Fix 0X00000870 Print Processor Error in 5 Minutes

The error 0X00000870 (or NERR_ProcNoRespond) is a pain, but it's almost always a spooler hang or a corrupt driver.

I've seen this on Windows 10, 11, and Server 2016-2022. The printer shows as offline, jobs sit in the queue, and nothing prints. The real fix? Kill the spooler, clear the jobs, restart it. Takes less than five minutes.

Step 1: Stop the Print Spooler

Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Type:

net stop spooler

Don't skip this. The spooler holds the queue open. Stopping it unlocks the jobs so you can delete them.

Step 2: Delete All Stuck Print Jobs

Navigate to the spooler folder. Run:

del /F /S /Q %systemroot%\System32\spool\PRINTERS\*.*

This nukes every pending job. If you get an access denied (which can happen if something still holds a lock), reboot into Safe Mode and run it again. But 90% of the time, this works fine after stopping the service.

Step 3: Restart the Spooler

net start spooler

That's it. Try printing again. If the error comes back, move to the next section.

Why This Works

The 0X00000870 error is the spooler's way of saying "the print processor I'm trying to talk to isn't answering." Usually that's because a corrupt job (half-downloaded or from a failed print) stuck the processor in a loop. Clearing the queue removes the garbage.

The print processor is a DLL (like winprint.dll) that handles converting your document into printer-ready data. If that DLL can't load or hangs, the spooler just sits there. By resetting the spooler and clearing the PRINTERS folder, you force a clean state.

When the Quick Fix Isn't Enough

Sometimes the issue is deeper. Here are the less common causes I've seen:

Corrupt Printer Driver

If the error returns after a day or two, the driver is the problem. Uninstall the printer completely:

Open Devices and Printers.
Right-click the printer, choose Remove device.
Then go to Print Server Properties (search for "print server" in Start).
On the Drivers tab, delete the driver for that printer.
Reinstall with the latest driver from the manufacturer's site — not Windows Update, which sometimes pushes old versions.

I've had this happen most often with HP Universal Print Driver and some older Brother drivers. Get the v4 or v5 driver if available.

Third-Party Print Processor Interference

Some software (like PDF printers, fax software, or label makers) installs its own print processor. If that processor is outdated or corrupt, it can cause 0X00000870. Check the list:

Open the printer's Properties.
Go to the Advanced tab.
Click Print Processor.
You'll see a list. The default is WinPrint. If you see something else (like HPZPLWIN or Brother's), try switching to WinPrint and see if the error goes away.

If it does, you found the culprit. Reinstall that third-party software.

Network Printer Timeout

For network printers (especially on a slow or congested network), the spooler may time out waiting for the processor to respond. In this case:

net stop spooler
net start spooler

Then check the printer's IP. Ping it. If it's unreachable, fix the network connection first. This error rarely comes from a dead printer, but it's worth a two-second check.

Prevention – Keep It Clean

To avoid this recurring:

Don't let print jobs pile up. Clear the queue regularly, especially on shared printers.
Update drivers from the manufacturer – not Windows Update. I've seen Windows Update push drivers that work for basic printing but fail on duplex or color.
Avoid using generic drivers if you can help it. The manufacturer's driver handles the print processor better.
Set a spooler restart schedule if this is a server. A simple net stop spooler && net start spooler in Task Scheduler nightly prevents bloat.

That's it. Nine times out of ten, the spooler stop/start and queue clear is all you need. If you're still stuck after that and the driver swap, it might be a corrupted OS file — run sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. But in my 14 years, the above fixes 0X00000870 95% of the time.