I'm looking for a simple solution for a 94-year-old client who frequently calls me about her printer not working. She often ends up with a jammed print queue full of errors because she keeps trying to print the same job over and over. I usually remote in and delete the entire queue, which fixes the problem temporarily, but teaching her how to do this herself is quite challenging—it's like asking a dog to speak French! What I need is an easy way for her to clear the print spooler herself, or perhaps a method to automatically clear it when the printer restarts. I'm considering creating a batch file but would love to hear any better suggestions.
3 Answers
Is she using an Epson printer by any chance?
You could create a batch file called 'clearqueue.bat' and place it on her desktop. Then, change the properties to 'Run as Administrator.' The content of the batch file would look something like this:
```
net stop spooler
del %systemroot%\System32\spool\printers\* /Q
net start spooler
```
This way, with just a double-click, she can clear the print queue easily! Just be cautious about removing admin prompts, as it can be risky.
How do I remove that pop-up asking for permission? I’m a bit hesitant about bypassing security, but I want to know how to do it just in case things get tricky.
That's a great start, but keep in mind that sometimes it might take a moment for the printer to wake up. She might click the icon before the printer is ready, causing more issues.
Nope, it's actually an HP printer.