Solved: DRIVERS (?) / GetLastError()=193 = ?

I am running XP Pro, with Service Pack 2. For a while, I have been printing and having no problems. I have an Epson R200 and it works just fine.

The other day, I needed to print some CD labels and could not. That was a problem. The error I saw, and continue to see, is this:




C:\WINDOWS\System32\spool\DRIVERS\W32X86\3\ISShel00.DLL, GetLastError()=193

As you can see, there is the word "Drivers" in the error. I thought I would re-install mine.

I did and now I do still get the same error. The difference is that, when I pressed OK, the error message would disappear and I'd just be back on my document.

Now, that error message disappears and I see not the normal print dialogue, but a printer chooser window:




When I then click to print, I get the same error. Only then, when I click OK, does it disappear.

I have tried re-installing a few times, deleting the printer entirely and then re-installing, using CCleaner to help uninstalls, etc.

Whatever I do, I cannot seem to get around that particular error message and I would REALLY like to get my printer working.


Another odd thing just happened...

Just as I was about to post this query, I thought that I would check it for spelling and ran it through Microsoft Word (part of Office 2007).

When I had finished, cutting the text out of my Word document to post here, the same error (as in my first screenshot) came up. I hadn't even tried to print. I had just, literally, cut the text out of the document.

I am not sure what the connection could be (or if there is one at all), because my label printing software - from the first instance - has nothing to do with Word.

Because I did not want to cloud any issues, I hesitated posting that last bit, but thought that it could also help and I would rather have given a bit more information than too little.

Thanks.

 

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What seemed to be the trouble was a conflict between drivers. I mentioned Office (Word) and it turned out that a component of Office is something called OneNote.

It had installed a printer driver that was causing the problem and, despite my having deleted the printers and used CCleaner, all drivers kept returning.

No advice came from here, so I kept looking around the 'net and found something that did solve my problem:


Bruce Sanderson's Windows Web: How to clean up printer drivers


When you look at his process, steps 1 and 2 are common sense. Not everyone might have considered steps 3 and onward.

There is further advice on other problems, however I did not go beyond step 5 (the last step) because I did not need to.

I deleted both (Epson and OneNote) of my printer drivers and then restarted.

Because I had left the Epson disc in the drive, my Epson driver was back and I was then able to print as normal / expected.

Though the page was last updated in 2004, it's solid advice - for XP, in my case - and I have bookmarked it.

Have a look, if only to confirm what you already knew, as reading them might be of some use in the future.
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