Windows 10: Microsoft Print to PDF stops working requiring Windows re-install

Hi all,

I have a Lenovo Yoga 910. It's a great little laptop. Truly the only thing flawed about it is the Windows x64 HOME operating system. It regularly comes up with glitches and failures (often in simple core features) that take hours of troubleshooting to sort out. In case this I am here now trying to sort out why Microsoft Print to PDF is so unreliable.

I have just now attempted to print a webpage and now found that the Microsoft Print to PDF simply does not work. It does not work in any browser, app or program on the computer. The driver has simply failed and the print driver is no longer available.

This is not the first time I have encountered this... in fact it's about the 5th or 6th time I've had this problem over the last 2-3yrs. The pattern I have noticed is that it occurs after some kind of automatic windows update (ie. you go to shutdown and get the "Update and Shutdown" prompt instead in the start menu). After restart BOOM - Microsoft Print to PDF no longer works. I have wasted hours and trawled the internet looking for solutions... there are plenty of people with the problem... not a lot of working solutions.

I have tried (and usually they have failed) the following solutions (from around the internet):

• Rollback to a restore point prior to the update (from safe mode bootup)
• the SFC/scannow and DISM from elevated CMD prompt
• remove and re-install from windows features
• remove and re-install manually the device driver from Control Panel > printers
• PLUS all the other solutions listed in the links below.

These usually make things worse and end up with a bunch of coded errors (0x0000007e etc) that point to .net framework etc or other nebulous issues when I search further.











In all cases my only reliable solution is to download a windows image onto a thumb drive and do an 'in place re-install' of the operating system. I am tired of wasting my time on this. It goes without saying that I always have the latest version of windows installed and fully updated (as mentioned it is... from what I can gather... updates that appear to cause the problem) .

Does anyone here happen to have a solution to this problem that won't take me more hours of troubleshooting to sort out? Otherwise it is just faster for me to do the re-install.

I am happy to access the registry and system files/permissions if required.

Here are some of the threads (and associated solutions) I have tried already trying to sort out this issue:

How to Add or Reinstall the Microsoft PDF Printer - Microsoft Community

Microsoft print to PDF stopped working after long time with no issues | Windows 10 Forums

Fix Microsoft Print to PDF Not Working or Missing in Windows

Fix: Print to PDF not working in Windows 10

microsoft print to pdf not working - Microsoft Community

Top 6 Solutions to Fix Microsoft Print to PDF Not Working on Windows 10 | Driver Talent

Cheers,

Growler

:)

 

Microsoft "Print to PDF" prints out Garbage

Hi,

To better assist you regarding Microsoft Print to PDF, we just have a few questions for you:

• What are the documents that you're trying to save as a PDF file?
  
• Can you provide us a step-by-step screenshot of how you print your documents as PDF?

 

MS Print to PDF not working


As near as I can tell, this worked BEFORE the latest Windows update.

In Outlook, when I attempt to use the Print to PDF as a print destination, I get an error
"Printer not ready".

Research showed a couple possibilities, so here's what I've done SO FAR:

• Made Print to PDF the default printer (claimed to fix the problem. Didn't work)
• I tried using Outlook in safe mode (Outlook /safe) and received exactly the same error as is "regular" mode.Turned off print to pdf in the windows features and rebooted, then turned back on print to pdf in the windows features. (claimed to fix the problem. Didn't work)
• There are NO commas or any other odd characters in the location to which I'm saving. Tried multiple destinations with no luck. Didn't work.
• Reinstalled Acrobat Reader. Works fine, PDFs open perfectly. Did NOT fix the "Print to PDF".
• When doing a "Print to PDF" from Word, I do not get an ERROR, but no output is created. Same exact thing when trying from a text editor.
• I have deleted and reinstalled the "Microsoft Print to PDF". This CREATES the printer, and allows me to print a test page as part of the installation. I don't get an error, but NO OUTPUT IS GENERATED. Trying to print a test page using print to PDF once the installation is complete (from printer properties, generates an error that says a "parameter is incorrect". No other information is provided.

AGAIN, this has been working absolutely fine since the original installation of Windows 10, using exactly the same versions of Outlook, Word, text editors, etc. As near a I can tell, this has only STOPPED working since the newest "creators update" a week or so ago...

What do now?

 

Print to PDF missing in Printer List

Hi William,

We suggest that you disable and re-enable the Print to PDF feature. Here are the steps:

• Click on the Start menu and type in Windows Features.
• Choose Turn Windows features on or off.
• On the next window, find Microsoft Print to PDF and disable it. Click
  OK to save changes.
• Restart your PC.
• Repeat the same steps to re-enable Microsoft Print to PDF.

If the issue persists, we suggest that you perform the troubleshooting steps suggested on the link below under
Advanced:

Fix printer problems

Regards.