Print queue won't clear

GDHAccounting · ‎12-04-2019

I have an HP OfficeJet Pro 8600 Premium and I use a wireless connection. For a couple of years my print queue won't clear properly, I have to wait about 15 minutes between documents, and then the queue doesn't ever clear, which is not acceptable. I have done the reset many times and it works for a short period of time and goes back to not clearing. I set up a brand new HP laptop and immediately had the same problem. Is there a PERMANENT fix to this? If it means buying a new printer than it won't be another HP. Otherwise I like this printer.

Dragon-Fur · ‎12-04-2019

@GDHAccounting

Printer introduced 2011-2012 (depending on region)

Scenarios may include - and may not be limited to:

You have set "Keep all documents" in the Print Queue but the service is not managing to both keep previous jobs (as instructed) AND move on to new jobs as they are entered.
The Print Service is not clearing in spite of you having completed the proper clearance routines (information later in this message).
You are not using any of the clearance routines to properly clean and restart the Print Service and / or doing so has no lasting effect on the issue.
Your network is slow, your router is outdated, there are service and / or packet drops that interfere with the performance and processes.
Your printer cannot communicate with the network effectively. Consider a static IP address.
You are not using an administrator privileged account and the print service is balking.
One or more computers in the network is still on Windows 7 (or worse, something older). While issues do not normally "bleed" from one old computer to newer tech on the same network, it can happen.
The printer Firmware may need to be updated.
Everything is perfect elsewhere and the printer is no longer able to function as expected.

My opinion:

There is something positive to be said for a consumer grade printer still in service after what might have been as much as eight years. Just the changes in technology alone might be enough to bring down a lesser machine.

In spite of the age of the printer, there might be something in your network that contributes to the communication between the Print Service and the printer. Might be. This is particularly difficult to judge from the outside looking in. For example: If the network is not functioning as needed, processes that depend on communication and / or translation between the printer and the computer may suffer as a result. What to do? Check your network logs for anything out of the ordinary.

If you are interested in doing to, take a look at the Event Viewer logs.

Information

Note that the following is less likely going to help in the long run simply because the issue is seen on more than one computer. The process is worth knowing and might help the overall situation.

Ignore anything not relevant to your current situation.

Cancel Print Job

If you catch the job quickly enough, print jobs can be cancelled on the printer.

The “cancel” button might be labeled as such or might present as a red X.

NOTE: Where supported at all, it is normal for the “X” to show on the control panel only briefly.

Once the job is turned over to the print service, cancel the job from the print queue.

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers

Double-Left-Click on your printer icon > See what’s printing > Click (or Right-Click) on the job > Cancel

Exact wording varies.

OR

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers > Double-Left-Click on your Printer

Double-Left-Click on See what’s printing - Click (or Right-Click) on the job > Cancel

Exact wording varies.

OR

Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners > Click Open queue

Click (or Right-Click) on the job > Cancel

OR

Settings > Devices > Right-Click Printers & Scanners > Pin to Start

Then

Windows key > find the newly PINNED application tile Printers & Scanners

Move the application tile to a Tile Group that is easy to see and open quickly

Print Queue / Print Service Reset

The Doctor can help with several issues, including driver, connection, and "jobs stuck in the queue".

HP Print and Scan Doctor for Windows

and / or

If the current print job will not cancel or if a previous print job is stuck in the queue,

If the issue is due to Print Services being stuck / hung / corrupted,

Try / Consider:

Stop print service, clear the print folder, Start print service

Control Panel > icon view > Administrative Tools > Services

Scroll down, find, Right-Click, and Stop Print Spooler Service

Open File Explorer (formally Windows Explorer)

Navigate to the folder and Delete the files from folder C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

Start Print Spooler Service

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Event Viewer

The following is completely outside of the "Point and Click" solutions.

If you are interested, I will post how to enable Print Service logging and track jobs in the Event Viewer.

The "how to" is not difficult though it does a bit of setup.

and

There is NO guarantee that you will learn anything useful from the experience - so much depends on what, if anything, the computer knows about any issues and what the process can tell you about what it does know.

You can also find how-to-use the Event Viewer by using your favorite browser and searching for information on the subject.

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If you decide it is time for a new printer

You should purchase the best of what your budget can allow.

Make sure the printer you purchase is compatible with your network as well as the computers on that network.

Make sure the network is compatible and able to support new technology.

You realize that things have changed over the years- READ everything you can find to make sure your new printer (of any brand) is as fully featured and durable as this classic workhouse that has been an HP centerpiece in many homes and small businesses for many years.

References

User Guide

Print Jobs Stuck in Queue Troubleshooting

Printer is Offline (Windows)

Reference and Resources – Places to find (more) help and learn about your Printer

Clarification of terms and "what the printer can do" (Specifications)

Printer Homepage – “Things that are your printer”

NOTE: Content depends on device type and Operating System

HP Drivers / Software / Firmware Updates, How-to Videos, Bulletins/Notices, Lots of How-to Documents, Troubleshooting, Access to the Print and Scan Doctor (Windows), User Guides, Product Information, more

When the website support page opens, Select (as available) a Category > Topic > Subtopic

HP Officejet Pro 8600 Premium e-All-in-One - N911n

Thank you for participating in the HP Community Forum.

We are a world community of HP enthusiasts dedicated to supporting HP technology.

Click Thumbs Up on a post to say Thank You!

Answered? Select the relevant post "Accept as Solution" to help others find it.

Dragon-Fur

GDHAccounting · ‎12-12-2019

Thanks Dragon Fur. I ran the HP Print and scan doctor, it found an error, but all it suggested was that the trays were not seated properly, and that's not it. I do have an old Windows 7 machine on the network, about to be replaced. So I can get rid of that, but is there some history data or something that I can delete so it won't happen again? The other suggestions you made I've been through.

Yes, this printer is a workhorse and except for this problem I have loved it. It does everything I need really well, and I'd hate to be forced to buy a new printer, especially without the guarantee that it won't do the same thing again.

Dragon-Fur · ‎12-12-2019

@GDHAccounting

You are welcome.

If the cause is not within the Print Service and the Doctor does not find the issue - or at least not the one you think it should be finding - then the issue is perhaps deeper in the File System (lurking in Windows).

The underlying cause of the problem could be a lot of things aside from the printer hardware, in other words.

I do not have a firm solution.

Could be the printer - Could be something else.

Completely ignoring the fact that remote, blind diagnosis is impossible,

At the moment, I would guess the cause of the problem is "something else".

Assuming

All your Windows Updates are current,
Your computer updates are current,
Your printer software has been completely removed (including the hooks in your user account) and reinstalled
The printer firmware is updated,
The printer has been reset (unplug while switch on, wait about sixty seconds, plug in, start (if it does not switch on by itself),
Everything on the network has been restarted, including the router, and for the purpose of testing, "extraneous" devices are left switched off (or are not on the network or connected to the printer)

Then

Try something else.

For example,

If you have not done so, check the logs on your router to see if the router / network is aware of anything amiss. This can be helpful, especially if your router logs are any good. This approach assumes something is going on in the network that is actually dragging on the print service and is causing a visible "blip" in the logs.

You could poke at the file system with chkdsk or sfc/scannow . I find this practice mostly universally lacking in a satisfying outcome. I think the last time I actually found and fixed something using chkdsk or sfc/scannow was in 2013.

You could drag the 'net and look for a way to "fix" the registry. I would reload Windows before I would attack a (probably) perfectly sound Windows Registry. I just don't do that anymore. Over it.

You could poke about in the Event Viewer - this versatile tool can track print jobs and might be used to uncover a number of issues. This might be useful - and is easier than reloading Windows.

Preparation

Switch on "save jobs for later" and enable logging. This assumes you can get the queue to work at all so you can collect some data.

Notes

The suggestions included this message are offered "as is" and are not provided as a solution - logging and searching for the cause of issues does not, by itself, usually solve anything.
There are other Event Viewer logs, job controls, and "places" where you might find information - take a look around in the Event Viewer to see what it can tell you.
Although not addressed here, another tool worth checking is the Reliability Report. This is another one of those overlooked tools that can sometimes be useful when searching for the root cause of seemingly unrelated problems.
Don't forget the Resource Monitor - like the other tools mentioned, what is happening is not always glaringly apparent - sometimes there are hints in the system performance statistics.

Print Queue Management - Set up "Save a print job to reprint later"

The "reprint" feature can be set ahead of time to "Keep printed documents".

This method requires that your user base (those people submitting print jobs) do not sabotage the print queue by removing entries -- this is a matter determined by Policy in your home office / workplace. (In other words, you must have a modicum of control over what people are doing).

Save jobs to be reprinted later

For those reading, the following applies to recent versions of Windows and a printer for which the Full Feature Software has been installed.

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers >

Right-Click on your Printer > Printer Properties>

(If necessary) Change Properties > Tab Advanced >

Select Keep printed documents > Apply > OK

When jobs are saved in the queue, they can be printed again later.

Control Panel > icon view > Devices and Printers >

Double-Click on your Printer

Double-Click on See What's Printing

If necessary, select the printer (for example HP Officejet 8740 Network)

Once the queue is open,

* Single-Left-Click on a job that you want to reprint to highlight that entry

Right-Click on the highlighted job > Restart

*The job will print using the current paper / preferences as set for that printer. If you need to adjust the paper or job parameters, double-click on the job to be printed to open the Properties (available options). After adjusting the settings, click OK to exit the Properties menu.

IMPORTANT

Removing / Reinstalling the printer software resets this option to default (printed document list not saved).

Track print jobs in Event Viewer

How you track down the print job action depends on how your software reports an incident in the Event Viewer, whether you have remote access to the computer(s) in your work group, and your skill level in garnering the information you seek (manual look-and-see or write a script to gather the reports).

Enable the job log

Windows key + X > Event Viewer

Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows >

Scroll down > PrintService > Right-Click Operational > Enable Log

Check the log for activity

Open the Event Viewer on the computer (from which the job was submitted

Open Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows >

scroll down, down > PrintService > Operational

Save the Data into a File or Event Log

Option – Filter the log – Save the Data

After opening the Operational folder,

Under Actions menu on the right side of the window,

Click Filter Current Log

Select When in “Logged” (for example, “Any time”
Select “Event Level” (for example, Information)

Click on down arrow in “Event Sources” > Select PrintService

Under “Includes / Excludes Event IDs…” enter “307”

NOTE: Please check – Printing a Document may have a different Event ID on your system)

Click OK to filter the log using your selected parameters

Click (under Actions), Save Filtered Log File As… and save your data

And / OR

Click (under Actions), Save Filter to Custom View,

Enter a name for your custom filter view and Save it.

Option – Various Methods - Find Jobs and Save the Data

Sort the columns by "Task Category" > scroll down to items named "Printing a document"

Click on each job to see the details on that job (name of system and UserID)

Click the mouse on the first entry in the collection of “Printing a document” events,

Scroll to the end of the “Printing a document” events entries,

Click and hold down the Shift key,

Click on the last entry you want in the “saved group”

Method - Save and View Document

Under Actions (or tab Action) > Click Copy >

Open a blank document (for example, Office Word) >

Insert the table or text data into the open document >

Save file as desired

Open document in the appropriate format (Word, NotePad for .txt) to view the log data

Method – Save and View Event Log Entries

Under Actions (or tab Action) > Click Save Selected Events >

Optional > Decide and click language display options >

Select a Folder in which you want to save the file and enter a Filename

Open Event Viewer > Open Saved Logs > Click on log to view

OR

Open File Explorer > Navigate to the folder in which you saved the .evtx log file

Double-Click on that filename to open the log in the Event Viewer

Check the log for documents / print jobs removed from the queue

Sample - For what purpose might the data be used?

Sort the columns by "Task Category" > scroll down to items named "Deleting a document"

Click on each job to see the details on that job (name of system and UserID)

How to - Event Log Notification

How to Create Your Own Windows Event Log Notification System

System Information (works with "Keep printed documents")

NOTE: Job information may not show number of pages

Control Panel > icon view > Administrative Tools > System Information

Under section Software Environment

Print Jobs

NOTE: Click on Time Submitted (in ribbon on top) to sort by date / time

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