Windows 7 updates - printer problem

[Scott]

As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.

Scott

 

[Ed Cryer]

As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.

Scott

Two points.
1. Most printers come with supplier software, which includes uninstall
routines. Did you do it that way?
2. When you first discovered that it wasn't working, did you look in
Devices and Printers? Did you observe any yellow exclamation marks or
messages?

Ed

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.

Scott

All I can answer is the least important part of the above. You can
rename a printer. Of course if the name without the "Copy 1" still
exists somewhere, you'd have to track it down and remove it.

I've done it (years ago), but I recall vaguely that Windows was stubborn
about accepting what I tried to do.

 

[Scott]

Two points.
1. Most printers come with supplier software, which includes uninstall
routines. Did you do it that way?
2. When you first discovered that it wasn't working, did you look in
Devices and Printers? Did you observe any yellow exclamation marks or
messages?

Thanks for your prompt reply.

1. No, I did it via Windows and allowed plug and play to take care of
the reinstall. This was in the (possibly mistaken) belief that it is
best to use Windows defaults where possible and only use proprietary
software if Windows does not work. That said, AIUI it searched for
the HP driver.

2. Yes I looked and the printer had been moved to unrecognised
devices or some similar name.

Initally when I tried to reinstall Windows claimed that a printer
could not be installed because the print spooler had been stopped.
This occurred immediately after the update.

The printer works okay now, with its new name.

I am mystifed by nervous about reinstalling the Windows updates in
case it happens again.

 

[Ed Cryer]

Thanks for your prompt reply.

1. No, I did it via Windows and allowed plug and play to take care of
the reinstall. This was in the (possibly mistaken) belief that it is
best to use Windows defaults where possible and only use proprietary
software if Windows does not work. That said, AIUI it searched for
the HP driver.

2. Yes I looked and the printer had been moved to unrecognised
devices or some similar name.

Initally when I tried to reinstall Windows claimed that a printer
could not be installed because the print spooler had been stopped.
This occurred immediately after the update.

The printer works okay now, with its new name.

I am mystifed by nervous about reinstalling the Windows updates in
case it happens again.

You show lots of energy. That's the antidote to mysticism and
nervousness. -
Your system restores seem to show that it was something other than the
updates that knocked the printer out. Go ahead and install the lot again.
If the printer goes pear-shaped again, leave the spooler untouched and
look in "Devices and Printers" for any sign of why.
I too installed all the recent updates, and nothing has gone US here.

Ed

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

You show lots of energy. That's the antidote to mysticism and
nervousness. -

+1

Scott - since you did fix it, and since as Ed implies below it's not a
usual happening, I would also encourage you to not be mystical and
nervous.

The updates often have security implications, which to me is a good
reason to continue to apply them.

 

[Scott]

You show lots of energy. That's the antidote to mysticism and
nervousness. -

Thanks. Should have read 'mystified but nervous'. Will take your
advice and reinstall the updates. At least I now know how to
reinstall the printer also.

It seems bizarre that this occurred so soon after the updates, but as
you say the system restore did not undo the problem. It's hard to see
that Microsoft could have disrupted the planet's printers without
headlines by the next day, so I shall assume it was something else.

 

[Paul]

Thanks. Should have read 'mystified but nervous'. Will take your
advice and reinstall the updates. At least I now know how to
reinstall the printer also.

It seems bizarre that this occurred so soon after the updates, but as
you say the system restore did not undo the problem. It's hard to see
that Microsoft could have disrupted the planet's printers without
headlines by the next day, so I shall assume it was something else.

This probably doesn't apply to your case, but sometimes a
"bad" update, traces to another cause. Microsoft issued
a patch for WinXP a while back, and a small percentage
of users were experiencing system crashes. After some
research by people out there, it turned out to be
every machine with a TDSS rootkit running on it, which
was being tipped over by the patch. A few cynics claimed
that was done on purpose, so more people would "clean"
their machines, but I guess we'll never know whether
the patch was designed that way on purpose.

At least some bizarre behaviors, aren't something you
can test for in a "clean" lab environment.

Paul

 

[charlie]

All I can answer is the least important part of the above. You can
rename a printer. Of course if the name without the "Copy 1" still
exists somewhere, you'd have to track it down and remove it.

I've done it (years ago), but I recall vaguely that Windows was stubborn
about accepting what I tried to do.

This sort of thing was more common in the past.
MS often includes a printer driver in windows. Updates may contain a
patch to the MS supplied driver, and or the OEM driver.
Either may supply different drivers for say a USB connected printer, and
the same printer connected via a LAN or other method.
MS supplied drivers may coexist with printer OEM drivers.
Either or both may point to the same printer via more than one path,
name, or address.

The odd name appearing for the printer is very likely one assigned by
the OEM, and is detected and "configured" by windows automatically.
On the P/C I'm using at the moment, there aren't any hardwired printers.
The several networked printers show up as EPSONA574BE, EPSON WorkForce
610(Net), EPSON539A40(WorkForce 630), and so forth.
The understandable names were manually assigned by me when the OEM
drivers were installed, and the cryptic names were a result of an auto
install/assign windows process. Printer queues can also be involved,
even when a printer is locally connected. Some of the Epson printers and
others have three connection interfaces. (USB,Ethernet,and Wireless)
My two Laptops can be configured to wirelessly connect to the printers
directly, or via an ethernet/wireless router.

When a P/C is connected to one of the printers via USB, and the printer
is also networked (Ethernet or Wireless) the P/C can use either path to
access the printer. With the printer I currently have, there are
differences in setup and some options that are dependent on the
connection method.

Cheer up, things might be worse!
Some of the "commercial" color printers use CMYK and third party
software and drivers, along with the OEM and MS drivers. Who is doing
what to who gets involved.

 

[...winston]

"Scott" wrote in message As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.
Disconnect the printer from the pc and remove all occurrences of it it Device Manager.
Shut down
Restart
Verify no printers are present in Device Manager and Devices and Printers
Follow the printer manufacturer's instructions to install the printer
- Some recommend installing the software first, others may suggest installing the software after Windows finds the printer.

 

[Ed Cryer]

This sort of thing was more common in the past.
MS often includes a printer driver in windows. Updates may contain a
patch to the MS supplied driver, and or the OEM driver.
Either may supply different drivers for say a USB connected printer, and
the same printer connected via a LAN or other method.
MS supplied drivers may coexist with printer OEM drivers.
Either or both may point to the same printer via more than one path,
name, or address.

The odd name appearing for the printer is very likely one assigned by
the OEM, and is detected and "configured" by windows automatically.
On the P/C I'm using at the moment, there aren't any hardwired printers.
The several networked printers show up as EPSONA574BE, EPSON WorkForce
610(Net), EPSON539A40(WorkForce 630), and so forth.
The understandable names were manually assigned by me when the OEM
drivers were installed, and the cryptic names were a result of an auto
install/assign windows process. Printer queues can also be involved,
even when a printer is locally connected. Some of the Epson printers and
others have three connection interfaces. (USB,Ethernet,and Wireless)
My two Laptops can be configured to wirelessly connect to the printers
directly, or via an ethernet/wireless router.

When a P/C is connected to one of the printers via USB, and the printer
is also networked (Ethernet or Wireless) the P/C can use either path to
access the printer. With the printer I currently have, there are
differences in setup and some options that are dependent on the
connection method.

Cheer up, things might be worse!
Some of the "commercial" color printers use CMYK and third party
software and drivers, along with the OEM and MS drivers. Who is doing
what to who gets involved.

Good point. The OP ought to check the list of updates to see if it
contains a driver for the printer. And then, of course, a simple
roll-back of that driver, plus a reboot, will solve the problem.

Ed

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

The odd name appearing for the printer is very likely one assigned by
the OEM, and is detected and "configured" by windows automatically.

Two things about that.

1. The "(Copy 1)", or maybe it was "Copy 1", was added automatically by
Windows when I installed the second instance.

2. But I was mixed up. The experience I recalled was not printers but
network setups. I did say it was a long time ago; perhaps I should have
thought a bit longer before posting, to give my memory a chance to work

 

[Maurice Helwig]

As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.

Scott

Uninstalling a printer in MS windows only removes the Icon and name from
the list of printers on your system -- the files are still there and can
cause trouble with subsequent attempts to install the same or other
printers.

I have successfully used the Kyocera printer Deleter which will run from
the desktop and show you all the printer driver files on your system.
You can then remove the printer and all it's files completely, leaving
your computer clean. There is no install - just unzip the "Printer
Deleter version 2.9.1523" now called "Driver Deleter" on the website,
and run the .exe file.

It can be found here --

http://www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.com.au/support/Pages/LegacyUtilities.aspx

It will run on win 7 64 bit OS

Once your computer is free of all the old files, you can reboot and
install the new printer driver cleanly.

Hope this helps

Maurice Helwig

 

[Scott]

Uninstalling a printer in MS windows only removes the Icon and name from
the list of printers on your system -- the files are still there and can
cause trouble with subsequent attempts to install the same or other
printers.

I have successfully used the Kyocera printer Deleter which will run from
the desktop and show you all the printer driver files on your system.
You can then remove the printer and all it's files completely, leaving
your computer clean. There is no install - just unzip the "Printer
Deleter version 2.9.1523" now called "Driver Deleter" on the website,
and run the .exe file.

It can be found here --

http://www.kyoceradocumentsolutions.com.au/support/Pages/LegacyUtilities.aspx

It will run on win 7 64 bit OS

Once your computer is free of all the old files, you can reboot and
install the new printer driver cleanly.

Hope this helps

Thanks, but unfortunately it does not work. There is a failure in
loading components.

 

[Scott]

"Scott" wrote in message
As a 'newbie' I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.

On Tuesday I received the monthly batch of Windows updates (19 in
total). Immediately after installation, I discovered that my printer
was no longer working. Further investigation revealed that the
printer spooler was stopped. I set it to start automatically and also
restarted it manually. This did not solve the problem.

I also restarted the computer a couple of times and used system
restore to restore the system to before the updates. This did not
resolve the problem either.

I uninstalled the printer as administrator. However, it was still
there when I logged in as a user. I uninstalled the printer as
administrator and as user then reinstalled the printer. This worked
though the printer now has 'Copy 1' added to its name.

Any ideas anyone? Thanks in anticipation.

Disconnect the printer from the pc and remove all occurrences of it it Device Manager.
Shut down
Restart
Verify no printers are present in Device Manager and Devices and Printers
Follow the printer manufacturer's instructions to install the printer
- Some recommend installing the software first, others may suggest installing the software after Windows finds the printer.

Unfortunately, as others have pointed out, it seems that deleting
from Device Manager is not enough.

 

[Scott]

You show lots of energy. That's the antidote to mysticism and
nervousness. -
Your system restores seem to show that it was something other than the
updates that knocked the printer out. Go ahead and install the lot again.
If the printer goes pear-shaped again, leave the spooler untouched and
look in "Devices and Printers" for any sign of why.
I too installed all the recent updates, and nothing has gone US here.

Thanks. Just reinstalled and it has happened again. This time
deleting the printer seems to be problematic.

 

[...winston]

"Scott" wrote in message

Unfortunately, as others have pointed out, it seems that deleting
from Device Manager is not enough.

And you've completely disconnected the printer prior to removing it in Device Manager and Devices and Printers then restarted and
verified no printers are present in either location.

- Fyi...when removing a printer, one is usually prompted to also remove the drivers from the pc.

Did you perform all of the above in the order noted and/or when prompted ?

 

[...winston]

"Scott" wrote in message

Unfortunately, as others have pointed out, it seems that deleting
from Device Manager is not enough.

And you've completely disconnected the printer prior to removing it in Device Manager and Devices and Printers then restarted and
verified no printers are present in either location.

- Fyi...when removing a printer, one is usually prompted to also remove the drivers from the pc.

Did you perform all of the above in the order noted and/or when prompted ?

 

[Scott]

"Scott" wrote in message

And you've completely disconnected the printer prior to removing it in Device Manager and Devices and Printers then restarted and
verified no printers are present in either location.

- Fyi...when removing a printer, one is usually prompted to also remove the drivers from the pc.

Did you perform all of the above in the order noted and/or when prompted ?

Not sure what you mean by Device Manager AND Devices and Printers
since as I see it 'Printers and Faxes' is a subset of 'Devices and
Printers'. Is there a separate Device Manager elsewhere than the
'Devices and Printers' tab?

I did not appreciate the need to disconnect the printer.

I reinstalled the upgrades again last night the the problem occurred
again. I rolled back this morning and the printer appears to be
working again. Bizarre though it may seem, I am convinced the Windows
updates are in some way responsible.

Thank you for your help. I am not ungrateful, but totally bemused by
this. The printer must be one of the first peripheral devices ever to
be installed on a PC so how 25 years later can it be problematic???

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

I reinstalled the upgrades again last night the the problem occurred
again. I rolled back this morning and the printer appears to be
working again. Bizarre though it may seem, I am convinced the Windows
updates are in some way responsible.

It is credible: bizarre happens.

Thank you for your help. I am not ungrateful, but totally bemused by
this. The printer must be one of the first peripheral devices ever to
be installed on a PC so how 25 years later can it be problematic???

If there were only one kind of printer, or at least, only one kind of
interface to a printer, and if there were only one kind of computer
hardware, or at least, only one kind of hardware interface to the
peripherals, and if there were only one operating system, or at least
only one kind of software interface to peripherals, it might not be
problematic. And I left out other considerations, especially the ones I
haven't thought of or don't know about...

Microsoft is in the not so enviable position of herding cats, IMO.