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0x0000000dWorth attention

Windows Printer Error 0x0000000d

What it means

"The data is invalid", seen while adding a printer or installing its driver. Windows received a driver package it could not make sense of, so the fault is in what was supplied rather than in the printer. A damaged or partial download is the simplest cause and the first thing to rule out: download the driver again from the manufacturer, from their support page rather than from a link in a search result, and run it fresh. The more common cause is an old driver already in place that the new one cannot install over. Removing it properly is the fix, and properly means the spooler has to be stopped first or Windows will report the driver as in use. Open services.msc and stop Print Spooler. Then open printmanagement.msc, go to Custom Filters and All Drivers, and delete every entry belonging to that printer. Start the spooler again and install the manufacturer's driver. Architecture is worth a glance if the printer is old. A 32 bit driver will not install on 64 bit Windows, and the message you get is this one rather than anything about architecture. The manufacturer's page lists them separately; the 64 bit build is the one almost every current machine needs. If no driver exists for your version of Windows at all, adding the printer as an IPP device lets Windows drive it with the class driver built into the system, which handles printing on nearly every printer made in the last decade.

Guides that cover this kind of fault

A guide written for 0x0000000d itself is still being checked against the manufacturer's documentation. These cover the same underlying problem and are filed under driver issues.

Common questions

What does the 0x0000000d error mean on a printer?

"The data is invalid", seen while adding a printer or installing its driver. Windows received a driver package it could not make sense of, so the fault is in what was supplied rather than in the printer. A damaged or partial download is the simplest cause and the first thing to rule out: download the driver again from the manufacturer, from their support page rather than from a link in a search result, and run it fresh. The more common cause is an old driver already in place that the new one cannot install over. Removing it properly is the fix, and properly means the spooler has to be stopped first or Windows will report the driver as in use. Open services.msc and stop Print Spooler. Then open printmanagement.msc, go to Custom Filters and All Drivers, and delete every entry belonging to that printer. Start the spooler again and install the manufacturer's driver. Architecture is worth a glance if the printer is old. A 32 bit driver will not install on 64 bit Windows, and the message you get is this one rather than anything about architecture. The manufacturer's page lists them separately; the 64 bit build is the one almost every current machine needs. If no driver exists for your version of Windows at all, adding the printer as an IPP device lets Windows drive it with the class driver built into the system, which handles printing on nearly every printer made in the last decade.

Is the 0x0000000d error serious?

It is worth attention but not alarm. Switching the printer off, unplugging it for a minute and checking for anything physically in the way resolves a large share of cases before anything else is needed.

Different code or problem?

Switch off and unplug a printer before reaching inside it. If a fault involves the power supply or internal electronics, or the machine is under warranty, contact the manufacturer or a qualified technician. Full disclaimer. Brand and code names are trademarks of their owners; PrinterFixUp is independent and unaffiliated.