Printer Troubleshooter

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. If an icon for your printer appears in the Printers and Faxes folder, right-click the icon, click Delete, and then click Yes. If you do not see an icon, continue to the next step.
3. Close any programs that might be trying to use the printer.
4. Close any printer properties windows that are open, including the print queue window. Leave the Printers and Faxes window open.
5. On the File menu, click Server Properties, and then click the Drivers tab.
6. Under Installed printer drivers, look for any drivers that have the same name as the printer you are trying to install. If you see a driver for your printer, click it, click Remove, and then click Yes.
   
   If you are unable to remove the driver, try the following:
   • Close all open programs, and then try to delete the driver.
   • Restart your computer, and then try to delete the driver.
   If you still cannot delete the driver, contact your network administrator or a computer support professional for more assistance.
7. If more than one driver is installed for your printer, repeat step 6 for each driver.
8. Click Close to close the Print Server Properties window.

Does using the correct driver solve the problem?

Thank you for using this printer troubleshooter.

Are you using the correct type of paper?

Printing on digital photography paper can improve the quality of your printed photographs. Refer to your printer documentation to find out whether the manufacturer recommends a particular brand of paper for use with your printer.

For best results, you might need to specify the paper type before you print.

To specify the paper type for your printer

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Printing Preferences.
3. Click the Paper/Quality tab.
4. In Media, click Photo Paper or Glossy.

Is your printer working correctly?

Check your printer documentation for maintenance procedures that you can perform on your printer. For example, you might need to clean and align the ink nozzles and check the color range.

Is there a problem with your printer driver?

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer. After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

Your printing problems could result from a corrupted or outdated printer driver that is installed on your computer.

There is no obvious way to tell whether a printer driver is corrupted. Delete and reinstall your printer and printer driver and then try to print again.

After you have obtained an updated driver, use the Add Printer Driver Wizard to install it.

Note

• Some printer manufacturers have a custom setup process that you need to follow instead of the steps below. Consult your printer manufacturer to find out what procedure you should use.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click New Driver.
4. After the Add Printer Driver Wizard opens, click Next.
5. Under Manufacturer, click the manufacturer of your printer. Under Printers, click your printer.
6. Click Have Disk, and then locate the updated driver that you obtained.
7. Click Finish, and then click OK.

You have run into a problem that this troubleshooter can't help you solve. You might be able to find more troubleshooting suggestions in the help documentation for the program that you are trying to print from.

You can find troubleshooters for Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel on the Microsoft Website.

For additional Windows resources, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update

Can you print other documents from the same program, and can you print from Notepad?

Try printing these test documents to determine where the printing problem is:

1. In the same program that you've been using, create a new document and type some text in it. If possible, include some of the same formatting that is used in the document that you are unable to print. Then, try to print the test document.
   
   If you can print other documents from the same program, your original document might be damaged.
   
2. If you can't print other documents from the same program, try printing from another Windows-based program such as Notepad or WordPad.

To print a test page from Notepad or WordPad

1. To open Notepad, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.
   –or–
   To open WordPad, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click WordPad.
2. Type a few lines of text.
3. On the File menu, click Print. Make sure that the correct printer is highlighted under Select Printer.

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Right-click the icon of the hard disk on which Windows is installed, and then click Properties.
   
   The total amount of free space on your hard disk is shown on the General tab. 1 gigabyte (GB) of space=1024 MB.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
2. Under Volume, click the drive you want to defragment, and then click Defragment.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. On the Disk Cleanup tab, you can select which files you want to delete. On the More Options tab, you can choose to remove optional Windows components, installed programs, or old system restore points.
3. After you have chosen the options that you want, click OK.

1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
2. Click the program that you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove.
3. Click Yes to remove the program.

Does your printer have enough memory?

If your document is very complex, your printer might not have enough memory to process it. In that case, your printer might display an Out of Memory or Overflow message, or your document might not print correctly.

Try the following:

• Try removing some of the graphic elements in the document, reducing the number of fonts in the document, or formatting all of the text in the document in a resident printer font (such as Courier).
• If a specific graphic in the document prints poorly, make sure that the graphic is in a format that is compatible with the printer. For example, Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) graphics are intended for use only on PostScript printers. On a non-PostScript printer, an EPS graphic will print poorly in an otherwise satisfactory printout.

If you have an older printer driver, it might not be designed to work with complex graphics or fonts, and you might need to update it.

Contact the manufacturer of your printer to see whether an updated driver is available. You can also check the Windows Update Web site for an updated driver. To go to the Windows Update Web site, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click your printer, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, click Printing Preferences, and then click Advanced.
4. Adjust the settings under Graphic. Your printer might be able to print the file correctly if you lower the print quality.
   
   You might be able to set your printer to use less memory by changing other settings, which vary depending on your printer driver. For more information on these settings, see your printer documentation.

Consult your printer documentation to find out how to determine the amount of memory installed on your printer and what your printer driver settings should be.

Is your document damaged?

The document that you are trying to print might be damaged.

There are various techniques you can use to try to recover data from a damaged document, depending on the type of document.

The procedures below might help you recover data from a Microsoft Excel workbook or a Microsoft Word document. For information about recovering data from other types of documents, contact the manufacturer of the program used to create the document.

If you cannot find a way to recover the damaged data, you might need to recreate all or part of your document.

Converting your workbook to SYLK format might save your data while filtering out damaged parts of your document.

1. Open the workbook that you are trying to print.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the Save as type list, click SYLK (Symbolic Link) (*.slk), and then click Save.
4. Close the file, and then reopen the SYLK version.

If you have not saved the workbook since you started having problems, your last saved version might be free from damage. Of course, it will not include any changes you have made since the last time you saved it.

To revert to the last saved version

1. Close the open workbook. When you are asked whether you want to save changes, click No.
2. On the File menu, click Open.
3. Double-click the workbook file.

Try to print the file again. If you still have trouble printing, revert to a backup copy of the file, if you have one.

Microsoft Excel Viewer, a free utility program for viewing Microsoft Excel workbooks, is available on the Microsoft Website (www.microsoft.com). You might be able to open the damaged workbook in Microsoft Excel Viewer, copy the cells, and paste them into a new workbook in Microsoft Excel.

 Note

• If you follow this link, when you return to this troubleshooter you will have to start over from the beginning and answer each question as you answered it initially.
• You cannot recover module sheets, dialog sheets, chart sheets, or macro sheets with this method. You also cannot recover cell formulas; you can only recover the current formula results that are in the cells.

This is the easiest and most complete document recovery method; always try it first.

1. Open the damaged document in Word.
2. On the File menu, click Save As.
3. In the Save as type list, click Rich Text Format (*.rtf), and then click Save.
4. Close the document, and then reopen the Rich Texct Format version.
5. On the File menu, click Save As.
6. In the Save as type list, click Word Document (*.doc), and then click Save.
7. Close the document, and then reopen the Word document version that you just created.
8. Try to print the document again.

Converting the document to and from Rich Text Format (RTF) preserves the formatting. If this conversion does not correct the file damage, you can also try converting to and from other word processing formats, which preserve Word for Windows formatting to various degrees.

If using these formats fails to correct the problem, convert the document to Text Only format, and then back to Word format. Because of the simplicity of the Text Only format, this is likely to correct the damage; however, it also causes all document formatting to be lost.

Word for Windows associates a wide variety of formatting information with the last paragraph mark in a document, especially section and style formatting.

If you copy everything except the last paragraph mark to a new document, the damage might be left behind in the original document. In the new document, reapply any lost section or style formatting.

 Note

• To select everything except the last paragraph mark, press CTRL+END, and then CTRL+SHIFT+HOME.

Word stores default information in the Normal.dot template file. If this file is damaged, other Word documents might exhibit strange symptoms.

To create a new Normal template

1. Close Word.
2. Click Start, click Search, and then click Other files or folders.
3. In the Name of file or folder box, type:
   normal.dot
4. In the Look in list, click the hard disk on which Word is installed, and then click Search.
5. Right-click Normal or Normal.dot in the results list, and then click Rename.
6. Type a new name for the file, such as Normal.old, and then press ENTER.
7. Start Word. Because it does not recognize the renamed file, Word creates a new Normal template.

After you create a new Normal template, try to print your document. If it prints correctly, your old Normal template was probably damaged.

If you have a template other than Normal.dot attached to your document, that template also could be damaged. Try recreating the template or using an older version of it.

Does the file or graphic that you are trying to print require too much memory?

Save the document you are trying to print, and then paste a section of the document into a new file. If you are unable to print graphics, paste one of the graphics into the new file. Close all files except the new file and try to print.

If you can print, your original document might require more memory than your computer has available. Your operating system might be low on memory. Try any of the following to free memory:

• Quit any other programs that you are running.
• Close all documents except the one that you are trying to print.
• Quit all open programs and then restart your computer.
• Make sure you have sufficient free disk space on your hard drive. 120 megabytes (MB) of free space is recommended. (1 GB=1024 MB)

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Right-click the icon of the hard disk on which Windows is installed, and then click Properties.
   
   The total amount of free space on your hard disk is shown on the General tab. 1 gigabyte (GB) of space=1024 MB.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
2. Under Volume, click the drive you want to defragment, and then click Defragment.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. On the Disk Cleanup tab, you can select which files you want to delete. On the More Options tab, you can choose to remove optional Windows components, installed programs, or old system restore points.
3. After you have chosen the options that you want, click OK.

1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
2. Click the program that you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove.
3. Click Yes to remove the program.

Is there a problem with your printer driver?

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer. After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

Your printing problems could result from a corrupted or outdated printer driver that is installed on your computer.

There is no obvious way to tell whether a printer driver is corrupted. Delete and reinstall your printer and printer driver and then try to print again.

After you have obtained an updated driver, use the Add Printer Driver Wizard to install it.

Note

• Some printer manufacturers have a custom setup process that you need to follow instead of the steps below. Consult your printer manufacturer to find out what procedure you should use.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click New Driver.
4. After the Add Printer Driver Wizard opens, click Next.
5. Under Manufacturer, click the manufacturer of your printer. Under Printers, click your printer.
6. Click Have Disk, and then locate the updated driver that you obtained.
7. Click Finish, and then click OK.

Is there a problem with your program?

If you can print successfully from Notepad or WordPad, there might be a problem with the program you were trying to print from originally. Contact the manufacturer of the program, or consult the documentation for the program, for more assistance.

Are you using a printer driver that was provided by the printer manufacturer?

When you upgrade your operating system to Windows XP, any printer driver that are not Windows XP-compatible will be replaced by one of the printer drivers that comes with Windows XP.

These drivers might not support all the features that come with your printer. If you notice that some of the features are missing, it is best to install a new driver that is provided by the printer manufacturer.

Contact the printer manufacturer, or visit the manufacturer's Web site to obtain an updated printer driver that is compatible with Windows XP. The manufacturer's driver will support all the features of your printer.

After you have obtained a new driver, use the Add Printer Driver Wizard to install it.

• Some printer manufacturers have a custom setup process that you need to follow instead of the steps below. Consult your printer manufacturer to find out what procedure you should use.

Can you print from a command prompt?

Printing from a command prompt tests the connection between your computer and printer.

This procedure is divided into two sections, depending on your printer type:PostScript or non-PostScript. For either procedure, you need to know which printer port your printer is connected to.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and then click Printers and Other Hardware.
2. Click Printers and Faxes, and then click the icon that represents the printer you want to use, click the File menu, and then click Properties.
3. On the Ports tab, look in the Print to the following port area, and make a note of which port your printer is connected to.

Click Start, click More Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. Or, if you've used Command Prompt before, click Start, and then click Command Prompt.

1. Click Start, click More Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt. Or, if you've used Command Prompt before, click Start, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type:

   ECHO HELLO CTRL+L dir > lpt1

   Where CTRL+L means that you hold down the CTRL key and press L.
   
   If your printer is connected to a port other than LPT1, replace "lpt1" with the correct port.
   
   After you type the line it will appear as "ECHO HELLO ^L > lpt1"
3. Press ENTER.
   
   If your printer prints a page with a directory listing, the connection between your computer and printer is fine.

Do you have a printer installed?

Check your printer folder to make sure that you have a printer installed, and that the correct printer is set as the default.

To check your printer folder

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. An icon that represents your printer should appear in the Printers and Faxes folder. If it does not appear, double-click Add Printer to start the Add New Printer Wizard, and then follow the steps to complete the wizard.
3. The icon of the default printer is marked with a check mark inside a black circle . If the printer you want to use is not marked as the default, right-click the printer icon, and then click Set as Default Printer.

Try to print your file again.

Is printing paused?

To determine whether printing is paused

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click your printer.
3. If Resume Printing or Use Printer Online appears in the menu, click this command. Then try to print again.

Is the printer port set correctly?

Make sure that you are printing to the correct port or shared printer path.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
3. On the Ports tab, in the Print to the following ports list, click the correct port.
   
   The most common printer port setting is LPT1. However, some printers require a different port. To determine which port your printer should use, see your printer documentation.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, make sure that the correct printer name appears at the top of the page.
   
   If the wrong printer name appears, or if you are not sure which printer to which you should be printing, ask your network administrator for assistance.

Do you have at least 120 MB of free space on your hard disk?

Your computer uses disk space in the process of sending information to the printer. You can have trouble printing if you have less than 120 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk where Windows is installed.

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Right-click the icon of the hard disk on which Windows is installed, and then click Properties.
   
   The General tab shows the total amount of free space on your hard disk. 1 gigabyte (GB) of space=1024 MB

Do one or more of the following:

• Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Delete any documents or data files that you do not need, or move them to another location for archiving.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. In Drives, click your hard disk, and then click OK.
3. In Files to delete, select one or more of the options.
4. You can also click the More Options tab to see other options for freeing disk space.

1. Open add or remove programs in Control Panel.
2. Click the program you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove.
3. Click Yes to remove the program.

Is there a problem with your printer driver?

 Important

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer, which will close this troubleshooter. If possible, view this troubleshooter on another computer while you perform the steps on the computer you are troubleshooting. If no other computer is available, write down the instructions on this page before you restart your computer.
  
  After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

Your printing problems could result from a corrupted or outdated printer driver that is installed on your computer.

There is no obvious way to tell whether a printer driver is corrupted. Delete and reinstall your printer and printer driver and then try to print again.

If reinstalling your printer and printer driver does not work, check to see whether there is an updated driver available for your printer.

After you have obtained an updated driver, use the Add Printer Driver Wizard to install it.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the icon for your printer, and then click Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, click New Driver.
4. After the Add Printer Driver Wizard opens, click Next.
5. Under Manufacturer, click the manufacturer of your printer. Under Printers, click your printer.
6. Click Have Disk, and then locate the updated driver that you obtained.
7. Click Finish, and then click OK.

Do you need to change your spooler settings?

When you print, information is usually written to a file on your hard disk before it is sent to the printer. This process, which is called print spooling, allows you to continue using your programs while the document prints.

Print spooling is usually faster than printing directly to your printer. However, if you are low on disk space, turning off print spooling might increase printing speed.

 Note

• With print spooling turned off you must wait for your file to finish printing before you can perform other tasks in the program you are printing from.

 Notes

• If you are printing to a network printer, you might not be able to change your spooler settings.
• For some printers, the printing speed can be much slower when printing graphics than when printing text.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Double-click the printer you are trying to use. The print queue for that printer is displayed. If any documents appear in the print queue, on the Print menu, click Cancel All Documents, and then click OK.
3. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
   
   • If Spool print documents so program finishes printing faster is selected, print spooling is turned on.
   • If Print directly to the printer is selected, print spooling is turned off, and you are printing directly to the printer.
5. Change the setting to see whether this speeds printing.
   
   To change the setting, click the option you want.

Is there a resource conflict for your port?

 Important

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer, which will close this troubleshooter. If possible, view this troubleshooter on another computer while you perform the steps on the computer you are troubleshooting. If no other computer is available, note down the instructions on this page before you restart your computer.
  
  After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

Your printer hardware must be configured so that it does not conflict with other hardware that you have installed.

To check for resource conflicts

1. Open Device manager. 
2. Double-click Ports.
3. Right-click the appropriate port for your printer, and then click Properties.
4. Click the Resources tab, and verify that there are no conflicts listed in the Conflicting device list.
   
   

    Note

   • To open Device Manager, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.

 Important

• If you go to the Hardware troubleshooter, you will leave the Printing troubleshooter.

You have run into a problem that this troubleshooter can't help you solve. You might be able to find more troubleshooting suggestions in the help documentation for the program that you are trying to print from.

You can find troubleshooters for Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel on the Microsoft Website.

For additional Windows resources, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update

Can you print from another computer on your network?

To print over the network from a different computer

1. At a computer other than the one you normally use, type your user name and password to log on to the network.
2. Try to print to the printer that is used by your usual computer.

Is your printer turned on and online?

Verify the following:

• The printer is plugged into a power outlet.
• The printer's power switch is turned on.
• The printer is online. (On most printers, a light next to the Online button indicates online status.)
• Your printer is not set to offline use in the printer settings.

  To Determine whether your printer is set to offline use

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
  2. Right-click your printer.
  3. If Use Printer Online appears in the menu, click this command. Then try to print again.

If you need more information about any of these tasks, see your printer documentation.

Does your printer need to be reset?

Turning a printer off and then on again clears the printer memory, which can solve a number of problems.

Turn your printer off, wait 10 seconds, turn it back on, and then try to print your document.

Restart your computer.

 Important

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer, which will close this troubleshooter. If possible, view this troubleshooter on another computer while you perform the steps on the computer you are troubleshooting. If no other computer is available, write down the instructions on this page before you restart your computer.
  
  After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

Sometimes shutting down and then restarting your computer can solve temporary data processing problems.

To restart your computer

1. Click Start, click Turn off computer, and then click Turn Off.
   
   If you are using Windows XP Professional Edition, click Start, click Turn off computer, and then click Shut down in the drop down list.
2. When you see the message that says it is safe to turn your computer off, turn off the power.
3. Wait 30 seconds, and then turn your computer on. Try to print again.

Is your printer supplied with paper, toner, and any other required supplies?

Verify that:

• There is paper in the printer.
• The printer is free of paper jams.
• There is sufficient toner, a fresh ink cartridge, or ribbon in the printer.

For more information about supply issues, see your printer documentation.

Is your cable working correctly?

If your printer is connected directly to your computer, make sure that the printer cable is plugged in correctly on both ends, and that there is not a problem with your cable. If you are using a print switching device (a device that allows you to switch between two different printers), test this also.

To test your printer cable

• Replace the cable with a different one, and then try to print.

To test a print switching device

• Connect the printer directly to the computer (to bypass the switching device), and then try to print.
  
  If this approach works, your switching device is not working correctly. Consult the device documentation or contact the manufacturer.

Is your port working?

 Important

• The following procedure might require you to restart your computer, which will close this troubleshooter. If possible, view this troubleshooter on another computer while you perform the steps on the computer you are troubleshooting. If no other computer is available, write down the instructions on this page before you restart your computer.
  
  After your computer restarts, reopen this troubleshooter and answer each question as you answered it initially. When you reach this page again, answer the question at the bottom, and then click Next.

You might have a faulty port. To test your port connection, try to print with the printer connected to a different port (if one is available).

When you restart your computer, Windows should detect your printer port and guide you through the steps for reinstalling it.

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Printers and Other Hardware, and then under See Also, click Add Hardware.
3. Click Next, and wait for Windows to search for Plug and Play devices.
4. If no Plug and Play devices are found, a list of devices appears. Click Add a new hardware device, and then click Next.
5. Click Install the hardware that I manually select from a list, and then click Next.
6. Click Ports, and then click Next.
7. In the Manufacturers list, click Standard port types.
8. In the Models list, click Printer Port, and then click Next.
9. Follow the wizard's instructions to complete the installation.

Can your printer perform a self-test?

A printer self-test verifies that your printer is working correctly. If you are not familiar with this procedure, see your printer documentation for instructions.

If the self-test is successful, your printer hardware is working correctly, and you have a problem with your computer or the connections between your computer and your printer.

If the self-test fails, there might be a problem with your printer.

You have run into a problem that this troubleshooter can't help you solve. You might be able to find more troubleshooting suggestions in the help documentation for the program that you are trying to print from.

You can find troubleshooters for Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel on the Microsoft Website.

For additional Windows resources, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update

Do you have a printer installed?

Check your printer folder to make sure that you have a printer installed, and that the correct printer is set as the default.

To check your printer folder

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. An icon that represents your printer should appear in the Printers and Faxes folder. If it does not appear, double-click Add Printer to start the Add New Printer Wizard, and then follow the steps to complete the wizard.
3. The icon of the default printer is marked with a check mark inside a black circle . If the printer you want to use is not marked as the default, right-click the printer icon, and then click Set as Default Printer.

Try to print your file again.

Is your network operating correctly?

You might be having problems accessing your print server for any of these reasons:

• There might be a problem with the network.
• The print server might be shut down.
• Your connection to the network might not be working.
• If your printer was renamed or deleted, slow network response time might prevent the printer list from showing the updated printer information.

Check with your network administrator to see if any of these problems exist, or go to the Networking troubleshooter to find out whether you have a network problem.

 Important

• If you go to the Networking troubleshooter, you will leave the Printing troubleshooter.

Is printing paused?

To determine whether printing is paused

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click your printer.
3. If Resume Printing or Use Printer Online appears in the menu, click this command. Then try to print again.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
3. On the Ports tab, in the Print to the following ports list, click the correct port.
   
   The most common printer port setting is LPT1. However, some printers require a different port. To determine which port your printer should use, see your printer documentation.

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
2. Right-click the printer that you want to use, and then click Properties.
3. On the General tab, make sure that the correct printer name appears at the top of the page.
   
   If the wrong printer name appears, or if you are not sure which printer to which you should be printing, ask your network administrator for assistance.

Do you have at least 120 MB of free space on your hard disk?

Your computer uses disk space in the process of sending information to the printer. You can have trouble printing if you have less than 120 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk where Windows is installed.

1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Right-click the icon of the hard disk on which Windows is installed, and then click Properties.
   
   The General tab shows the total amount of free space on your hard disk. 1 gigabyte (GB) of space=1024 MB.

Do one or more of the following:

• Empty the Recycle Bin.
• Delete any documents or data files that you do not need, or move them to another location for archiving.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup.
2. In Drives, click your hard disk, and then click OK.
3. In Files to delete, select one or more of the options.
4. You can also click the More Options tab to see other options for freeing disk space.

1. Open Add or Remove programs in Control Panel.
2. Click the program you want to remove, and then click Change/Remove.
3. Click Yes to remove the program.

You have run into a problem that this troubleshooter can't help you solve. You might be able to find more troubleshooting suggestions in the help documentation for the program that you are trying to print from.

You can find troubleshooters for Microsoft programs such as Word and Excel on the Microsoft Website.

For additional Windows resources, click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Windows Update

Is your printer turned on and online?

Verify the following:

• The printer is plugged into a power outlet.
• The printer's power switch is turned on.
• The printer is online. (On most printers, a light next to the Online button indicates online status.)
• Your printer is not set to offline use in the printer settings.

  To Determine whether your printer is set to offline use

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Printers and Faxes.
  2. Right-click your printer.
  3. If Use Printer Online appears in the menu, click this command. Then try to print again.

If you need more information about any of these tasks, see your printer documentation.