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Windows XP: Print Jobs are Stuck in the Print Queue and Will Not Print with a USB Connected Product

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Issue
The solutions in this document address the issue of print jobs getting stuck in the print queue (a log of print jobs waiting to print) on a USB connected product in Windows XP. The following symptoms might also accompany this issue, and this document does address these other symptoms:
  • Printer won't print
  • Printer is offline
  • No response from product
NOTE: Some of the following solutions require you to restart the computer. Consider bookmarking this page on your Web browser, so that you can reference it after restarting the computer.
How to use the solutions in this document
IMPORTANT : Before you begin, make sure that the product hardware functions correctly. To do this, print a self-test page using the buttons on the product control panel. If you do not know how to print a self-test page, check with the user guide that came with your product, or search for an online document that covers the steps. If the self-test does not print correctly, look for an error message on the product or on your computer screen, and then search for a document that covers that specific issue.
Try the three solutions in this document in order until you resolve the issue. You can use the following links to navigate to the instructions if necessary.
Solution one: Download a tool to resolve the issue automatically
HP provides a utility (tool) that you can download and run to diagnose and fix many printing issues automatically. Try this solution first. You can also use this diagnostic tool if you have other issues related to printing.
NOTE: The HP Print Diagnostic Utility might not be available for all HP products, particularly older products. It is available for most products, however, and in most languages.
Step one: Download and install the Print Diagnostic Utility
NOTE: The HP Print Diagnostic Utility might not be available for all HP products, particularly older products. It is available for most products, however, and in most languages.
  2. Click Download only .
  3. Click Run or Save according to your download preferences, and then follow the on-screen instructions to finish downloading and installing the tool.
    When the tool finishes installing, an icon for the Print Diagnostic Utility ( ) downloads to your Windows desktop.
Step two: Run the Print Diagnostic Utility
  1. Press the Power button ( ) to turn on the product, if it is not already on.
  2. Double-click the Print Diagnostic Utility icon ( ) on your desktop.
    Can't find the icon?

    If you do not see the Print Diagnostic Utility icon, click Start ( ), click All Programs , click HP , and then click HP Print Diagnostic Utility . If the tool is not in the Programs menu, download it again.
  3. Under Select the HP device you wish to diagnose , select your HP product from the drop-down list.
    Product not in the list?

    If your product is not in the list, you must reinstall the HP software. See the instructions in this document to remove and reinstall the HP software.
  4. Click Diagnose . The Print Diagnostic Utility diagnoses printing problems, and then displays a list of results.
    Figure 1: Example Print Diagnostic Utility results
    Illustration of the Print Diagnostic Utility results screen
Step three: Resolve diagnosed printing problems
  1. In the Print Diagnostic Utility results screen, look for items with a red X ( ) next to them. Items with green check marks ( ) are fine.
    • If you see one or more red X marks ( ), continue with these steps.
    • If you see only green check marks ( ), discontinue the steps in this procedure and continue to the next solution in this document.
  2. Click the item with the red X ( ) to select it, and then click Fix . The Print Diagnostic Utility automatically fixes the diagnosed issues, if possible, and displays results on the screen.
    Can't click the Fix button? If the fix button is unavailable, follow these steps:

    1. Examine the Power button ( ) on your product. Make sure that product is on, and that the power light is solid, not blinking.
    2. Make sure that the USB cable connects securely to your computer and to the product. The USB icon ( ) on the USB cable generally faces up when the cable connects to the computer correctly.
      If the Fix button is still unavailable, you must reinstall the HP software. See the instructions in this document to remove and reinstall the HP software.
  3. When you have finished fixing all the diagnosed problems, click Test Print in the Print Diagnostic Utility, and then click Yes . The product prints a test page.
    • If the test page prints successfully , you do not need to continue troubleshooting. You resolved the issue.
    • If the test page does not print , click Restart Computer in the Print Diagnostic Utility. After the computer restarts, try running the tool again.
  • If these steps resolved the issue , you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the issue persists , continue to the next solution.
Solution two: Resolve the issue manually
Follow these steps to resolve the issue manually if the tool did not resolve the issue.
Step one: Restart the computer and check the print queue
  1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start ( ), and then click Shut Down ( ).
  2. From the What do you want the computer to do? drop-down list, click Restart , and then click OK .
  3. After the computer restarts, double-click the printer icon ( ) in the lower right corner (the notification area) of the computer. The print queue opens.
    Figure 2: The printer icon in the notification area
    Illustration of the printer icon in the notification area
    No printer icon in the notification area?

    If you do not see the printer icon, click Start ( ), click Control Panel , double-click Printers and Faxes , and then double-click the icon for your product ( ).
  • If there are no print jobs in the print queue , you resolved the issue and you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the print jobs remain in the print queue , continue to the next step.
Step two: Check the USB cable
  1. Disconnect the USB cable from the back of the HP product.
    Figure 3: Disconnect the USB cable from the back of the HP product
    Illustration of unplugging the USB cable
  2. Disconnect the USB cable from the back of the computer.
  3. Wait five seconds.
  4. Reconnect the USB cable to the product and the computer. Apply some pressure to secure the connections.
    NOTE: The product must connect directly to the computer with a USB cable or a powered USB hub. If you are using a nonpowered USB hub, or if you do not know the type of hub, connect the product directly to the computer.
  • If the print jobs in the print queue begin printing , you resolved the issue and you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the print jobs remain stuck in the print queue , continue to the next step.
Step three: Check the print driver and the port
If you ever installed more than one HP product on the computer, the product might not be the default printer, or the wrong print driver might have been configured. Follow these steps to check the print driver configuration.
  1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start ( ), click Control Panel , and then double-click Printers and Faxes . The Printers and Faxes folder opens.
  2. Look for a black check mark ( ) next to the product icon. This check mark indicates which product is the default printer.
    Figure 4: Example of default printer icon
    Illustration of the default printer icon in Windows XP
    • If the wrong product is the default , right-click the icon for the correct product, and then click Set as Default Printer .
    • If the correct product is the default , continue to the next step.
  3. Right-click the icon for your product ( ), and then click Properties . The printer Properties window opens.
  4. Click the Ports tab.
  5. Look for your product under the Description column, and then view the Ports column to the left.
    There should be a check mark next to the DOT4 port or the USB00X (where X indicates a port number) port.
    Figure 5: USB00X and DOT4 ports
    Illustration of the USB00X and DOT4 ports
  6. Look under the Printer column and make sure the product listed matches your product. This indicates that the print driver is correct.
    If the port setting or the print driver is not correct, you must reinstall the HP software. See the instructions in this document to remove and reinstall the HP software.
  7. Restart the computer, and then try the print job again.
Step four: Determine whether the All-in-One is paused or offline
  1. Return to the Printers and Faxes folder that you opened earlier in this document.
  2. Right-click the name of the product, and then click Open .
  3. Click Printer .
  4. On the print queue menu bar, click Printer , and then look for the Pause Printing and Use Printer Offline items in the menu.
  5. Make sure there is no check mark next to either item. If a check mark displays next to either item, click to clear it.
Step five: Manually clear the print queue
  1. Return to the Printers and Faxes folder that you opened earlier in this document.
  2. Right-click the name of the product, and then click Open .
  3. Click Printer , and then click Cancel All Documents .
  4. Click Yes to confirm the action.
  5. If documents remain in the print queue, restart the computer.
  6. Try printing again.
Step six: Restart the Print Spooler device
  1. On the Windows taskbar, click Start ( ), click Control Panel , and then double-click Administrative Tools .
  2. Double-click Services .
  3. In the list of Services , double-click Print Spooler . The Print Spooler Properties window opens.
  4. Click Stop to stop the Print Spooler.
  5. Click Start to restart the Print Spooler.
  6. Click OK .
  7. Restart the computer.
  8. Try printing again.
Step seven: Check the software program
If print jobs from one specific software program are getting stuck in the print queue, the issue might be with the software program or the print driver.
  1. Close the software program from which you are trying to print, and then open it again.
  2. Print a document from the software program.
  3. If the print job gets stuck in the print queue again, try printing a document from Notepad to determine whether the problem is with the program or the driver:
    1. Repeat the steps earlier in this document to manually clear the print queue.
    2. On the Windows taskbar, click Start ( ), click All Programs , click Accessories , and then click Notepad .
    3. Type a test message in Notepad.
    4. Click File , and then click Print .
    5. Select your HP product from, and then click OK to print.
    If you can print the document from Notepad, but not from the software program, contact the software program manufacturer for assistance.
  • If these steps resolved the issue , you do not need to continue troubleshooting.
  • If the issue persists , continue to the next solution.
Solution three: Remove and reinstall the HP software
If the previous solutions failed, follow these steps to remove and reinstall the product software.
Step one: Remove the software
  1. Unplug the USB cable from the HP product.
  2. On the Windows taskbar, click Start ( ), and then click Control Panel . The Windows Control Panel opens.
  3. Double-click Add or Remove Programs . A list of programs installed on your computer opens.
  4. In the list of installed programs, click your HP product, and then click Change/Remove . The HP Uninstaller opens.
  5. Select Uninstall all HP products , and then click Next .
  6. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the software removal.
    CAUTION: If the uninstaller asks you to remove shared files, click No . Other programs that use these files might not work if you delete the files.
  7. Disconnect the product from the power source, and then restart the computer.
Step two: Reinstall the software
After you complete the previous steps, you can install the product software with the product CD or by downloading the software from the HP Web site . The software available on the HP Web site is usually more current than the software on the CD.
If you need step-by-step instructions on how to reinstall the HP software, see the document on installing the software in Windows XP (c01705280) (in English).


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