Back when Windows 8.1 first started rolling out, countless Windows users who upgraded to the then latest version of Windows started complaining about their computers not being able to communicate with their printers and their computers’ Print Spoolers not starting. The Print Spooler is a Windows program that enables your Windows computer to communicate with your printer and order and initiate prints, scans, faxes and photocopies. The latest and greatest version of Windows, at this time, is Windows 10, and quite a large number of users who have upgraded to Windows 10 have also complained about their computers not being able to communicate with their printers and their computers’ Print Spoolers not opening up.
According to reports, in such cases when the Print Spooler fails to open, the user is greeted with error code 0x800706b9 and an error message that, in most cases, states that the computer does not have enough resources to start the Print Spooler service. The cause behind the Print Spooler error 0x800706b9 can be anything from a corrupted registry key or value as a result of the Windows 10 upgrade to a third-party antivirus or firewall program blocking the launch of the Print Spooler and anything in between. Fortunately for you, the following are some of the most effective solutions to error 0x800706b9 that have proven to work for a substantially large amount of Windows 10 users who have had first-hand experience with this issue:
Solution 1: Turn the Print Spooler service’s startup type to Automatic
The reason why your computer’s Print Spooler isn’t starting may be because it isn’t configured to start automatically. If that is the case, reconfiguring your Printer Spooler to start automatically should get the job done.
Press the Windows Logo key + R.
When a Run dialog opens, type services.msc into it and press Enter.
Locate the Print Spooler service and right-click on it. Click on Properties.
Open the drop down menu in front of Startup type and click on Automatic. Click on Apply. Click on OK.
If the Print Spooler service is not already running, right-click on it and click on Start.
Restart your computer, and the Print Spooler should start seamlessly once your computer boots up.
Solution 2: Fix the issue by editing your computer’s registry
Press the Windows Logo key + R.
When a Run dialog opens, type regedit into it and press Enter.
If you are prompted by a User Access Control message, click on Yes or, if asked to do so, provide your password.
In the left pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler.
Click on the Spooler key to display its contents in the right pane.
Locate a value named DependOnService and double-click on it to be able to modify it.
The Value data field will contain the term RPCSS, followed by http in the next line. Delete the http part, leaving behind only the term RPCSS as the value’s data.
Click on OK to save the changes.
Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer, and there will no trace of error 0x800706b9 and your Print Spooler will be able to function correctly once your computer boots up.
Solution 3: Uninstall any and all third-party system protection programs
Many Windows 10 users who have suffered from error 0x800706b9 and overcame it reported that the culprit behind the issue was a third-party system protection program (a Kaspersky program, in most cases). So if you are suffering from this problem and have any third-party antivirus, anti-malware or firewall programs on your computer – especially if you have any Kaspersky programs installed – this solution has significant chances of being the right fit for you.
If a third-party system protection program is what is causing your computer’s Print Spooler service to not start, simply navigate to the Add/Remove programs part of the Control Panel and uninstall every single third-party system protection program on your computer. Restart your computer and check to see if the Print Spooler starts up successfully after your computer boots up. If the Print Spooler starts up successfully, the third-party system protection programs were, in fact, the cause. Once your Print Spooler starts working appropriately, you can go ahead and install all the third-party system protection programs you could possibly need, keeping in mind not to reinstall the same programs that gave birth to error 0x800706b9 in the first place.
Solution 4: Refresh your Windows 10 computer
If none of the solutions above work, the only option you will have left is to refresh your Windows 10 computer. The system refresh is a new feature that Microsoft has introduced with Windows 10 – a feature that deletes all of the applications and programs on your computer that didn’t come with it but keeps all your files and data. To perform a system refresh, you need to:
Open the Start Menu. Click on Settings. Click on Update & Security. Click on Recovery.
Click on the Get started button located under the Reset this PC.
Click on Keep my files and allow your computer to be refreshed. Once your computer boots up after the refresh, error 0x800706b9 should be no more and your computer’s Print Spooler should start successfully.
