SOLVED: How to Delete a Stuck Printer

If you just cannot remove a printer by:

• right clicking on a printer and find that you see nothing but hour glass
• you get to REMOVE DEVICE but it will not actually delete
• you have tried removing in PRINTER MANAGEMENT (yes, this is built into every version of Windows Vista, 7 and 8)

you definitely will be able to delete all your printers, queues and drivers by:

1. Reboot into SAFEMODE
2. Save your ‘print processors’ by copying C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SPOOL\PRINT PROCS to a safe location like your desktop
3. Delete EVERYTHING inside C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SPOOL\
   1. If you delete the SPOOL folder itself, just recreate it, otherwise the print spooler will not start.
4. Reboot into normal mode
5. Copy the WINPRINT.DLL (and others if you are sure they are not the problem) from step 2 above to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\SPOOL\PRINT PROCS
6. Reinstall your printers

I would then use PRINT MANAGEMENT tool to make sure all is well.

If you then see a PRINT PROCESSOR DOES NOT EXIST error when attempting to install printers you likely skipped steps 2 and/or 5 above but fortunately we have an easy fix for this: http://www.urtech.ca/2014/03/solved-cannot-install-printer-the-print-processor-does-not-exist/