Print spooler hell

[Octopuss]

I am trying to solve very weird problem with my father's PC. It probably doesn't even have anything to do with any specific Windows version at all.

Print spooler service keeps shutting down without any reason. The trouble is it always works just fine for some time after installing the OS, and starts to behave like this after some weeks. I made him buy Windows7 thinking it was some crap bug in XP, but no. I almost freaked out when he called me about the same thing couple days ago. It happened again today.

On XP I couldn't do anything. The printers would just disappear. I started to service, and right when I tried to open properties of either of the printers (or print something), the service would shut down.

On W7 it's slightly better, I could run some troubleshooters, and got an option to separate the service from the drivers or something like that, and it seemed to work. Well, not for long. It happened again today. It seems the service eventually kind of restarts and things work again, but I can't really travel to another town and sit by the PC for a couple hours, trying to replicate a problem that happens at random.

Some specifics: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, two HP printers, LJ1022 and some multifunctional brick (psc2175 or something). Using the drivers I could find on HP web.

Has anyone ran into this problem somewhere? I am out of ideas. Could it be a general bug in any Windows?

[submix8c]

Maybe not relevant (since you say SERVICE shuts down)...

Apparently USB(?)... have occasional (rare) off/on the Desktop and the USB connection is faulty. Clear "junk", disconnect/reconnect all good BUT a different USB connection - usually remove ALSO the printer before the procedure then have to set "defaults" again.

OK... I tried.... (NEVER had a SERVICE problem)

edit - of note... I don't use ANY "power" options that allow sleep, screensavers, etc.

Edited September 30, 2012 by submix8c

[Octopuss]

I thought about the cable too, but like you say, it's the **** service. EventLog says the service shut down unexpectedly, and I can even see appcrash entry about the .exe file. I really don't get it. It's pretty much fresh clean installation, and the PC is only used for Word, Excel, Skype, and mails.

[submix8c]

Off-the-wall - RAM and/or PAGEFILE/HIBERNATE files on a bad HDD spot/cluster? The only thing I ever have a problem with is IE6 occasionally. I only suggest that because I had a HDD with an intact Restore partition but when Restore was performed it failed because the PAGEFILE area was bad. LiveXP plus a Scan "cured" it.

[jaclaz]

Content removed to avoid risking to appear ridiculing anyone.

jaclaz

Edited October 1, 2012 by jaclaz

[Octopuss]

It looks like specific driver problem after some googling.

I found several discussions where people suggested deleting some registry keys and/or folders in systemroot\system32\spool\drivers and printers, taking ownership of spoolsv.exe file and other voodoo. None of it worked, the **** process and app crashed at the moment I tried to print anything.

Interestingly enough everything was ok if I had my father unplug the LJ1022 printer and use the MFC, which leads me to my assumption. The printer is just fine physically, but the driver is obviously doing some nasty stuff.

I saved some entries from EventLog.

Název události: APPCRASH
Reakce: Není k dispozici
ID souboru CAB: 0

Podpis problému:
P1: PrintIsolationHost.exe
P2: 6.1.7600.16385
P3: 4a5bd3b1
P4: ZSR.dll
P5: 6.20.1625.0
P6: 462fe8cf
P7: c0000005
P8: 000000000002b54c

Chyba	1.10.2012 8:46:11	Application Error	1000	(100)	"Název chybující aplikace: PrintIsolationHost.exe, verze: 6.1.7600.16385, časové razítko: 0x4a5bd3b1
Název chybujícího modulu: ZSR.dll, verze: 6.20.1625.0, časové razítko: 0x462fe8cf
Kód výjimky: 0xc0000005
Posun chyby: 0x000000000002b54c
ID chybujícího procesu: 0xcc8
Čas spuštění chybující aplikace: 0x01cd9fa070e7ab1e
Cesta k chybující aplikaci: C:\Windows\system32\PrintIsolationHost.exe
Cesta k chybujícímu modulu: C:\Windows\system32\spool\DRIVERS\x64\3\ZSR.dll
ID zprávy: af8a3b9f-0b93-11e2-975c-6cf049eff0a4"

Chyba	1.10.2012 8:46:11	Application Error	1000	(100)	"Název chybující aplikace: spoolsv.exe, verze: 6.1.7601.17777, časové razítko: 0x4f35fc1d
Název chybujícího modulu: localspl.dll, verze: 6.1.7601.17841, časové razítko: 0x4fb09595
Kód výjimky: 0xc0000005
Posun chyby: 0x00000000000a926a
ID chybujícího procesu: 0xd88
Čas spuštění chybující aplikace: 0x01cd9fa06aec46ae
Cesta k chybující aplikaci: C:\Windows\System32\spoolsv.exe
Cesta k chybujícímu modulu: C:\Windows\System32\localspl.dll
ID zprávy: af939ee2-0b93-11e2-975c-6cf049eff0a4"

Název události: APPCRASH
Reakce: Není k dispozici
ID souboru CAB: 0

Podpis problému:
P1: spoolsv.exe
P2: 6.1.7601.17777
P3: 4f35fc1d
P4: localspl.dll
P5: 6.1.7601.17841
P6: 4fb09595
P7: c0000005
P8: 00000000000a926a

...yeah the language is klingon

Anyway, I ordered new printer, LJ P1102. It cost virtually nothing and is perfectly enough for my father's needs. I will grab the old one and test the hell out of it though, pretty curious about it.

Edited October 1, 2012 by TheWalrus

[GrofLuigi]

Yeah, a lot of problems with that Zenoghraphic dlls...

I had problems with LJ 1020 and zspool.dll, but luckily a new version of the driver fixed it.

GL

[dubsdj]

I used to get this with HP printers a lot..

and the fix was to remove the printers in the currentcontrolset in the registry and also remove all the drivers from the system32\spool\ drivers folder.

then reinstall.

I remember this all had to be done in safe mode.

I think its the spooler subsystem crashing...

Edited October 16, 2012 by dubsdj