Users who have a printer set up as a network printer may get the “Printer Cannot Be Contacted Over The Network” issue. This error message is displayed by the printer troubleshooter when people try to use the printer but nothing gets printed.
Method 1: Ensure That Specific Services Are Active
Use of printers is reliant on a number of services functioning successfully. It’s possible that the way these services start up has changed as a result of a recent Windows update or a modification to your computer’s configuration. Setting them to run automatically should fix the issue.
Step 1: By pressing the Windows key and the letter R at the same time, you can launch the Run command prompt. To launch the Services tool, type “services.msc” (without the quotation marks) into the newly created box and hit OK.
Step 2: A second option is to access the Control Panel using the computer’s menu system (Start). It’s also searchable via the Start menu’s dedicated search bar.
Step 3: To access the Administrative Tools, open the Control Panel and then click the “View by” drop-down menu and select “Large Icons” from the available options. Locate the Services shortcut and click on it. It can be opened by clicking on it as well.
Step 4: Locate the Remote Access Auto Connection Manager, Remote Access Connection Manager, Secure Sockets Tunneling Protocol Service, and Routing and Remote Access services on the list, right-click on each one, and then pick Properties from the menu that appears.
Step 5: To prevent any more issues, click the Stop button in the middle of the window if the service is already running (you can tell if it is by looking at its state next to the message “Service status”). If it has been halted, please keep it that way until further notice.
Step 6: Before moving on, double-check that “Startup type” is set to “Automatic” in the service’s properties window. When switching the startup mode, confirm any prompts that arise. To begin, close the current window by clicking its central Start button. Be sure to follow these steps once again for each of the services we discussed.
If you try to launch the programme by pressing the Start button, you may see the following error message:
“Windows could not start the service on Local Computer. Error 1079: The account specified for this service differs from the account specified for other services running in the same process.”
In the event that this occurs, please refer to the solutions provided below.
Step 1: To access the service’s settings menu, repeat steps 1-3 from the previous section. To do this, go to the Log On menu and then select the Browse… option.
Step 2: Fill in your account’s name where it says “Enter the object name to pick,” then hit “Check Names” and wait for the name to become accessible.
Step 3: If a password has been set up, it will be required whenever you use this computer; when prompted, click OK to enter the password into the Password box. Now that you’ve fixed the problem, your printer should print correctly.
Method 2: Detach the Printer and Reconnect It
While this is a really simplistic fix, many people have reported success after uninstalling their printer and then reinstalling it via the Add a Printer dialogue. Follow the instructions below to give it a shot.
Step 1: To access the Control Panel, type “Control Panel” into the Start menu or use the Search (Cortana) button in the left side of the taskbar.
Step 2: A second shortcut is to press the Windows key plus R, then type “control.exe,” then click the Run button to launch the Control Panel.
Step 3: When the Control Panel appears, select the View by Category option and then select View devices and printers from the Hardware and Sound submenu.
Step 4: To uninstall the problematic printer, go to the Printers folder, right-click the printer’s icon, and then choose Remove device. Verify any pop-up confirmation dialogues that may appear.
Step 5: The Add a printer button should now be selected from the window’s toolbar. When you click the button, a new window will open and begin searching for a printer on your computer or network. Make your selection for the item you just deleted and press the Next button.
Step 6: Remember to stick to the on-screen prompts. After it’s done, test to see if your printer is working correctly.
