OS: Windows 7 Enterprise SP1 x64 + hotfixes.
It appears the printer subsystem is broken as Windows is unable to install any driver from any vendor. All attempts result in HRESULT 0x8000ffff. For example:
Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin
Source: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService
Date: 1/8/2013 8:19:49 AM
Event ID: 215
Task Category: Installing a printer driver
Level: Error
Keywords: Printer Setup,Printer
User: SYSTEM
Computer: WORKSTATION.MYDOMAIN
Description:
Installing printer driver Remote Desktop Easy Print failed, error code 0x0, HRESULT 0x8000ffff. See the event user data for context information.
Event Xml:<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"><System><Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-PrintService" Guid="{747EF6FD-E535-4D16-B510-42C90F6873A1}" /><EventID>215</EventID><Version>0</Version><Level>2</Level><Task>19</Task><Opcode>12</Opcode><Keywords>0x8000000000000220</Keywords><TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-01-08T16:19:49.334750400Z" /><EventRecordID>777</EventRecordID><Correlation /><Execution ProcessID="1448" ThreadID="2300" /><Channel>Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin</Channel><Computer>WORKSTATION.amc.MYDOMAIN</Computer><Security UserID="S-1-5-18" /></System><UserData><SetupInstallPrinterDriver xmlns:auto-ns3="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events" xmlns="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2005/08/windows/printing/spooler/core/events"><Label>InternalInstallPrinterDriverFromPackage</Label><Message>GetCorePrinterDriversKey failed</Message><AdditionalInfo>-</AdditionalInfo><InfPath>C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\tsprint.inf_amd64_neutral_c48d421ad2c1e3e3\tsprint.inf</InfPath><DriverName>Remote Desktop Easy Print</DriverName><InstallSection>TSPRINT_FILES</InstallSection><ProcessorArchitecture>Windows x64</ProcessorArchitecture><PackageAware>Package aware</PackageAware><CoreDriverDependencies>{D20EA372-DD35-4950-9ED8-A6335AFE79F5}</CoreDriverDependencies><LastError>0x0</LastError><HResult>0x8000ffff</HResult></SetupInstallPrinterDriver></UserData></Event>
=================================================
Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin
Source: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService
Date: 1/8/2013 8:19:49 AM
Event ID: 215
Task Category: Installing a printer driver
Level: Error
Keywords: Printer Setup,Printer
User: SYSTEM
Computer: WORKSTATION.MYDOMAIN
Description:
Installing printer driver Remote Desktop Easy Print failed, error code 0x0, HRESULT 0x8000ffff. See the event user data for context information.
Event Xml:<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"><System><Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-PrintService" Guid="{747EF6FD-E535-4D16-B510-42C90F6873A1}" /><EventID>215</EventID><Version>0</Version><Level>2</Level><Task>19</Task><Opcode>12</Opcode><Keywords>0x8000000000000220</Keywords><TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-01-08T16:19:49.339750900Z" /><EventRecordID>778</EventRecordID><Correlation /><Execution ProcessID="484" ThreadID="544" /><Channel>Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin</Channel><Computer>WORKSTATION.MYDOMAIN</Computer><Security UserID="S-1-5-18" /></System><UserData><SetupInstallPrinterDriver xmlns:auto-ns3="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events" xmlns="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2005/08/windows/printing/spooler/core/events"><Label>InstallPrinterDriverFromInfPackage</Label><Message>InstallPrinterDriverFromPackage failed</Message><AdditionalInfo>-</AdditionalInfo><InfPath>C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\tsprint.inf_amd64_neutral_c48d421ad2c1e3e3\tsprint.inf</InfPath><DriverName>Remote Desktop Easy Print</DriverName><InstallSection>-</InstallSection><ProcessorArchitecture>Windows x64</ProcessorArchitecture><PackageAware>Not package aware</PackageAware><CoreDriverDependencies>-</CoreDriverDependencies><LastError>0x0</LastError><HResult>0x8000ffff</HResult></SetupInstallPrinterDriver></UserData></Event>
=================================================
Log Name: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin
Source: Microsoft-Windows-PrintService
Date: 1/8/2013 8:19:49 AM
Event ID: 215
Task Category: Installing a printer driver
Level: Error
Keywords: Printer Setup,Printer
User: SYSTEM
Computer: WORKSTATION.MYDOMAIN
Description:
Installing printer driver - failed, error code 0x8000ffff, HRESULT 0x8000ffff. See the event user data for context information.
Event Xml:<Event xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events/event"><System><Provider Name="Microsoft-Windows-PrintService" Guid="{747EF6FD-E535-4D16-B510-42C90F6873A1}" /><EventID>215</EventID><Version>0</Version><Level>2</Level><Task>19</Task><Opcode>12</Opcode><Keywords>0x8000000000000220</Keywords><TimeCreated SystemTime="2013-01-08T16:19:49.339750900Z" /><EventRecordID>779</EventRecordID><Correlation /><Execution ProcessID="484" ThreadID="544" /><Channel>Microsoft-Windows-PrintService/Admin</Channel><Computer>WORKSTATION.MYDOMAIN</Computer><Security UserID="S-1-5-18" /></System><UserData><SetupInstallPrinterDriver xmlns:auto-ns3="http://schemas.microsoft.com/win/2004/08/events" xmlns="http://manifests.microsoft.com/win/2005/08/windows/printing/spooler/core/events"><Label>PSetupInstallPrinterDriver</Label><Message>InstallDriverFromCurrentInf failed</Message><AdditionalInfo>-</AdditionalInfo><InfPath>C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\tsprint.inf_amd64_neutral_c48d421ad2c1e3e3\tsprint.inf</InfPath><DriverName>-</DriverName><InstallSection>-</InstallSection><ProcessorArchitecture>Windows x64</ProcessorArchitecture><PackageAware>Not package aware</PackageAware><CoreDriverDependencies>-</CoreDriverDependencies><LastError>0x8000ffff</LastError><HResult>0x8000ffff</HResult></SetupInstallPrinterDriver></UserData></Event>If I attempt to install a driver through Printer Management, the following errors are always thrown. Yes, I've tried both HP and Xerox so it's not a vendor specific issue:
I've attempted to purge all vendor files from C:\Windows\System32\spool\. Remove all vendor entries from HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Print. Currently there doesn't appear to be any left over vendor files/entries laying around.
Shame the Microsoft Fixit for Printing tool doesn't work on Windows 7.
I've also tried the Microsoft FixIt Pro - printing troubleshooter, but it was unable to find any real problems.
Thoughts on why everything is failing?