I have something stuck in my print queue.

have u tried unplugging the printer? then plug it back in...

In some print queues you have to pause the printing first, then delete or cancel it.
Otherwise the print job just goes 'round and 'round in circles chasing it's own tail.

I've haven't tried unplugging it - just turning it off, then on - I'll go try it now and see what happens.

I'll keep that pause thing in mind for future deleting!

Thanks.

Rats....


Still there.

What operating system? (98, XP, etc.)

Windows 2000

You could try this. It should work.
Open the services control panel (start -> settings -> control panel -> administrative tools -> services). Right click on the Print Spooler service and select stop. After that has completed, right click on the Print Spooler service again and select start. You can then close the control panel and the offending job should disappear from the queue.

OK. What you have to do is stop the print spooler (the service that mangages print jobs), then manually delete the print job, then restart the print spooler.

I'm on XP, and they keep moving things around on me. So your mileage may vary.

Go to start->programs->administrative tools->services (or start->settings->control panel->services)
Find the print spooler service and stop it.
Then open windows explorer, browse to c:\windows\system32\spool\printers. There should be some files here; you can delete them.
Restart the spooler service.

You may have to browse to c:\winnt\system32\spool\printers.

Thank you, DrewDad!

I found the print spooler service and stopped it.

But when I went to c:\windows\system32\spool\printers there weren't any files to delete.

I went back and started the spooler just to see what would happen and the document is still "deleting".

Give me a sec.

You're the best!

Take all the time you need! I appreciate any help and won't complain at all.

I'll probably be away from my desk for a bit anyway.

OK.

That is the right location for the spooled print jobs. Each print job should have two files in the folder - a .SHD and a . SPL. If no files are there, then there shouldn't be a job listed in the print queue....

Did you refresh the view of the print jobs? Open the printer and hit F5.

Alternately, it is conceivable (although rare) for the queue folder to have been changed. You can check this by going to start->settings->control panel->printers. Then click File->Server Properties->Advanced. It should list the spool folder.

If that doesn't work, my advice is going to be to delete and recreate the printer.

Unfortunately, printers can be hard to delete when there is a job in the queue.

You should be able to pause the original printer, then run through the add printer wizard to set up an identical printer. That should get you back up and going.

With the spool thing turned off the printer doesn't list anything in the queue. When I turn the spool thing back on the old, stuck print job is still there.

Even with the spool thing on, when I do that c:\windows\system32\spool\printers it says there are "no items to show in this folder".

When I try the "server properties", "advanced" thing is shows c:\windows\system32\spool\printers.

I think I must have some freaky deal going on.

I'll try to do the uninstall thing after Mr. B gets home.

Thanks DrewDad!

I don't know if this makes any difference at all but when I open the print queue it shows the folder status as "deleting". That's what it has said since last Friday.

You've pulled the plug, right?

this kind of thing happens to us with our work computer... suddenly I have 14 things lined up. Luckily I've solved it either by calling the people we got the computer from, which had backup as a purchase guarantee, for I forget how many years. We happen to be past that, but they haven't charged us yet for this kind of thing.

Or, I've shut the computer down, and that worked.

What happened to me is that I could delete 13 of the 14 and never the fourteenth... until I shut it down. Clearly this doesn't work for you, so I am really just here expressing sympathy.

That is exactly what happened, osso!

Everything after has canceled without any problem at all - just this first thing that is stuck in delete.

Maybe I'll try getting Mr. B to shut down his computer, I'll shut down mine and we'll shut down the printer and see what happens.

My computer throws little hissy fits all the time with the printer. Usually turning it off works fine.

The fax and copy function of the printer are still working without a hitch.