Please help how to fully completely reset my printer

[Vedant2944]

I have HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2676 Printer

After mistakenly deleting Print spool from Windows(something like that) Printer has started displaying issues and connecting to the network and wireless printing..

• Printer in not setting up and if it is somehow set up in HP Smart(PC) then If i give a print a error message appears to diagnose the issue and the spool issue is never resolved.. Also during setup the printer appears offline even after pressing 3 seconds Cancel and Wireless button..
• Please help to completely factory reset from buttons only and restore the print spool/print queue if deleted from.. Once connected and set up Scan works properly but print cannot be done immediately..
• Sometimes Print jobs of days earlier get executed after a prolonged period. 

Help will be appreciated

Thank You!!

[Max3Aj]

Hi @Vedant2944, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you. 
It looks like your HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2676 printer is struggling with network connectivity and print spooler issues due to the accidental deletion of the print spooler service. Let’s go step by step to fully reset the printer and restore the print spooler service on Windows.

Perform a Full Printer Factory Reset (From Buttons Only)

This will reset all printer settings, including wireless configurations.

1. Turn the printer ON.
2. Press and hold the Wireless and Cancel buttons (📶 + ❌) for 5-10 seconds until the power light starts blinking.
3. Release the buttons. The printer will restart and reset to factory defaults.
4. Wait until the printer stops blinking and becomes ready.

After this reset, the printer will need to be reconnected to Wi-Fi before use.

Restore the Print Spooler Service in Windows

Since you deleted the print spooler, you need to reinstall and restart it.

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type services.msc and press Enter.
3. Scroll down and look for Print Spooler.
   • If it’s missing, reinstall it:
     1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator (search cmd, right-click, and select Run as administrator).
     2. Type the following commands one by one:
        sc config spooler start= auto
        net start spooler
     3. Press Enter after each command.
     4. Restart your PC.
   • If the Print Spooler service is present but stopped:
     1. Right-click Print Spooler > Select Properties.
     2. Set Startup type to Automatic.
     3. Click Start, then OK.

Remove Old Print Jobs (if stuck)

Since you mentioned old print jobs are getting printed after a long time, clearing the spooler queue is necessary.

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Run the following commands one by one:
   net stop spooler
   del /Q /F /S "%systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*"
   net start spooler
3. Restart the PC.

Reconnect the Printer to Wi-Fi (WPS Method)

Since resetting removed Wi-Fi settings, reconnect the printer to your network.

1. Press and hold the Wireless button (📶) on the printer until the light blinks.
2. Within 2 minutes, press the WPS button on your router.
3. The printer will connect when the light stops blinking.

Alternatively, you can use the HP Smart app to set up Wi-Fi manually.

Reinstall Printer on Windows

1. Open Control Panel > Devices and Printers.
2. Remove your printer (Right-click > Remove Device).
3. Restart your PC.
4. Download and install the latest drivers from HP website.
5. Open HP Smart and add the printer again.

Final Check

• Try printing a test page.
• If the issue persists, reinstall HP Smart and reconfigure the printer. 

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support