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PrintServer: Isolating printer drivers and other plug-ins

Андрей Михалевский 3,461 Reputation points
2025-09-18T07:53:02.01+00:00

Hello. Sorry for posting in the wrong section, but Windows Server is not on the list.

Dear moderators, please move my topic to the correct section.

Problem:

Windows Server 2022 core. I need to transfer the server to new hardware. I decided to redeploy the server and transfer the printers using export and import.

I did just that. All updates are installed.

When printing, I get an error:

PrintError

I don't understand what the problem is or how to fix it.

Windows for business | Windows Server | Devices and deployment | Set up, install, or upgrade
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  1. Henry Mai 6,425 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-09-18T09:27:13.96+00:00

    Hi Андрей, I am Henry and I want to share my insight about your issue.

    The Event Viewer log tells us that:

    • Event ID 842: This confirms the system is trying to use Driver Isolation, which is a critical stability feature.
    • The Error ("The handle is invalid"): This is a low-level crash, indicating the driver itself is faulty.
    • The Source: The log explicitly names the failing driver: HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477 PCL-6.

    Here are step-by-step you can follow:

    Step 1: Reinstall the Faulty Driver

    1. Open PowerShell as an Administrator on your Server Core machine.
    2. Remove the Printer: First, remove the printer queue that uses the faulty driver. Remove-Printer -Name "MFP-RECEP-CL-A3"
    3. Remove the Corrupted Driver: Now, completely remove the driver from the system. Remove-PrinterDriver -Name "HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477 PCL-6"
    4. Install a Fresh Driver:
      • Download the latest official driver for the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477 specifically for Windows Server 2022 from the HP support website.
      • Copy the driver files to your server (e.g., C:\Drivers).
      • Use the pnputil command to install the new driver from its .inf file: pnputil /add-driver C:\Drivers\hp_driver.inf /install
    5. Re-create the Printer: Add the printer back, now linked to the new, clean driver. Add-Printer -Name "MFP-RECEP-CL-A3" -DriverName "HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477 PCL-6" -PortName "Your_Printer_Port"

    Step 2: If the targeted driver reinstall does not work, here are the next steps:

    1. Reset the Print Processor: Set-Printer -Name "MFP-RECEP-CL-A3" -PrintProcessor "WinPrint"
    2. Clear the Spooler Cache: This removes any stuck or corrupted print jobs.
      • net stop spooler
      • del /Q /F %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*
      • net start spooler

    I hope this information and these keywords help point you in the right direction for your research. Let me know how it goes, and if this answer helps, feel free to hit “Accept Answer” so others can benefit too

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