BleepingComputer.com: Vista giving error messages, print queue will not clear after print

Earlier this week, our laptop popped up something suspicious, which sent me here. I was assisted, and as far as I know, the laptop was cleaned out.

I ran an MBAM quick-scan, ran ATF or something, and an SAS full-scan, and all came back clean. The original topic is here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic227843.html

I installed Avira Antivir, COMODO (firewall only), and Spybot S&D to monitor the registry in the future. For further malware intrusions, this is likely good. However, since installing S&D, Vista has been giving error messages (ie, "Microsoft HTML Executable no longer working," or "Microsoft NET Command stopped functioning" type things). However, the actions I initiate appear to work, despite these errors.

In addition, and the real bugger today!, is the printer will print out a document, but the print queue will not clear that item from the spool, and the printer is useless unless we restart the machine. (Stopping the spool, clearing that folder, and starting it again without a restart does not work.)

I figure two things, maybe someone here (I was recommended to come here from that forum) can help:
1. something with the S&D registry monitor program messed with some needed files? (I have uninstalled S&D now and only need to clear out the ProgramData folder it has to rid my machine of it completely. Supposedly, there's a backup in there from when S&D was first run?)
2. the malware/adware problem that I came here for originally was cleaned, but the computer is feeling the effects of having purged a lot of those things, or maybe something was corrupted.

Does anyone have some ideas I can try? The "Infected" forum thinks I should check here, even though I think it might be stil related to the original malware problem. At the same time, did I accidentally do something I should not have when cleaning it up to cause this to start happening?

Is the printer VIA USB?

Yes, it is a combo copier/scanner/printer inkjet, Lexmark X2500 series I believe, going into a USB port.

Try re-installing the driver, rebooting, and using different USB ports and tell me what happens.

I uninstalled the printer itself last night. (I have no idea if that uninstalls the drivers as well.)
Then I reinstalled the printer and, instead of using the disk, I got updated drivers from the Lexmark website. (And then thoroughly enjoyed myself as Vista continued telling me it didn't get drivers even though the Lexmark was reinstalling just fine.)
I tried it again after, and it does the same thing.

I have not tred changing the port. I will try that when I get off work.

Still, the Lexmark Connect "error" message bothers me, since we never signed on for it. As does the various error reports coming up now.

But if I can get the printer working without having to restart each time, then my significant other won't lose her patience with me while I try to do what I can!

Newb4Life, on May 21 2009, 03:10 PM, said:

No change.

When the print job refuses to delete (AFTER printing), the ONLY thing that works thus far is restarting the laptop.

I have uninstalled the printer and reinstalled the printer with updated drivers. I have stopped the spooling, removed the files in the PRINTERS folder, started the spooling again, and then deleted the print queue -- it works then, but any new jobs to the printer won't print until I restart anyway.

Restarting after every print job is not a good fix. I am unsure if this is a normal Vista problem or something that is happening ever since I cleaned out the malware I was infected with.

Could the print queue problem be related to the router and not the printer at all, which obviously works fine? (Because isn't the spooling function part of the network...?)

Spooling just means that it is creating a file that a printer can read.

I doubt its the router.

What I am thinking is it's a bad usb port.