Open Bug 1869543 Opened 2 years ago Updated 3 months ago

Thunderbird stops the print spooler service on Windows 11

Categories

(Thunderbird :: General, defect)

Product:
Thunderbird
Component:
General
Version:
Thunderbird 115
Type:
defect

Tracking

(Not tracked)

Status:
UNCONFIRMED

People

(Reporter: jctofhcvwvknfbcwha, Unassigned)

References

(
URL
)

Details

Steps to reproduce:

Opening Thunderbird on Windows 11 computer stops the printer spooler service. There are no errors in event viewer regarding the print spooler service crashing or erroring, it just stops. If Thunderbird is then closed the printer spooler service will start back up. No add-ons or extensions are installed other than a dictionary addon, but I tested also with that addon removed.

Actual results:

The print spooler service stops, and no printers are listed in the print dialog box. The print spooler service can be restarted and Thunderbird will print, but the next time Thunderbird is closed and then reopened the spooler service will stop again.

Expected results:

The printer spooler service should continue to run without stopping. I've seen two other people mention this on forums, but could not find a bug for it, so submitting this here.

Can you post the forum references please?

One additional note to what I said, in the printer drop down list, there are no printers displayed (I'm guessing because the print spooler service is stopped) but the save to PDF is selectable and works. So as a workaround right now I'm having the user save it to PDF, close Thunderbird and then print the PDF separately.

Same with Firefox?

Component: Untriaged → General
See Also: → 1868804

Not seeing this (now) with 121.0b6 Win 11 64 bit, but that would explain the results on 1868804 a few days ago.

(In reply to Magnus Melin [:mkmelin] from comment #4)

Same with Firefox?

The user I have been helping does not use Firefox. I personally use Firefox and don't see this, but I'm on Windows 10 still. I tested this on another Windows 11 machine and don't see the print spooler being stopped. So there must be some specific requirements to this happening. Is there any logs I can gather that may help point to a cause?

I should have gotten a winver from his machine, I will see if I can get that from him. I will say his machine is pretty standard, just an HP he's had for a couple of years. Not much in the way of other software on his machine. He did have the HP Smart Print app installed, I uninstalled that and manually installed the printer and print driver which is an HP Envy 6000 with no change in behavior.

I have the same combination: HP PC running Windows 11, HP Smart Print App, HP printer. I do use Firefox. I saw the loss of print once and had to shut down the printer to re-establish print. PC has also booted since then (Win Update).

Are there any logs I can gather from this machine that may help identify the cause?

I share here a message posted by the user loxrex in the forum https://forum.mozillaitalia.org/index.php?topic=78219.msg543686#msg543686 with a workaround to bypass the problem of blocking the print spooler, in the hope that the problem is solved as soon as possible...

Good morning everyone...
After months of trying and cross-checking I still haven't figured it out: Thunderbird continues to block my printing service.
I sent the mail through Outlook, being careful not to start Thunderbird so as not to block the spooler, and this way it's working.
However, I experimented with a "workaround" to be able to use printing if it was blocked, and it also works with Thunderbird: a batch file that resets the print spooler.
This is the simple content of the file I called "ripristina stampa.bat":

net start spooler
net stop spooler
del C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.shd
del C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.spl
net start spooler

If the printer is not available, just start the bat file (even with Thunderbird open) and by going to the print menu the printer reappears.
I'm thinking of making a new batch file that executes these instructions and starts Thunderbird to see if it works, but it's still a trick that can't last and I hope that the program developers realize the problem and intervene with a fix update.
See you soon I hope with good news.

(In reply to :filigrana from comment #9)
sorry, I swallowed a line, this is the correct .bat...

net stop spooler
net start spooler
net stop spooler
del C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.shd
del C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.spl
net start spooler

Not 100% clear for me from the earlier comments, but do you see this with Firefox as well? Almost all of the printing code is shared.

I have only noticed this once and that was when printing from Thunderbird. I shut down and restarted the HP printer, which restarted the spooler and the problem "went away." I use Firefox (fully updted) every day. Is there a possibility that the install of a TBird beta corrupted the spooler? (i.e., some TBird-related one time event). That doesn't follow with the need for the restart bat file above.

Unlikely, but you never know if some setting once got set wrong for some reason.

I have the same phenomenon on a brand new computer with Windows 11 Home.

Are there any new findings on this? I have the worst customer there is: my own mother, who still likes to print out emails and now can't .....

In a German forum I found a hint, that these problems where mostly on HP computer. Maybe there is a reason with some add ons?

I removed all the bloatware from HP at my mom's yesterday and after that the spook seems to be over.

(In reply to myssv from comment #15)

In a German forum I found a hint, that these problems where mostly on HP computer. Maybe there is a reason with some add ons?

However the reporter of https://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=3114483 is using Canon printer.

I was speaking of a HP computer not a HP printer!

We had the problem on a HP computer with Kyocera and Brother printers.

jwatt, have you come across anything like this?

Flags: needinfo?(jwatt)
See Also: → https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1439611

Confirming that there seems to be a problem with Thunderbird stopping the print spooler on an HP Windows 11 desktop computer.

I don't recall anything that we might be doing that would cause this.

Bob, are you aware of anything in the Windows printing code that could potentially cause this?

Flags: needinfo?(jwatt) → needinfo?(bobowencode)
Summary: Thunderbird stops the print spooler service → Thunderbird stops the print spooler service on Windows 11

(In reply to Jonathan Watt [:jwatt] from comment #22)

I don't recall anything that we might be doing that would cause this.

Bob, are you aware of anything in the Windows printing code that could potentially cause this?

I forget the details, but do we do some upfront caching of the printers?
I guess we might cause an issue that way.

Flags: needinfo?(bobowencode)

I have not had this happen in a long time, but I don't use my HP printer much any more (HP's problem).

I solved this issue opening the Task Scheduler and disabling all the "SystemOptimizer" entry.
SystemOptimizer is a program by HP located in C:\Program Files\HP\SystemOptimizer
Please let me know if it works also for you

I don't have a SystemOptimizer in my Task Scheduler under any heading. Checked /HP/ and /Hewlett Packard/ as well as other categories.

(In reply to doug2 from comment #26)

I don't have a SystemOptimizer in my Task Scheduler under any heading. Checked /HP/ and /Hewlett Packard/ as well as other categories.

Sorry, this is how I handled it and it worked. I found the entry in the main Library. Maybe your pc uses different programs. Try to disable them selectively and see what happens.

(In reply to doug2 from comment #26)

I don't have a SystemOptimizer in my Task Scheduler under any heading. Checked /HP/ and /Hewlett Packard/ as well as other categories.

What version of TB are you running? Does it still happen with v137.0.2?

Running 138.0b3 at the moment. Haven't noticed the problem in a long time. My HP printer flakes out now and then (flashing lights), but not the print spooler. I have been using the printer more.

(In reply to doug2 from comment #29)

Running 138.0b3 at the moment. Haven't noticed the problem in a long time. My HP printer flakes out now and then (flashing lights), but not the print spooler. I have been using the printer more.

Still seems really odd for it to happen at all as it would have to invoke a STOP service command to C:\Windows\System32\spoolsv.exe which cannot happen under the hood without a person noticing. Can you check something?

  1. Go to Printers & Scanners
  2. Click on your printer and choose Manage
  3. Click Printer Properties
  4. On the printer's Properties window, click the Advnaced tab > Print Processor button
  5. Ensure the Printer Process on the left is set to Winprint. If it's not, set it to Winprint and click OK

HP loves to put their own trash one in there and for well over 30 years I've always set it back to Winprint after HP hijacks it. The HP ones are nothing but trouble. Give that a shot and see if it happens ever again.

Additionally, you can also set "Start printing after last page is spooled" on the Advanced tab from step 4. I've also found that helps with the occasional wonky printing issue as well.

Thanks. Printer Process was set to Winprint.

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