Resources for troubleshooting printing problems in Windows XP (308028)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
  • Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
This article was previously published under Q308028

INTRODUCTION

This article describes how to use the Printing Troubleshooter that is included in Microsoft Windows XP Help and Support Center. This article also provides a list of online support services that may help you solve your printing problem.

MORE INFORMATION

The Printing Troubleshooter includes step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting the following printing problems in Windows XP:
  • You cannot install a local printer.
  • Your photo printout quality is poor.
  • Your document does not print at all.
  • Some of the features that came with your printer do not work.
  • Printed text or graphics is incomplete.
  • Fonts are missing or do not look the same as they do on the screen.
  • Printing is unusually slow.
  • You cannot print from an MS-DOS-based program or from the MS-DOS command prompt.
  • You receive the following error message:
    The printer driver is not compatible with a policy enabled on your computer that blocks Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 kernel-mode drivers.

How to start the Printing Troubleshooter

If you are already familiar with Windows XP Help and Support Center, click here to start the Printing Troubleshooter automatically.

If you are not yet familiar with Windows XP Help and Support Center, we recommend that you use the following steps to start the Printing Troubleshooter (to help you become familiar with this feature):
  1. Click Start, and then click Help and Support.
  2. Under Pick a Help Topic, click Fixing a problem.
  3. In the left pane, click Printing problems.
  4. In the right pane, click Printing Troubleshooter.

How to use the Printing Troubleshooter

  1. Click the option that describes the problem that is occurring, and then click Next.
  2. Repeat step 1 until your problem is resolved or you have reached the end of the troubleshooting path. Note that you can click Back at any time to repeat the last step, or click Start Over to start the Printing Troubleshooter again.

REFERENCES

302903 Photo printing wizard does not print .ico, .emf or .wmf files

282833 Error message appears after printing to a network printer

282120 Epson Printer may be unable to print with the Epson "Print Preview" option enabled

282897 Printed colors may not match the colors on the screen

810894 Error message: Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close

314085 Troubleshooting general printing problems in Windows XP

314073 How to troubleshoot network printing problems in Windows XP

315325 You cannot print documents after upgrade to Windows XP

How to use the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site to find a solution

If you cannot resolve the problem by using the Printing Troubleshooter or by viewing the recommended Knowledge Base articles, you can use the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site to find a solution to your problem. Some of the services that the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site provides include:
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/13/2006
Keywords:kbenv kbinfo kbprint kbtshoot KB308028
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