Member Avatar for cheruyot

I have 26 computers XP using 2003 server and i have installed a printer in every computer. Every user can see the printer but when they try to print, it says that the rpc server is not available. I have set the spooler and rpc to start automatic in every computer and i still get the same problem. It printed the the first few days and then start giving this error.
Please if you know to fix this problem, let me know how.

Thank you

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Dani AI

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Building on ’s pointer to RPC and the original report from , here is a concise, practical checklist for the "RPC server is not available" print error in a Windows XP / Server 2003 print-share environment. Focus on three areas: RPC connectivity, firewall/ports, and print-spooler/driver stability. Run the tests below and follow the quick fixes in order.

Quick tests to run (client and server as appropriate):

ping <print-server>                     # name and IP reachability
nslookup <print-server>                 # DNS resolution
telnet <print-server> 135               # check RPC port (or use PortQry)
netstat -an | find "135"                # verify server is listening on 135
sc query RpcSs                          # local RPC service state
sc query Spooler                        # local print spooler state
sc \\<print-server> query RpcSs         # try a remote service query (may fail if RPC blocked)
net stop spooler
net start spooler                       # restart spooler to clear stuck jobs

Firewall and ports: RPC control uses TCP 135 plus a dynamic ephemeral port range. On XP/Server 2003 the typical ephemeral range is roughly 1024–5000. A blocked port 135 or blocked dynamic RPC range (or a third‑party personal firewall) will produce this error. Temporarily disable Windows Firewall or the third‑party firewall on the print server and one client to see if printing works. If it does, re-enable and add the File and Printer Sharing exception or open the required ports rather than leaving the firewall off.

Spooler/drivers and logs: Check System/Application event logs on the server for RPC, DCOM, or Print Spooler errors at the time the failure occurs. A faulty printer driver can crash the spooler and cause RPC errors for clients; test by printing locally from the server and by installing a generic/text driver for a short trial. Also review recent updates or security/AV/firewall changes on server or clients that coincided with the onset of the problem.

If these steps don’t isolate the issue, collect exact Event Viewer error text and the result of the commands above; those details point directly to either network/firewall blocking or a spooler/driver crash.

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Member Avatar for Michael_Knight

Hi

Did you install the drivers on each individual PC via a disk or the original drivers, or did you search for it via the network and add the printer?

Ensure that Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Service is set to startup automatically on the server.

Member Avatar for cheruyot

michael,
Thanks for your replies. I did use the original drivers. My RPC is set to startup automatically in all the computers including the server. This is the code that i used to install the printer.
rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ga /c\\%1 /n\\%2. I am still new in this field.

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