Can't print from "Desktop Apps" on Windows 10. Jobs spool and disappear without printing

[bkhiatt]

Hi Community, 

Looking for some help with the following:

• Running Windows 10 1803 (Build 17134.407) x64
• Printer is Color LaserJet Pro MFP M281cdw
• Printer is Network Connected via an Ethernet Cable.
• Printer has hard coded IP Address (no DHCP needed)
• Printer works fine from 3 different Windows 7 systems over the network.
• Installed Full Install package is "LJM278-M281_UWWL_4_1_Full_WebPack_44.3.2218"

The only Apps I can print from are:

• Google Chrome - File never queues, but always prints.
• Microsoft Paint - File queues and stays, then prints, then is removed from queue.
• Acrobat Reader DC (Version 2019.008.20081) - Some PDFs, not all

Printing from the following always results in a file queuing and then dissapearing a second or two later:

• Printing test pages from the "Printers and Scanners" page of settings does not work. - File queues and dissapears
• Printing from Word 2016 does not work - File queues and dissapears
• Printing from Excel 2016 does not work - File queues and dissapears
• Printing from Quicken 2018 does not work - File queues and dissapears

The drivers install, everything looks good, but when you attempt to print from "Desktop Apps", nothing happens.

If you watch the print queue directory, you can see a file show up for a second or two and then dissapear when you print.  Scanning works fine over the network.

I've googled around and found lots of promising fixes, such as:

• https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Inkjet-Printing/Print-queue-job-does-not-print/m-p/6539018#M690622
• (I had high hopes for that one, but no luck)
• http://www.itexp.net/2014/01/print-job-leaves-queue-but-document.html

This one seems to exactly match my issue:

• https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Printer-Software-and-Drivers/HP-Printers-Print-Jobs-Disappear-from-the...

But it doesn't explain what Geek Squad did to fix it, so it wasn't very helpful.

I've been fighting this issue for almost a year, so I can't really say what else I've done with renaming drivers, directories, and registry keys, its a long list.  But the rest of the family is ready to revolt because they don't like printing to PDF and then opening in Chrome or Acrobat to print, so I need to do something.

I've run windows update and I'm all good there.

Is there a way to actually debug what the print server is doing or get a log file?  I don't really want to try more uninstall, reboot, re-install stuff as I've been through that so many times now.

Thanks in Advance,

Brian

[bellmond]

Hi Brian,

Let's say you print somthing that finally vanished, what is the status of your printer, is it Ready or Paused?

And have you tried to stop spooling service and restart them?

Or have you change cables and USB ports?

[bkhiatt]

Hi Bellmond,

"Let's say you print somthing that finally vanished, what is the status of your printer, is it Ready or Paused?"

Ready - can immeidately print to it from another computer.

"And have you tried to stop spooling service and restart them?"

Yes, more times than I can remember.

"Or have you change cables and USB ports?"

This is an ethernet connected printer.  It prints fine from Windows 7 computers with all the existing cables, etc.

Thanks,

Brian

[bellmond]

Brian, seems that your Windows 10 is having a internal spooling problem. I guess no problems on the printer side. Are you just upgrading to Windows 10 then this problems occured?

[bkhiatt]

This PC was new installed with Windows 10 in December of 2017.  Problem started around Jan of 2018 when I got this M281cdw printer.  Not sure if it was the printer install, or a Windows 10 update from Jan 2018 that did it exactly.  But this printer has never worked "right" and I've been lazy about fixing it until now.

[bellmond]

I almost believe 100% that the problem came from software issues, a conflict between driver, OS and hardware.

If possible, uinstall any installed updates on Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs and restore your printer driver to the previous version (if any).

[bkhiatt]

Hi Belmond,

I believe that too.  But if you read my initial post, I've done that multiple times, and nothing changes.  Thus my request for information about how to debug, or enable logging/tracing to see what's really happening.

For giggles I'll try it again, but I don't expect anything to change.

I believe (from my reading and research) taht there are different versions of printer drivers now with Windows 10 (or was it windows 😎 and that might have something to do with it, as the Native windows 10 apps (Paint, Notepad) and the latest Chrome all print, but apps that run under windows 7 (Office apps, Quicken) won't.  I assume there's some different framework involved here, but I don't know how the spooler works or what it does.

If I had to guess I'd say the spooler was pulling the job and sending it to the driver correct driver (old vs new framework), but the old framework driver was dropping it and the new framework driver was processing it, but I can't prove any of that and could be 100% wrong.