XL2000: Error Message: There Are No Printers Installed

In Excel 2000, you may receive the following error message: NOTE: Microsoft Office 2000 has built-in functionality that allows you to get more information about difficult-to-troubleshoot alerts or error messages. If you want to enable this functionality for this and other error messages in Microsoft Office 2000, please download the Microsoft Office 2000 Customizable Alerts file from the Microsoft Office Update Web site at the following address: NOTE: If you reached this article by clicking the Web Info button in an error message, you already have Customizable Alerts enabled.

This error message means that either you do not have a default printer installed, or Microsoft Excel cannot find the default printer. If you do not have a default printer, use the Add Printer wizard to install one. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and click Printers.
2. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions.
   
   NOTE: Some printers have their own setup routines that bypass the Add Printer Wizard. In this case, follow the instructions in your documentation.

If you already have a default printer, there may be a problem with your Win.ini file, which contains configuration information for your system. The problem may be any of the following:

• You do not have a Win.ini file.
• The Devices section of the Win.ini file is missing.
• The Devices section of the Win.ini file contains incomplete or incorrect information.
• The Win.ini file exceeds the 64 KB size limit, or is corrupted.

You may be able to fix the problem by reinstalling your printer driver, or correcting the driver's entry in your Win.ini file. If both of these methods fail, you will need to use Windows Setup to reinstall the Win.ini file from your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM.

Method 1: Reinstall the Printer Driver

To reinstall the printer driver, follow these steps:

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Printers.
2. Right-click your default printer, and click Delete. If you are prompted to remove extra files from the system, click Yes.
3. Double-click Add Printer, and follow the instructions to reinstall your printer driver.

When you reinstall your printer driver, Windows writes the correct entries for the Ports, Printer Ports, and Windows sections in the Win.ini file.

Method 2: Correct an Entry in the Win.ini File

To correct an entry in the Win.ini file, follow these steps: NOTE: You will need to know the name of your printer driver to complete this procedure.

1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
2. In the Named box, type win.ini.
3. In the Look In list, click to select your hard disk drive.
4. Click to select the Include Subfolders check box, and then click Find Now.
5. Check the file size in the Size column. If it is larger than 64 KB, the Win.ini file is too big. This could be the cause of the error message.
6. Double-click the Win.ini file to open it in Notepad.
7. Look for duplicate entries or sections. If you find any, delete them.
8. The Devices section should list the friendly name of your printer, followed by an equal sign, the driver name, comma, and then the port or network path. If the Devices section is missing, add it. Here is an example:
   

   [Devices]
   HP LaserJet 4/4M=HPPCL5MS,LPT1:
   HP LaserJet IIISi=HPPCL5MS,\\Server\Sharename
   					

9. If you made any changes, click Save on the File menu, and then attempt to print again.

Method 3: Create a new Win.ini

If the above methods fail, your Win.ini may be corrupted or there may be other problems with the file. Use this method only after you have attempted methods one and two.

To create a new Win.ini file, follow these steps:

1. Find the Win.ini file using method two.
2. Right-click the Win.ini file, click Rename, and type win.old.
3. Insert your Windows 95/98 CD-ROM.
4. In the Run Setup Again dialog box, click Restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted, and then follow the directions on your screen.

This method creates a new, complete Win.ini with all of the required sections.

NOTE: If you rename or delete the Win.ini file, and then restart without running Setup, Windows 95/98 will automatically create a new Win.ini. However, the new Win.ini file will contain only the Desktop and Embedding sections. The Devices section, and all other sections configured by your system, will be missing.