"All Pipe Instances Are Busy" Copying a File to an LPT Port (232126)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
This article was previously published under Q232126

SYMPTOMS

When you copy a text document to an LPT port at a command prompt, you may receive the following error message:
All pipe instances are busy.
Starting a new command prompt yields the same error message.

CAUSE

This error message can occur if you issue the COPY command to the port at the same time that a job is being printed by the spooler in Windows.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, restart the spooler. To do so, type the following commands at a command prompt:

net stop spooler
net start spooler

Or, restart the Spooler service using the Services snap-in.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/13/2003
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb kbprint KB232126
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.