This topic contains solutions to common problems that you might experience with SPOOL.
After removing there is still an entry in the Microsoft Add/Remove Programs utility
Windows stops responding and displays blue screens when SPOOL starts
Cannot find the Barr diagnostics file after running the Diagnostics utility
Cause: Changes to user rights do not immediately take effect unless the computer has been restarted. User rights will update automatically within one hour. This applies to changes made directly from the User Rights Configuration utility or changes to the users defined in Windows.
Solution: Wait approximately one hour and the rights will automatically update, or restart your computer for them to change immediately.
Cause: The SpoolCore service is attempting to send an initialization file to the printer, and Windows is displaying an error message because the printer is not available or not ready. An initialization file is sent to the printer when the SpoolCore service is started or when the Configuration Utility is closed after configuring a printer to use an initialization file.
Solution: Do not respond to the pop-up error messages on the screen. The error message will disappear when you change the printer state to ready so that the initialization file can be sent to the printer.
Cause 1: The Spool directory is set to a mapped network drive. Drive mappings are specific to user profiles. When a new user logs on, the Spool directory will be invalid unless the mapping set is identical. If this user restarts the Barr SpoolCore service, all files in the Spool Window will disappear. This is because, although the Spool Window closes, the SpoolCore service does not restart when a user logs off and another user logs on. Once the SpoolCore service restarts, it checks the folder and receives an invalid name for that user profile.
Solution: Change the Spool and Retain folders to a non-mapped drive. Change the default folders by opening the Configuration Utility's Spool and Retain tab, browsing to Network Neighborhood, and selecting the desired folder. The name of the folder will now resemble \\SERVERNAME\Folder\Subfolder. This naming convention will work correctly.
Cause: Every time the Barr Host Communications Suite is installed it adds an entry to the Microsoft Uninstall list in the system's registry. When it is removed, however, the uninstall program only removes the current entry. Therefore, if the product is upgraded to a newer version without first removing the previous version, there will be multiple version entries in this list and only one will be removed during the next install.
Solution: Complete the following steps to remove the old Barr entry key from the Microsoft Uninstall list.
On the taskbar, click Start | Run.
Type REGEDT32, and then click OK. The Registry Editor displays.
Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE | SOFTWARE | Microsoft | Windows | CurrentVersion | Uninstall.
Delete the Barr version entries from the Uninstall key.
Exit Regedt32 and restart your computer.
These steps require you to use the Windows Registry
Editor. The system registry contains information about how your computer
runs, and your computer might not work if there is an error in your registry.
If you are unfamiliar with the Registry Editor, we do not recommend that
you perform this procedure. Please contact
Barr Systems Technical Support and reference this topic to be walked through
this procedure.
Cause: This could be caused by SPOOL sending invalid or corrupt data to a Ready printer during SpoolCore service startup. The potential for this problem exists when there are files in the spooler that are sent to printers as soon as the software starts.
Solution: To solve this problem, restart your computer, open the Windows Explorer, and remove all files from the Spool and Retain directories. In a default installation, this means deleting or moving all files and folders inside the Spool and Retain folders.
Cause: One or more of the printers configured in the Spool Window are not physically connected. The Spool Window runs a check on all printers before printing, the system can stop responding if it does not locate all the printers.
Solution: Reconnect the printers, or remove the printers from the Spool Window if they are no longer connected. To remove a printer, highlight the printer on the Configuration Utility's Spool Printers tab, then click Remove.
Cause: There are too many files in the Retain folder. Windows will usually perform poorly if a folder contains an excessive number of files (for example, more than 2000 files).
Solution: Delete excessive files from the Retain Window. Modify the retain period so that files are stored less time in the Retain folder before purging. It is the number of files, not the size of files, that affects computer performance. If it is necessary to keep files for an extended number of days, consider backing up the retain folder in another location, and then deleting the jobs' folders from the Retain directory.
See also: Retain Window overview
Cause: The default directory for the Barr diagnostics file is hidden. The Diagnostics utility writes the diagnostics file to the system-configured temporary directory. In later operating systems, the path for the diagnostics file is C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temp\Barrdiag.bct. By default, Windows hides the Local Settings directory. Hidden directories cannot be viewed.
Solution: After you capture diagnostics, save the Barrdiag.bct file to a user-defined location by clicking Save As.
You can also use one of the following methods to make the hidden folders viewable.
Changing your viewing settings:
Open Windows Explorer.
Select Tools | Folder Options.
On the View tab, select Show hidden files and folders.
Click OK.
Using the Windows Run option:
From the taskbar, select Start | Run. The Run dialog box displays.
Type %temp%.
Click OK. The Temp folder displays. The Barrdiag.bct file will be listed.
See also: Capturing diagnostics