Tutorial: How to start/stop the print spooler service from an on/off icon on the Windows taskbar

[Wally J]

Tutorial:
How to start/stop the print spooler service from an on/off icon.

For those who print sporadically, this information is helpful because it
allows them to maintain a lean machine (no services running all the time).
<Loading Image...>

When they want to start/stop a service (any service) they tap the icon.
A Yes/No query will come up with the current state (started or stopped).

Tested only with the print-spooler service on Windows 10; but I don't see
any reason the same technique wouldn't work for any other Windows service.

There are four easy ways to access the command once you've set it up.
1. From the RUN icon: [RUN] > spooler [Enter]
2. From the SPOOLER icon: spooler{.lnk}
3. From the PULLOUT MENU: menu > hardware > printer > spooler{.lnk}
4. From the command line: C:\> spooler [Enter] <== depends on PATH

The setup is described in detail in this solution on the Windows ng.
*Command in batch to start & stop the print spooler*
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.microsoft.windows/c/THfefCBM9zw/>

As always, if you know more than I do, please add value to the topic so
that everyone benefits and specifically so that the archives are improved.

[Wally J]

For the archives...

Given this will be permanently archived in websearchable archives, here are
updated screenshots which show the process in the detail to get it done:
<Loading Image...> Setting up a printer spooler
<Loading Image...> Setting up the hardware menu
<Loading Image...> Setting up multiple commands
And here is the spooler icon I made, although you can use any desired icon:
<Loading Image...> Printer spooler icon

While a few in this thread told the OP to "go search you idiot", I suspect
not a single one of those who said that has ever done the required task
because it demanded use of a half dozen specific Windows tricks to work.

It's always the case that those who say "lmgtfy" have never done it,
because I suggest that you will NEVER find all these tricks in one spot.
C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
Win+R > taskschd.msc
task spooler=%comspec% /c start "" C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\spooler.exe
C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
Taskbar > menu > hardware > printer > spooler
C:\data\sys\link\spooler.lnk
Target=C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe /run /TN "task spooler"
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\spooler.lnk
C:\data\menu\hardware\printer\spooler.lnk
C:\data\sys\icon\spooler.ico
etc.

It's not something that is easily found in a Google search, in fact,
because about a half dozen tricks are involved when you want to pin an
administrative icon to a batch file on the Windows taskbar menu to start
and stop any Windows service (which required batch files, the registry,
and the task scheduler to do properly) using a variety of access methods.

Where "properly" is _always_ defined as you can access it any way you like.
Most of which take up _zero_ space on your Windows desktop GUI or taskbar.

Anyone should be able to set up Windows with only essential services
running, & then, when needed, they can start and stop additional services.

NOTE: I no longer use the default Windows menus because they're too easily
polluted and too difficult to clean up after each program install/update.
Luckily, when you set it up the way I described, it's _never_ polluted!

Not only does it last forever, but it's portable, where I've ported my
EXACT Windows-XP menu folder (yes, the actual folder) to each subsequent
Windows version on many machines - and it works just fine on each of them!

All you have to know is how to set it up (but anyone who says you'll find
this setup in anything but my tutorials on the web, I challenge them to
find it as it took years elapsed time to learn all the tricks involved).
*Command in batch to start & stop the print spooler*
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.microsoft.windows/c/THfefCBM9zw/>

Once set up, it works for every service you could want it to work for.
And you have many consistent ways (all named "spooler") to invoke it.

For example (with a taskbar icon):
Taskbar > spooler
C:\data\sys\icon\spooler.ico

For example (with a taskbar pinned WinXP pullout menu):
Taskbar menu > Hardware > Printer > Spooler

For example (with a taskbar RUN icon & Registry AppPaths => taskschd.msc):
Taskbar > run > spooler [Enter]

For example (with a taskbar RUN icon & Registry AppPaths => spooler.bat):
Taskbar > run > spooler [Control][Shift][Enter]

For example (from the command line with the PATH set accordingly):
Win+R > cmd [Control][Shift][Enter]
C:\> spooler [Enter]

Where here are some of the details necessary to perform the task.

To make the shortcut and to run it as administrator:
C:\data\sys\link\spooler.lnk
TARGET=C:\Windows\System32\schtasks.exe /run /TN "task spooler"
COMMENT=C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
Advanced=[x]Run as administrator

To make the scheduled task and to run it as administrator:
Win+R > taskschd.msc > Task Scheduler Library > Create Task...
Name = task spooler
Description = start/stop print spooler
Security options = [x]Run with highest privileges
Actions = New > Start a program
Program/script = %comspec%
Add arguments = /c start "" c:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat

To make the RUN command and to run it as administrator:
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\spooler.exe
@Default = C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
If you point to the batch file, you need to run it as administrator:
Run -> spooler [Control][Shift][Enter]

HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\spooler.exe
@Default = C:\data\sys\link\spooler.lnk
If you point to the link to the scheduled task, you can just hit enter:
Run -> spooler [Enter]

To run the command from the command line (assuming it's in your PATH):
Win+R > cmd [Control][Shift][Enter]
C:\> spooler [Enter]

To run the command from the Winxp-style accordion pullout menu:
C:\data\menu\hardware\printer\spooler.lnk
Taskbar > menu > hardware > printer > spooler

Create this batch file for the scheduled task to point to as admin:
C:\data\sys\batch\spooler.bat
@echo off
REM 20231223 spooler.bat v0.1 starts & stops the Windows print spooler
REM using admin-only commands suggested by Andy Burns & VanguardLH
REM in Usenet thread Message-ID: <um4j5t$1vls9$***@news.samoylyk.net>
REM creating a scheduled task as suggested by Zaidy036 in that thread

call sc query | findstr /i spooler
if %ERRORLEVEL% == 0 goto :Stop?
:Start?
set /p user_input=Spooler is not running. Start it?"
if %user_input%==y net start spooler
goto :Icon

:Stop?
set /p user_input=Spooler is running. Stop it?"
if %user_input%==y net stop spooler

:Icon
echo "Change shortcut icon color (red/green) depending on outcome"
exit 0

Create any icon you like & have Irfanview save as a 42x42px ICO file.
C:\data\sys\icon\spooler.ico (the background can be transparized)

As always, if you know more than I do, please add value to this quick
tutorial, especially if you can flipflop taskbar icon color as needed.

[Alan]

Post by Wally J
How to start/stop the print spooler service from an on/off icon.
For those who print sporadically, this information is helpful because it
allows them to maintain a lean machine (no services running all the time).
<https://i.postimg.cc/mkLPrZpG/spooler01.jpg>

Because a service with nothing to do takes up SO much CPU time!

LOL

Post by Wally J
When they want to start/stop a service (any service) they tap the icon.
A Yes/No query will come up with the current state (started or stopped).
Tested only with the print-spooler service on Windows 10; but I don't see
any reason the same technique wouldn't work for any other Windows service.
There are four easy ways to access the command once you've set it up.
1. From the RUN icon: [RUN] > spooler [Enter]
2. From the SPOOLER icon: spooler{.lnk}
3. From the PULLOUT MENU: menu > hardware > printer > spooler{.lnk}
4. From the command line: C:\> spooler [Enter] <== depends on PATH
The setup is described in detail in this solution on the Windows ng.
*Command in batch to start & stop the print spooler*
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.microsoft.windows/c/THfefCBM9zw/>
As always, if you know more than I do, please add value to the topic so
that everyone benefits and specifically so that the archives are improved.

Or you could look at the fact that on macOS, the "cupsd" process (that's
Common Unix Printer Service Daemon) has used 0.23s of CPU...

...in 26 DAYS of uptime.

[Paul]

Post by Alan

Post by Wally J
How to start/stop the print spooler service from an on/off icon.
For those who print sporadically, this information is helpful because it
allows them to maintain a lean machine (no services running all the time).
  <https://i.postimg.cc/mkLPrZpG/spooler01.jpg>

Because a service with nothing to do takes up SO much CPU time!
LOL
Or you could look at the fact that on macOS, the "cupsd" process
(that's Common Unix Printer Service Daemon) has used 0.23s of CPU ...in 26 DAYS of uptime.

At one time, a number of SVCHOST claimed they had used no cycles at all.
(Process Explorer, elevated to administrator, can measure a few things.
Usage is measured at the clock tick level, presumably via performance
counters in the CPU.)

You need to measure the stats on a SVCHOST, to determine whether it is
worth killing or not. For example, I checked now, and WUAUSERV is no longer
running and has been placed on manual. I didn't do that. I was going to use
it as a poster boy for bad behavior, and... they've turned it off.

To a first order approximation, in Windows today, you're not really
in control of the power usage. The machine has bad dining habits, and
you are not in control. If it decides it has a slug of measurements
to make, you just sit back... and listen to the fans. I can tell just
by the fan noise, "who is inside my machine".

My machine started its current life, idling at 58-60W. Then,
after a while, I was seeing 46W for no particular reason. I
added a new NIC to the PC, and today it idles at 36.8 watts
of mains power. The power dropped immediately, upon addition of
a new NIC! And it has a video card in it too, a gutless
1050Ti on which the fan does not spin, and currently it measures
30C on the GPU die. It's only a little bit warmer than the CPU,
and the fan blades don't move. It has to hug itself for warmth.

I would never, in a million years, have achieved results like that
on my own, by puttering around and killing SVCHOSTs that don't draw power.

It might have been AMD Ryzen Master, but I'm not using ECO mode in
there, and the program is on the computer purely for observational purposes.
That's a software which updates itself and doesn't ask permission,
so it's hard to say what it might have pulled in. You can see when it idles,
only Core 0 is running.

[Picture]

Loading Image...

My power measurements are done on a Kill-O-Watt attached to the mains power plug.
Accurate to 1% or so. Can measure W and VA and PF. PSU is a Seasonic Bronze.

I don't really know for sure, what has made the improvements on my machine.
It wasn't me. It might not have been Microsoft, because I have no press release
that matches symptoms. Googling it (as usual) shows no useful policy announcements.

Paul

[Wally J]

Post by Paul
My power measurements are done on a Kill-O-Watt attached to the mains power plug.
Accurate to 1% or so. Can measure W and VA and PF. PSU is a Seasonic Bronze.

Hi Paul,
Just so you know, Alan Baker (whom you responded to) is a moron with an IQ
of about 40 which isn't so bad (lots of people are stupid) but he has no
helpful intent _ever_ when he posts his trolls to this or to any newsgroup.

He posts under a variety of nyms (which isn't the problem, per se) such as
Jack_Of_All_Trades_Master_of_None <***@andybastard.com> most recently,
but the nym changing isn't the problem - it's the lack of helpful intent.

Never once in his life has Alan Baker added value and worse - never once
has there ever been a post to Usenet from him that had helpful intent.

That's a pretty classic indication that Alan Baker lives atop Mt. Stupid.
<Loading Image...>

He's one of the classic childish Apple zealot iKooks (much like Snit is)
combined with the ill intent of the classic despicable troll (much like
Sn!pe is), such that the end result is _nothing_ from him ever adds value.

Unlike you, he can't add value.

But more importantly, every post from him is an attempt to subtract value.
Just FYI...

[Carlos E.R.]

Post by Wally J

Post by Paul
My power measurements are done on a Kill-O-Watt attached to the mains power plug.
Accurate to 1% or so. Can measure W and VA and PF. PSU is a Seasonic Bronze.

Hi Paul,
Just so you know, Alan Baker (whom you responded to) is a moron with an IQ
of about 40 which isn't so bad (lots of people are stupid) but he has no
helpful intent _ever_ when he posts his trolls to this or to any newsgroup.

Arlen, your post is irrelevant, not related at all to what Paul wrote
about. He is a very nice chap and his posts are usually interesting.

It seems you have a grudge with the previous post and just have a bot
that answers when somebody replies after him.

Your post adds no value, as you like to say.

[Alan]

Post by Wally J
How to start/stop the print spooler service from an on/off icon.

And how exactly was this relevant to rec.PHOTO.digital?