Troubleshooting Printer Issues

This article will go over a few methods of troubleshooting the HP printer in the workroom.

NOTE: Ensure you have done the following before moving on to the methods below

• Restarted the computer
• Ensure there is power going to the printer from the wall
• Ensure the printer is on
• Ensure there is network connectivity

Method 1: Restarting the print spooler

• Click on the start button icon
• Begin typing services
• Scroll all the way down to Print Spooler
• Right click on Print Spooler
• Left click on Restart
• The spooler for the printer will now restart
• Restart the computer and print a test page

Method 2: Clear the print Queue

Command Method

You can clear the print queue using commands like this.

• Select Start.
• Type Command.
• Right-click “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator“.
• Type net stop spooler then press “Enter“.
• Type del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q then press “Enter“.
• Type net start spooler then press “Enter“.
• The print queue on your Windows  should now be cleared. Type exit, then press “Enter” to exit the command window.

Method 3: Update the printer driver

• In the search box on the taskbar, enter device manager, then select Device Manager.
• Select a category to see names of devices, then right-click (or press and hold) the one you’d like to update.
• Select Search automatically for updated driver software.
• Select Update Driver.
• If Windows doesn't find a new driver, you can try looking for one on the device manufacturer's website and follow their instructions.

 

Reinstall the device driver

• In the search box on the taskbar, enter device manager, then select Device Manager.
• Right-click (or press and hold) the name of the device, and select Uninstall.
• Restart your PC.
• Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver.

Method 4: Perform a DNS flush

• Left click on the start button located on the bottom left of the screen
• Type cmd
• A black window will appear, this is the command prompt window
• Type in ipconfig /flushdns
• If successful you will receive the following message below

Method 5: Ensure there is network connectivity

• Left click on the start button located on the bottom left of the screen
• Type cmd
• A black window will appear, this is the command prompt window
• Type in ping followed with a website address such as google.com
  • Example: ping google.com

• If you have received 4 packets you have network connectivity