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0x0000007cWorth attention

Windows Printer Error 0x0000007c

What it means

A shared printer connection failure that appeared alongside the Windows updates of recent years, in the same family as 0x0000011b. The printer works, and printing from the computer it is attached to works. Only the connection from another machine over the network fails. The cause is a mismatch between the two computers rather than a fault on either. The machine sharing the printer and the machine connecting to it have to agree on how the driver is delivered, and a security update to one side changed what the other side is allowed to accept. Which is why it appears overnight on a setup nobody touched. Uninstalling the update is the advice that circulates and it is the wrong answer: it works for a few days until the update reinstalls, and it removes a security fix you wanted. The route that holds is to stop asking the sharing computer for the driver at all. Install the printer driver on your own machine first, from the manufacturer's download rather than from the network. Then add the printer as a local printer pointed at the shared one: Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings, Create a new port, choose Local Port, and enter \\COMPUTERNAME\PrinterShareName as the port name. Pick your installed driver when asked. The job goes to the same printer over the same network; what changes is that nothing has to be negotiated between the two Windows installations.

Guides that cover this kind of fault

A guide written for 0x0000007c itself is still being checked against the manufacturer's documentation. These cover the same underlying problem and are filed under wifi & network.

Common questions

What does the 0x0000007c error mean on a printer?

A shared printer connection failure that appeared alongside the Windows updates of recent years, in the same family as 0x0000011b. The printer works, and printing from the computer it is attached to works. Only the connection from another machine over the network fails. The cause is a mismatch between the two computers rather than a fault on either. The machine sharing the printer and the machine connecting to it have to agree on how the driver is delivered, and a security update to one side changed what the other side is allowed to accept. Which is why it appears overnight on a setup nobody touched. Uninstalling the update is the advice that circulates and it is the wrong answer: it works for a few days until the update reinstalls, and it removes a security fix you wanted. The route that holds is to stop asking the sharing computer for the driver at all. Install the printer driver on your own machine first, from the manufacturer's download rather than from the network. Then add the printer as a local printer pointed at the shared one: Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings, Create a new port, choose Local Port, and enter \\COMPUTERNAME\PrinterShareName as the port name. Pick your installed driver when asked. The job goes to the same printer over the same network; what changes is that nothing has to be negotiated between the two Windows installations.

Is the 0x0000007c 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.