instead of the usual buzz of a printing printer, an unexpected notification “crawls” onto the computer screen: “The printing subsystem is unavailable.” What is the reason for this warning and what are the possible ways fix this problem? Let's figure it out.

You will see this type of message if problems arise with the “seven” subsystem designed for printing materials.

So, this error looked like in Windows XP:

How does the printing subsystem work?

In the procedure for printing a document, there are a number of steps representing collections of processes individual components subsystems.

Client processes;
- Spooler processes;
- Printer processes.

We are interested in the first two collections of processes, since the error being discussed does not apply to the printer level.

The Microsoft website provides the following diagram of the operation of the system in question:

When a user, having created a task, sends it for processing, graphic application Calls GDI low-level library functions.

This library is responsible for correct display graphic elements document. GDI, in turn, makes a call to the printer driver procedures, which must print the document.

This library is not used if the process is initiated by a WPF application - then XPS printing is initiated.

In both cases, further processing of the job is transferred to the client side of the print spooler. This dispatcher is a multi-component system of client-server architecture.

The client role is played by the winspool.drv driver. This is where the user's task is sent.

The driver functions, through the remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism, use the spoolsv.exe server part to process the job, which in turn accesses local router printing, which in turn connects other services to work.

It is quite obvious that the problem of an unavailable dispatcher occurs when a job is transferred to the client spooler level or when the client driver accesses the server side - the Print Spooler service, which the system for some reason has not started or cannot start.

There may be problems with the RPC remote procedure call service.

Let's restore system files

We have determined the possible level of origin of the error. As you can see, it appears at the level of system files and services. Let's also say that this error often occurs due to the interference of certain applications with the normal operation of the printing subsystem. Therefore, the nature of this error is primarily software.

Important!!! We cannot exclude the harmful influence of viruses that change the names of system files, introduce own procedures into running processes. Therefore, it makes sense to check your computer for infection.

The next step is to restore system files, for which you should use a special sfc utility. She's working from under command line, restoring deleted files systems and their integrity. The images below show how to launch this utility.

First we'll find Standard programs in the Start menu

We need to launch the command line

As you can see, the sfc utility can check the integrity of system files and restore them. To do this, you need to run it with the scannow command.

The sfc utility has completed the check:

Let's launch the Queue Manager and diagnose the printer

When trying to troubleshoot a problem, the user can also go to the services panel to check whether such services are working. system programs like Print Spooler and Remote call RPC procedures. You definitely need to run them to bring back to life the ability of your “seven” to print documents.

In the Control Panel, go to the System and Security tab:

Let's open the services applet.

Let's make sure that the specified dispatcher is working:

Also, let's make sure that RPC is working.

If the service cannot be started, then you should inquire about its dependencies. Make sure that each service it depends on normal operation dispatcher and RPC is executed. If RPC does not work, then it is unlikely that many other applications that vitally need calls to the “foreign” address space will be able to execute.

To see all the spooler’s dependencies, open the properties of its service.

On the General tab, you can also start a stopped service.

And here are all the dependencies on which the work of the spooler depends. As we see among dependencies and RPC. The lower window indicates programs that depend on the operation of the spooler.

This image shows the services that RPC depends on to function. In the lower window we can see many programs that use the services of the remote procedure call mechanism.

Diagnostics of the printer using Windows

It also makes sense to diagnose the printer that is used to print the document. It can be done system means. The troubleshooter will find and fix any problems that may occur.

Let's go to the equipment and sound tab.

Let's diagnose the default printing device.

Call up its context menu and select the troubleshooter item.

The detection tool will begin searching for problems and fix those found.

Let's use FixIt

A good way to resolve the issue where the print subsystem is unavailable is to run special utility from Microsoft, which was created to identify and troubleshoot problems when printing documents. She is in free access, and you can download it from the Microsoft website. This small application does not need to be installed. You can simply launch it after downloading it from the official website to start diagnosing problems with your printer.

After launching FixIt, a window will appear asking you to accept the license agreement.

At the next stage, we will choose a method for identifying and eliminating problems with the program.

The utility will begin its work.

Then, the program will move on to steps to identify and resolve errors associated with a specific printing device.

Finding a solution using PrinterDiagnostic

Another way to solve the problem is the PrinterDiagnostic tool from the same Microsoft. It is also available on the company's website and is often more effective than using FixIt. It also does not require installation. In the images below we show an option for its application.

After downloading, a file with the diagcab extension will appear on your computer - you need to run it.

This tool offers several utilities, one of which can “deal with” problems with printing devices.

The utility has started its work.

A proposal for diagnosing a specific device.

Brief summary

In this article we looked at part possible solutions when an unavailable printing subsystem error occurs. To successfully resolve a problem that has arisen, you need to understand at which level it arises.

We determined that a possible level of its occurrence could be the stage of transferring a user task to the spooler. However, the spooler itself, as well as the RPC mechanism, may become damaged or stopped. Therefore, it makes sense to restore system Windows files, start the Print Spooler and Remote Procedure Call services. Effective way The solution to the problem will be to use applications such as FixIt or PrinterDiagnostic.