Required restart to send to printer.

This has just started to happen, printer shows document in the queue but it does not print until I restart the computer. After the restart it will print fine until the next time it won't print (usually a day later, after a sleep session). Printer is LaserJet 4000 TN connected through the LAN. Started after the last update.

It prints even before login.

That printer was made prior to 2000. The latest driver on HP site is 2003.
The only thing I would know to try is to stop, then restart the print spooler service in services Then see if the problem still exists.

Also you can try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer. I would first reset to the printer to default settings (if the printer has a control panel),

Rboppy said:

Started after the last update.

Click to expand...

Are you referring to kb5062553? If so, and you want to uninstall it, it can be done but not the normal way thru Windows update. I advise you to image your system before doing this. To uninstall the update, you can restore a system image made before the update if you have one or use this procedure
Reference here: July 8, 2025—KB5062553 (OS Build 26100.4652) - Microsoft Support


This is the major point in that KB:

If you want to remove the LCU
To remove the LCU after installing the combined SSU and LCU package, use the DISM/Remove-Package command line option with the LCU package name as the argument. You can find the package name by using this command: DISM /online /get-packages.

Running Windows Update Standalone Installer (wusa.exe) with the /uninstall switch on the combined package will not work because the combined package contains the SSU. You cannot remove the SSU from the system after installation.

That is an OLD machine so it may have carried you as far as it can go in windows versions.

glasskuter said:

That printer was made prior to 2000. The latest driver on HP site is 2003.
The only thing I would know to try is to stop, then restart the print spooler service in services Then see if the problem still exists.

Click to expand...

I'll certainly try that the next time it happens, if I can find it.

Actually HP has a Universal Printer driver that does a great job of installing this printer.

Rboppy said:

I'll certainly try that the next time it happens, if I can find it.

Click to expand...

No, do that before you have the next problem. It's a stretch but it might clear out something that it causing the problem.
In search box type services. From search result select Services System.
Find Print Spooler in the list.
Select it. In upper left corner select stop. Restart the computer, Go back into Services
the print spooler should now be started. If it is not restart it using the same procedure.

I forgot to say that you should also run the troubleshooter. I would do it now. Then again when you encounter the problem.
Settings>System>Troubleshoot>Other Troubleshooters>Printer>Run

The print spooler restarted after a reboot. The Trouble shooter wasn't much help.

When I've had similar issues in the past in Windows 10, stopping and starting the Print Spooler was the silver bullet. Never did totally fix that on one of the Windows 10 systems, but that system is gone, and so is the problem.

If stopping the print spooler and starting it works, try making a batch file like this. Run it with administrative privileges. This makes it more convenient to do the reset.

After a couple of weeks the problem seems to have gone away, thank you @glasskuter, resetting the spooler seams to have done the trick.

@gunrunnerjohn I've copied your batch file for use if I ever need it, thanks.