Desktop troubleshooting is a skill that’s in high demand. This week begins a series on common problems and solutions that computer users face on a daily basis.
Problem: My printer isn’t working.
The first rule of troubleshooting is to eliminate the obvious. Many users — and techs alike — automatically assume the worst and approach the task with a higher level of urgency than is necessary. The trick is to stay calm and approach the problem logically.
With that said, your first step is to make sure the printer is plugged in and turned on. Trust me, this happens all the time. Laugh, shrug it off and be happy that’s all it was. Still not working? If the printer has a power light, is it on? If the device is plugged into a power strip, make sure it hasn’t been switched off. Try plugging the print directly into a wall outlet you’ve confirmed to be good.
If it’s not the power to the printer, it might be a communications problem. Check that the printer cable is properly seated on both the printer and PC. Unplug and reseat to make sure. Also look to see whether this cable has been damaged, bent or twisted. If the printer uses a USB connection on the PC, try changing to a different USB port. If you’ve got it plugged into a USB hub, try attaching it directly to the port on the computer instead.
Turn the printer off, wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on again. Printers have their own internal memory, and when a botched print job gets stuck, turning off the power can clear it out. Try to print again.
Another obvious step: Make sure Windows sees the printer. Go to Control Panel and open Printers and Faxes. Is your printed listed? If not, add it. Now print a test page by right-clicking on the printer, select Properties and then click on Print Test Page at the bottom of the General tab.
If the test page fails, try deleting the printer and reinstalling the printer driver software. It’s possible the driver software for your printer has become corrupt or partially deleted. Reinstalling the printer driver will fix this in a jiffy. Also consider going online to check the manufacturer’s Web page for newer versions of the printer driver.
Check the print spooler. This is a portion of your computer’s memory set aside for print jobs. Rather than make you wait around for every page of every printing task to complete, Windows queues them up in the spooler, which allows the computer to print in the background while you work on other things. It’s a nice arrangement, until something gets stuck.
To clear a stuck document from your print spooler, open up Printers and Faxes, find the printer in question and double-click to view the contents of its queue. Tasks print from the top down, so often a stuck document at the top of the list is followed by other print jobs waiting patiently to process.
If the task at the top isn’t budging, you might need to delete it and try reprinting. To cancel a print job from queue, simply right-click on it and select Cancel. Sometimes it takes several tries to remove, and if it’s being really stubborn, tougher measures might be needed.
You can flush the print spooler by turning the service off and then on again, which is most commonly accomplished by rebooting your computer. You’d be surprised how many problems are resolved by a simple reboot.
If all of this checks clean, it might be time to call in professional help, whether that’s in-house IT or an outside tech. They can determine whether it’s a faulty device, still covered by warranty, or needing to be replaced.
