WD2000: Error Message: "No Printers Are Installed"

ID: Q224169

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Word 2000

ERROR MESSAGE

When you try to print, the following error message may appear:

No printers are installed. To install a printer, point to Settings on the Windows Start menu, click Printers, and then double-click Add Printer. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
If you already have a default printer, there may be a problem with the printer driver or your Win.ini file, which contains configuration information for your system.

NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address:
http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/alerts.htm
NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.


CAUSE

There is no default printer driver installed.

A printer driver is damaged and requires reinstallation.

The Win.ini file has incorrect, duplicate, or missing entries.

The Win.ini file may be corrupted, or there may be other problems with the file.

There is a problem with your fax setup.


WHAT TO TRY

There is no default printer driver installed.

If you do not have a default printer, use the Add Printer Wizard to install one.

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Printers.


  2. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions.


NOTE: Some printers have their own setup routines that bypass the Add Printer Wizard. Follow the instructions in your documentation.

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A printer driver is damaged and requires reinstallation.

You need your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM or the printer driver disk or CD-ROM from the printer vendor to complete this procedure.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Right-click your default printer, and click Delete. If you are asked whether you want to remove extra files left on the system, click Yes.


  3. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions to reinstall your printer driver.


When you reinstall your printer driver, Windows writes the correct entries for the Ports, Printer Ports, and Windows sections in the Win.ini file.

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The Win.ini file has incorrect, duplicate, or missing entries.

You need to correct the Win.ini file. To complete this procedure, you need to know the name of your printer driver.
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.


  2. In the Named box, type win.ini.


  3. In the Look In list, click your hard disk.


  4. Select the Include Subfolders check box, and then click Find Now.


  5. Check the file size in the Size column. If it is larger than 64 KB, the Win.ini file is too big. This could be the cause of the error message.


  6. Double-click the Win.ini file to open it. If the file is too large to open in Notepad, click Yes to the following message to open the file in WordPad:


    7. This file is too large for NotePad to open.
    Would you like to use WordPad to read this file?
  7. Look for duplicate entries or sections. If you find any, delete them.


  8. The Devices section should list the friendly name of your printer, followed by an equal sign, the driver name, a comma, and then the port or network path.

    If the Devices section is missing, add it. Here is an example:


    9. 
[Devices]
HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
HP LaserJet IIISi=HPPCL5MS,\\Server\Sharename
  9. If you make any changes, click Save on the File menu, and then try to print again.


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The Win.ini file may be corrupted, or there may be other problems with the file.

If the above methods fail, you need to create a new Win.ini file. Use this last method only after attempting the previous methods.
  1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.


  2. In the Named box, type win.ini.


  3. In the Look In list, click your hard disk.


  4. Select the Include Subfolders check box, and then click Find Now.


  5. Right-click the Win.ini file, click Rename, and type win.old.


  6. Insert your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM.


  7. In the Run Setup Again? dialog box, click Restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted, and then follow the on-screen directions. This method creates a new, complete Win.ini file with all of the required sections.


NOTE: If you rename or delete the Win.ini file and then restart without running Setup, Windows 95/98 automatically creates a new Win.ini file. However, the new Win.ini file contains only the Desktop and Embedding sections. The Devices section and all other sections configured by your system are missing. Back to Top

There is a problem with your fax setup.

If you receive this error message when you attempt to send a fax, there may be a problem with the way your fax software is set up.

The "Word 2000 Fax Troubleshooter" gives detailed tips on solving a wide range of faxing problems. See the following Microsoft Web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/word/wordfax/
For additional information, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q211473 WD2000: Troubleshooting Fax Problems from Word
Q199043 WD2000: Error When Faxing from WinFax
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Additional query words:

Keywords : kbdta wd2000
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb


Last Reviewed: February 3, 2000
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