Where are windows spool files located

Introduction This lesson introduces you to the skills and knowledge that you need to change the location of the print spooler. Definition The primary component of the printing interface is the print spooler. The print spooler is an executable file that manages the printing process. Management of the printing process involves:. The print spooler is loaded at system startup and continues to run until the operating system shuts down.

The print spooler takes files to be printed, stores them on the hard disk, and then sends them to the printer when the printer is ready. Additionally, you can log events during this process, or you can turn off logging during high-demand periods to minimize disk space and improve the performance of the print spooler service. Files that are waiting to be printed are collected in a spool folder that is located on the print server's hard drive. However, this hard drive also holds the Windows system files.

Because the operating system frequently accesses these files, performance of both Windows and the printing functions might be slowed. If your print server serves only one or two printers with low traffic volumes, the default location of the spool folder is sufficient. However, to support high traffic volumes, large numbers of printers, or large print jobs, you should relocate the spool folder. Situations in which The spooling solution should enable the following types of output to be spooling should be used delivered in a manner that is consistent with the needs of the organization:.

These are jobs that are typically short, but must be printed within a certain time period, with implicit financial penalties if they fail. An example is loading dock pick lists. Archived Forums. Sign in to vote.

Hi All, We have recently set-up a new print server and the print spooler location is still the default location on the C: drive system 32 folder, what are the benefits of moving this to another drive? Regards, Ross. Wednesday, June 12, AM. You will get a pop up from the spooler when you change this. Alan Morris Windows Printing Team. Besides, you can make more changes in the service here. You just need to invoke the Run window, input services.

Then, scroll down to locate the Print Spooler service. If the service is stopped, you can click Start the service in the left pane, or choose Start from the context menu. To make more configuration for the service, you can double-click it to open its Properties. And you are allowed to choose a Start type from the drop-down list as your needs.

To sum up, this post has introduced what the Print Spooler is and how to reset it on Windows This thread is locked. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread. I have the same question Report abuse. Details required :. Cancel Submit. Winston M. Hi, By default the printer drops any files that are printed on the printer after the job is finished.