Clearing printer queue in XP?

[trancejeremy]

Against my advice, my father upgraded his computer to Windows XP (the computer is kinda old, with somewhat crappy hardware).

Anyway, somehow or another, the printer queue has gotten jammed. There's a document in it for a printer that doesn't seem to exist (He has 1 printer, but it shows 2 copies of that printer - I think cause the USB ports are not well implemented, only working part of the time), and as such, it can't be deleted by normal means (like opening up the printer queue and hitting delete or cancel all jobs.

This is a problem because because the printer queue takes up 99% of the CPU cycles, making the comptuer almost unusable.

Is there any way to delete the job outside of windows? I've tried searching on Yahoo/Google, but all I could turn up is the basic advice on how to delete stuff from the queue (which isn't working) and a few people with the same problem.

 

[XCorvis]

First hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, go to the Task Manager and cancel the "spooler" job. That should kill the process that is trying to print and hogging the CPU. Try removing the job again. It still may not work, or there might be problems because the spooler was killed. Next, try uninstalling the printer by deleting it from the Printers and Faxes window. That will probably take out the job. You'll probably need to restart.

If that gives you trouble, try going to Printers and Faxes->File menu->Server Properties->Drivers and remove the driver for the printer having problems. I'm not quite sure if this is any different than the other way, but it might be.

 

[trancejeremy]

Yeah, I had been doing that to kill the spooler job (in fact, that's how i found out the problem, doing that and seeing it was taking 98 percent of the CPU cycles). However, after killing it, the printers disappeared, which make it impossible to remove them.

However, though, after about half a dozen reboots, the printer finally spat a page out, and it was gone.

Now I have to figure out why his modem has to be unplugged and re-plugged in (in a USB port) for it to be detected in Win XP. <sigh>

 

[Ranger REG]

Now I have to figure out why his modem has to be unplugged and re-plugged in (in a USB port) for it to be detected in Win XP. <sigh>

If you ask me, USB is overrated. I don't know if I properly plugged my USB cable in the computer's port. Most don't go all the way in, leaving some part of the connection bare.

What's even worse is the connection to the devices like my printer. They're so loose that it can jiggle free.

 

[Bront]

Now I have to figure out why his modem has to be unplugged and re-plugged in (in a USB port) for it to be detected in Win XP. <sigh>

That's likely a badly implimented USB 1.0 or 1.1 port, and a hardware problem over a software problem.

XP generaly deals with USB well, but older USB hardware tends to be less than exciting.

I might suggest using an ethernet port if you're talking cable/dsl modem. Otherwise, not much you can do.

 

[Ranger REG]

That's likely a badly implimented USB 1.0 or 1.1 port, and a hardware problem over a software problem.

XP generaly deals with USB well, but older USB hardware tends to be less than exciting.

I might suggest using an ethernet port if you're talking cable/dsl modem. Otherwise, not much you can do.

If it's a dialup modem, I'd rather install a card.

 

[trancejeremy]

It actually is a dial up modem, but the PC doesn't have any free slots to install one. It actually has a half-slot meant for a modem, which has a modem in it, but no drivers exist for it for XP, so he had to get a new modem.

And yeah, I know, the USB ports never have worked well on the computer. It was a nightmare getting them to work in in the firstplace in '98.

 

[XCorvis]

You might look for a BIOS update. That could potentially fix some USB problems.

 

[Bront]

It actually is a dial up modem, but the PC doesn't have any free slots to install one. It actually has a half-slot meant for a modem, which has a modem in it, but no drivers exist for it for XP, so he had to get a new modem.

And yeah, I know, the USB ports never have worked well on the computer. It was a nightmare getting them to work in in the firstplace in '98.

'98 didn't have full USB support either..

 

[Ranger REG]

It actually is a dial up modem, but the PC doesn't have any free slots to install one. It actually has a half-slot meant for a modem, which has a modem in it, but no drivers exist for it for XP, so he had to get a new modem.

I would have upgraded that modem card, anyway. There are modems available as "half-cards."