Help! (not Sure If This Is A Driver Problem)

Here's my problem in a nutshell...

I was using this program called AntiSpy and it didn't really help me so I uninstalled it but I think I may have damaged/deleted my "printer spooler service" in the process. Now there are no printers in my printer/faxes section (I have Windows XP) and when I click "add printer" i get this message "Operation could not be completed". When I go to File and then click "server properties" I get this error message: "Server Properties cannot be viewed. The print spooler service is not running." I tried some things like using "cleanspl.exe" which came with the Windows Resource Kits tools and even that said this: "Unable to start the Spooler on this computer. The dependency service or group failed to start." When I do a search for spoolss.dll I am successfull in finding the file, however a search for spoolss.exe comes up empty even when I search my entire C drive. I do however have spoolsv.exe but clicking on that gave me this error message: "The procedure entry point I_RpcSessionStrictContextHandle could not be located in the dynamic link library RPCRT4.dll" (I am not sure if the I_ is a capital I or a lowercase L but probably a capital I). At the top of that error message it says: "spoolsv.exe - Entry Point Not Found". This is all the info that I can give. I am 99% sure that I must have deleted/damaged something when using AntiSpy but that program has been long uninstalled. A System Restore didn't work either because I had my System Restore turned off during a very misleading virus scare. I even tried to uninstall and reinstall my printer using the CD-Rom but the install just hangs on 0% and then disappears. My other printer CD-ROM said I had to turn on Spooler Service but the claimed it was unable to do so. My questions are Do I need spoolss.exe? How do I get it? Is that why my printer won't install/work? HELP!! I have tried to give any and every information I have about this problem. Any questions just ask -- thanks in advance for any help!
(I also went to the Administrative Tools and then to Services to make sure that the Print Spooler was set on Automatic, and it was).

 

I am having the same exact problem...
sorry Im not any help. Dont have a clue what to do.

 

Hate to break this to you, but I couldn't find a fix to this problem...I wound up having to reinstall Windows--which sucks if you don't have the CD-Rom. It doesn't erase everything on your computer which is good, it's just time consuming.

 

you can restore corrupt and missing files by going to

start run type in sfc/ scannow

it will ask for your xp disc and after autorun hit exit and go to start run
sfc/ scannow again

hope this helps

 

sorry i typed that wrong it is

sfc /scannow


martinch

 

When running the Microsoft Windows XP, the following Printer error(s) occur(s):

When starting the system, the following error message appears:


Spooler subsystem app has encountered an error and needs to close.

Previously installed printers are no longer listed in the Printers and Faxes tool within the Control Panel. After clicking the Add a Printer option, the following error message appears:


Operation could not be completed.
To remove the unnecessary Print Monitor from the Microsoft Windows Registry, perform the following steps:

Lexmark printer users:

Turn off the Lexbceserver service by performing the following steps:


Left-Click the Start button, then right-click My Computer and select Manage.
The Computer Management window appears.

Click to expand the Services and Applications option, and then click Services.

In the right pane, right-click Lexbceserver, and then click Properties.
The Lexbceserver window appears.

Click the General tab.

In the Startup type box, click the Disabled button, and then click OK.

Close the Computer Management window.

For all other printers:


NOTICE: The following procedure contains information about editing the Windows registry. If the Windows registry is edited incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. You should make a backup copy of the registry files prior to executing any of the following steps. Dell assumes no responsibility, expressed or implied, regarding the consequences of any action taken as a result of the information provided herein. Dell cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from editing the registry incorrectly. Edit your registry at your own risk.



Left-Click the Start button, and then click Run.
The Run window appears.

In the Open: box, type regedit, and then click the OK button.
The Registry Editor window appears.

Locate the following registry key, then left-click to highlight it:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers


NOTE: The registry entries for the printer drivers that are installed on the computer are stored in the Version-x subkeys, where x is a number.


Right-click each printer driver subkey, and then click to select the Delete option.
The Confirm Deletion window appears.

Click the Yes button when prompted to confirm the deletion.

Locate the following registry key, then left-click to highlight it:


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors

Verify that the following five subkeys exist for the default print monitors:

BJ Language Monitor
Local Port
PJL Language Monitor
Standard TCP/IP Port
USB Monitor

Right-click each printer driver not listed in the subkey listing above, and then click to select the Delete option.
The Confirm Deletion window appears.

Click the Yes button when prompted to confirm the deletion.

Close the Registry Editor window.

Lexmark printer users:

Re-start the Lexbceserver service by performing the following steps:


Click the Start button, then right-click My Computer and click Manage.
The Computer Management window appears.

Click the plus (+) next to Services and Applications, and then click Services.

In the right pane, right-click Lexbceserver, and then click Properties.
The Lexbceserver window appears.

Click the General tab.

In the Startup type box, click the Enabled button, and then click the OK button.

Close the Computer Management window.

 

hell- just create a new partition on your C drive, install XP on it, transfer all needed apps & files onto the new partition, boot up using OS on new partition, delete/reformat old partion. Would that not make better sense. then turn on that sys restore!

 

I had those same problems, tried everything above but nothing worked. However, I was able to fix this problem by uninstalling the Windows Fax Services from windows components. Let me know if this works.

 

no.. that makes no sense what so ever.