Windows Printer Error 0x00000bc4
What it means
"No printers were found." Windows searched and came back empty, which is a discovery result rather than an error about any particular printer. Discovery is the thing to suspect first. Windows only looks for printers on networks it considers private, so a connection marked Public hides everything on it by design. Check under Settings, Network and internet, your connection, and set the network profile to Private. While you are there, Network discovery has to be on, which lives under Advanced network settings and Advanced sharing settings. The next most common cause is that the printer is genuinely not on your network. A phone hotspot, a guest network, or a second band that the router keeps separate will all put the printer somewhere your computer cannot see, and the printer will still report itself as connected. Printing a network configuration page from the printer and comparing its address to your computer's settles it: the first three groups of numbers should match. When the printer is on the right network and still is not found, skip discovery. Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname, and enter the address from that configuration page. This works whenever discovery does not, and it is more reliable afterwards because it does not depend on the printer answering a broadcast. A stopped print spooler produces the same message with none of the above being wrong, so if the address is right and the network is right, restart the Print Spooler service before going further.
Guides that cover this kind of fault
A guide written for 0x00000bc4 itself is still being checked against the manufacturer's documentation. These cover the same underlying problem and are filed under driver issues.
- Mac Printer Not Printing: How to Fix Offline and Communication ErrorsClear stuck jobs from the print queue and restart your Wi-Fi router to re-establish the network connection. If the printer remains offline, go to...
- Windows Cannot Connect to a Shared Printer: Troubleshooting GuideFix Windows shared printer connection errors by connecting directly to the host IP address instead of the computer name. If Point and Print...
- Printer Will Not Print a PDF: Causes and FixesTo fix a PDF that will not print, open the print menu in your PDF reader, click advanced settings, and select print as image. This bypasses font and...
Common questions
What does the 0x00000bc4 error mean on a printer?
"No printers were found." Windows searched and came back empty, which is a discovery result rather than an error about any particular printer. Discovery is the thing to suspect first. Windows only looks for printers on networks it considers private, so a connection marked Public hides everything on it by design. Check under Settings, Network and internet, your connection, and set the network profile to Private. While you are there, Network discovery has to be on, which lives under Advanced network settings and Advanced sharing settings. The next most common cause is that the printer is genuinely not on your network. A phone hotspot, a guest network, or a second band that the router keeps separate will all put the printer somewhere your computer cannot see, and the printer will still report itself as connected. Printing a network configuration page from the printer and comparing its address to your computer's settles it: the first three groups of numbers should match. When the printer is on the right network and still is not found, skip discovery. Add printer, then the printer I want is not listed, then Add a printer using a TCP/IP address or hostname, and enter the address from that configuration page. This works whenever discovery does not, and it is more reliable afterwards because it does not depend on the printer answering a broadcast. A stopped print spooler produces the same message with none of the above being wrong, so if the address is right and the network is right, restart the Print Spooler service before going further.
Is the 0x00000bc4 error serious?
Not usually. Codes at this level normally clear once the condition they describe is dealt with, and a printer that carries on working afterwards has nothing further wrong with it.
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.