Resolved Repair Installation/printer problems

I cannot install a printer on an E-Machine (T5048) running XP Media Center. This computer was running an HP psc 2175 All-in-One with no problems for quite some time and suddenly lost the ability to print. I tried to re-install the printer and got an error message; 'Operation could not be completed. The printer spooler service is not running.' I went to services.msc and made certain that the print spooler is set to start automatically and that the RPC was set correctly. Everything seems to set as it should be. I tried installing the software first and got the error message that 'The system could not find the specified path'. I am at a loss for solutions to this issue and think that I should perform a Repair Install. Problem is that the E-Machine Disk (Windows XP Media Center Version 2005) does not show 'Repair' as an option.

Is it possible to use a different XP disk? I have an older XP Home Edition disk if that could be used. I would welcome any assistance with this situation. I am truly a novice at trouble shooting things!

 

Home won't work on Media Center or the other way around. Need like for like.
If there isn't anything in Que for a print job, I would uninstall the printer, and download CCleaner and do a disc cleanup with it. Also do a registry check and remove anything that is associated with that printer with CCleaner. Then try to reinstall the printer. CCleaner does make a backup of the registry for you. I have use the registry part probably 2 or 3 hundred times on my machines and other peoples machines and never had a problem.

http://www.piriform.com/?utm_source=ccleaner.com&utm_medium=redirect

 

Thanks MrBill! I have run CCleaner several times and the registry check as well. It got us cleaned up with other 'issues' but nothing seemed to be associated with the printer install problems. The System Restore has been messed with too, will not show a restore point prior to the onset of the printing malfunction, possibly the owner messed that up trying to make a repair or maybe a virus got to the printer stuff and that too. I appreciate the help and anything else that pops to mind! Really did not expect the different disks would be compatible, so thanks for confimirming that!

 

Your welcome. I wouldn't think that Malware would mess up your printer, but stranger things have happened if you know what I mean. Maybe a trip to the Malware section would be the next step. At least, you would know if you were clean or not.

 

I have run Malwarebytes, it found a couple of minor items but that is good, nothing that would seem to be part of this trouble. I have read that there are a couple of virus things that like to 'hide' disguised as print spoolers, that was where I got the idea that this all could be resulting from a virus, or someone's attempt to eliminate a virus, taking other things out with it... if I knew what was wrong, I probably not be here!!