When you open the Printers window on your Windows 2000 Professional Start menu, or when you try to print, you receive the subject error message or one of the following:
Printer operation cannot continue due to lack of resources.
Subsystem unavailable.
These errors are indicative of a damaged printer driver.
To fix the problem:
1. Right-click each printer in the Printers window and press Delete. Press Yes when prompted.
2. Right-click Printers and press Open.
3. In the File menu, press Server Properties.
4. Select the Drivers tab and Remove all the drivers, pressing Yes when prompted.
5. For safe-keeping, use Regedit to export:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print
6. Delete any sub-keys, if they exists, from:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-2
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Environments\Windows NT x86\Drivers\Version-3
6. Delete any non-default sub-keys from:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Monitors
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Monitors
The default monitors are:
AppleTalk Printing Devices
Local Port
PJL Language Monitor
Standard TCP/IP Port
USB Monitor
Windows NT Fax Monitor
7. Delete any sub-keys from:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Print\Printers
8. Exit the Registry Editor and shutdown / Restart your computer.
9. Install any necessary printers.
