Member Avatar for viperman224

I'm not sure if I should post here as it may be a combo of both hardware and software. But here goes, I built a new print server for my house. It's an old machine but SHOULD work fine. It currently has a PIII 450MHz processor, 256 megs of PC100, a 6.4 gig hard drive and is running XP Pro. My problem is when my dad trys to print large files like PDF files and scanned files from his visoneer scanner. The machine just hangs there (the print server). The only way to clear the Print job list is to reboot. I originaly built the machine with 192 megs of ram, thinking, it's only going to be hosting the printer on the network and not doing anything else. So, the other day I removed one of the 3 64 meg sticks of PC100 and added a 128 meg stick of PC100 for a total of 256. I thought maybe that would help. It didn't. I changed the driver for the printer (HP DeskJet 722C) that didn't work either. I can print a test page and word file no problem. My guess is that because my hard drive is really small, the Page files are taking up to much space on it or there isn't enough available hard drive space to create them. I was going to upgrade the hard drive but before I do does any one have any suggestions? Thanks

  • 2 Contributors
  • 2 Replies
  • 209 Views
  • 11 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by viperman224

Dani AI

Generated

Short summary and high‑value steps to try first

The hang you're seeing with large PDFs/scans is usually the server's spooler running into a resource or driver/AV lock problem, not a basic networking or permissions fault. already tried RAM and a driver change; 's disk-space idea is valid. Try the low-effort, high-return options below before swapping the drive or moving to another OS.

Immediate fixes (fast to test)

  • On the print server, open the shared printer's Properties -> Sharing tab and enable "Render print jobs on client computers". That moves the heavy work to the PCs sending the jobs and often cures server-side hangs.
  • If that isn't acceptable, try the printer's Advanced tab and select "Print directly to the printer" to bypass spooling for big jobs.
  • Temporarily disable antivirus/antimalware on the server (or exclude the spool folder) and retry — some scanners lock spool files and freeze the queue.
  • For scanned images, reduce scan DPI or recompress the file before printing; large bitmaps are the common culprit.

How to safely clear a stuck queue
Stop the Print Spooler before deleting files from the spool folder. From an elevated command prompt you can run:

net stop spooler
del /Q %systemroot%\system32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*
net start spooler

Or stop/start the "Print Spooler" service in Services.msc and then manually empty %windir%\system32\spool\PRINTERS.

Further diagnosis and durable fixes
Check free disk space and Event Viewer for Print/Spooler errors, set the Print Spooler service recovery to restart on failure, and test with a different (or generic) driver. If the server disk is very tight, replacing it (or moving the spool to a larger partition) is a simple long‑term fix. If you're comfortable learning something new, 's Linux/CUPS approach will work well for a dedicated print box, but try the client-rendering and AV exclusions first — they usually fix this exact behavior.

Recommended Answers

All 2 Replies

Member Avatar for kc0arf

Hello,

It is my guess that the hard drive is filling up. Because smaller documents are working fine, we have to assume that the permissions and other materials are working fine too. What is not working well are the bulk documents.

I would guess though that a 6.4 GB drive would be able to handle the print without a problem, as I would guess that your OS install is using about 1/2 of it. Curious problem indeed.

If you are just using this computer as a print server, I am wondering if you would entertain using a different OS instead, such as Linux, which has much less overhead, and is designed to be a server from the get-go.

Christian

Member Avatar for viperman224

I wouldn't have a problem trying Linux, unfortunatly I have little clue has how to configure it. I have been a Windows guy since windows 3.1 lol. As for the usage of the drive, The OS is using about 3 gigs. Thats with the OS, anti-virus and antispyware software. I have a copy of SuSe 9.1 personal. I have benn told the SuSe 9.1 professional is also free. Is that a decent distro of Linux to use? Are there any websites out there that you know of that would show me a step-by-step instructions on how to setup a linux print server?

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.