XL7: "Couldn't Write to Printer Spool File" Error Printing

ID: Q132364

7.00 WINDOWS kbprint

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you print a file, especially a multiple page worksheet or multiple sheets in a workbook, you may receive the following error message:

   Windows could not write to the printer spool file
   Make sure your disk has enough free space and try again

When you choose Cancel, you receive the following error message

   Error printing on <my printer name>

where <my printer name> is the name of your printer in Microsoft Windows.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when you print a document in Microsoft Excel if you do not have enough disk space available on your computer. When you print a document in Microsoft Excel, a temporary file is created on your local hard disk while the file is being printed. If your local hard disk does not have enough disk space available for this temporary file, you may receive the error messages above.

Note that the amount of disk space required to print a file depends on the file size of the file that you are printing.

WORKAROUND

To avoid receiving these error messages when you print a document in Microsoft Excel, make sure that you have plenty of disk space available on the drive that is specified in the TEMP statement in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For example, if your AUTOEXEC.BAT file contains the following line

   Set Temp=C:\TEMP

make sure your C drive contains at least 2 megabytes of available disk space.

KBCategory: kbprint KBSubcategory: xlwin

Additional reference words: 7.00 gpf crash

Keywords          : xlwin 
Version           : 7.00
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: March 30, 1997