In one of our previous posts, we had talked about fixing the Windows cannot connect to the printer error 0x0000011b for Windows 10, 9, 8, & 7 users. This error had caused so many users that, they were unable to print using their printer. Today, in this post we will talk about a similar printer not working error which is currently appearing to many Windows 10, 9, 8, & 7 users with an error message Windows cannot connect to the printer error 0x000000c1 or 0x0000021. Now, let’s head to the post below and see what might be the most common reason for this error and how to fix it.
How to Fix Windows cannot connect to the printer error 0x000000c1 or 0x0000021?
One of the most common reasons for Windows cannot connect to the printer error 0x000000c1 or 0x0000021 is incompatible printer drivers. If you’re experiencing this problem, you should unplug the printer cable. This should solve the problem. You’ll need to update the printer driver. This is usually done through the Control Panel.
If you’re still seeing this error, you can try to update your printer’s driver. There are several ways to fix this problem. You can either change the status to Automatic or restart the service.
Run the Printer Troubleshooter
The best option is to run a printer troubleshooter. This tool will automatically diagnose the problem and repair it. To use the troubleshooter, navigate to the Settings tab, then search for Troubleshoot, then Troubleshoot Settings, and then click Additional troubleshooters. You can then select Printer and click run the troubleshooter to troubleshoot any issue.
Other problems can also cause this issue. Damaged system files and registry keys may be causing this problem. Make sure to update your printer driver regularly to prevent this from happening again. This is the easiest way to fix the problem. When you install a new printer, make sure you update the printer driver if necessary. If the problem still persists, you can try reinstalling the printer or installing it manually.
Restart the Print Spooler service
To fix the error, you need to disable the Print Spooler service on your PC. You can do this by disabling the services or restarting the PC. In order to enable the service, you need to change the driver’s status to Automatic. Once you’ve changed the status, restart the PC to see if it works properly.
Check and restart the print spooler service and then try connecting to the printer again.
- Go to the Search and type services.msc.
- Click the top result to start the Services window.
- Scroll down and locate the Print Spooler option from the list.
- If the print spooler service display running then right-click it and select restart
- If the print spooler service has not started right-click the same and select Properties.
- Here, change the status type to Automatic and start the service.
- Next, tap the OK button to save the changes and close the running apps.
- Lastly, Restart your PC to confirm the changes.
Update Printer Driver
This Windows cannot connect to the printer error 0x000000c1 or 0x0000021 error can occur due to incompatible printer drivers. To fix the problem, you need to install a compatible driver. Ensure the driver is compatible and updated. To fix the error, follow the instructions below.
To install a compatible driver, you need to create a restore point first. Once you’ve done that, delete the folders containing the printer and the w32x86 folder.
- Go to the Search and type services.msc.
- Locate the print spooler, right-click on it select Stop,
- Now open File Explorer pressing the Windows + E on your keyboard
- Now, navigate to C:\\Windows\\System32\\Spool\\Printers
- Here right-click on the printer’s folder and select the Delete option.
- Now, move to C:\\Windows\\System32\\Spool\\Drivers\\w32x86 and delete the w32x86 folder as well.
- Now open the Windows registry editor by typing Regedit in the Win search bar and navigate the following path.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SYSTEM\\CurrentControlSet\\Control\\Print\\Environments\\Windows x64\\Drivers\\Version-x
- Note: Replace Windows NT x86 if you have 32 bit Windows 10 installed
- Here delete all printer registry entries and restart your PC
If you’ve tried rebooting the computer, the problem could still be in the printer’s registry. The best way to solve this problem is to remove the printer’s registry entry. This will fix the underlying cause of the error. However, if this doesn’t work, you can try other methods. The best method to fix the error is to upgrade the operating system.
