PDFCreator hangs sometimes with many files left in PDFCreatorSpool

If you are using Windows Vista then try this "work around":

Try setting the PDF spooler directory to extended access rights (right mouse click, properties etc...).

If not then you will see all printed jobs pop up again on the end of the spooler list.

I  assume its something the installer missed doing on its own when setting up the package with elevated rights. Adding such capability to the installer would definitely be a well appreciated fix for several yet unsatisfied would-like-to-be-users.

It is a Windows Server 2003

If it were a problem with permissions, then this error would be permanent. It is not, it pops up once in a week in average, totally random.

This is a very strange Problem, specially, as it only occurs occasionally. Do you have logging activated? If so: do you get some kind of clue in the PDFCreator log?

kinds regards,

Philip

Where is the logfile? I cannot open the GUI when the error occurs.

you have to enable logging in the GUI beforehand. From then on, a logfile is created on everything that happens. When your problem occurs, just kill PDFCreator. The log file contains all data since the time when you activated it. It can be accessed in thue GUI again.

But when the problem occurs, I DON'T have a GUI anymore, PDFCreator is completely locked. So, again, where can I find the logfile?

you find the log file here: %Temp%\PDFCreator\PDFCreator\PDFCreator.log

you may have to increase the loglines variable in the registry (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\PDFCreator\Program) to a value that can cope with your amount of entries.

Thanks, I did that, the value is now 2000, i hope this will suffice. Now we wait for the next disaster...

PDFCreator ignores the LogLines=2000 registry entry, the log still consists only 100 lines.

We have had the problem again, the 100 lines logfile shows nothing special. Can anyone confirm, that the registry setting LogLines influences nothing?

 I have similar problem, started randomly but now it keeps consistant (probbaly until I reboot). I am using WinVista Premium 64-bit, PDFCreator not installed as server.

When I print anyting to PDFCreator, printer icon shows on the wondows tray for a moment, but I do not see the PDFCreator dialog I normally get.  Opening the windows printer dialog for PDFCreator printer, it shows no document entries in the queue.  However, i I open the PDFCreator print monitor (Programs menu|PDFCreator|PDFCreator), then immediatly I see all I printed is in that list and I immediately get the usual PDFCreator print dialog displayed.

So, if I keep the PDFCreator print monitor up and then print anything, then also I get the print dialog right away.

I am not so concerned about this problem for myself, because I know how I can ovecome this issue, but I have recommended this tool to some businesses and I am likely be trouble if they end up getting these problems.

Appreciate any help to identify and resolve this isue.

PS: I did turn on the log, but log has almost no troubleshooting info as for this problem is concerned in my opinion.  I chnged the registry for log rom 100 to 200, but could not confirm yet if SanskritFritz's point about registry value effectiveness is valid or not.

9/2/2009 12:00:31 PM: PDFCreator Program End

9/2/2009 12:02:28 PM: PDFCreator Program Start

9/2/2009 12:02:28 PM: Windowsversion: Windows Vista 6.0 Build 6001 (Service Pack 1) [TerminalServer IsWinVista IsWinVistaPlus IsWinVistaSP1 IsWinVistaHomePremium]

9/2/2009 12:02:28 PM: UseINI: False

9/2/2009 12:02:28 PM: InstalledAsServer: False

9/2/2009 12:02:28 PM: MyAppData: C:\Users\SN\AppData\Roaming

9/2/2009 12:08:00 PM: PDFCreator Program End

9/2/2009 12:13:22 PM: PDFCreator Program Start

9/2/2009 12:13:22 PM: Windowsversion: Windows Vista 6.0 Build 6001 (Service Pack 1) [TerminalServer IsWinVista IsWinVistaPlus IsWinVistaSP1 IsWinVistaHomePremium]

9/2/2009 12:13:22 PM: UseINI: False

9/2/2009 12:13:22 PM: InstalledAsServer: False

9/2/2009 12:13:22 PM: MyAppData: C:\Users\SN\AppData\Roaming

9/2/2009 12:14:17 PM: PDFCreator Program Start

9/2/2009 12:14:17 PM: Windowsversion: Windows Vista 6.0 Build 6001 (Service Pack 1) [TerminalServer IsWinVista IsWinVistaPlus IsWinVistaSP1 IsWinVistaHomePremium]

9/2/2009 12:14:17 PM: UseINI: False

9/2/2009 12:14:17 PM: InstalledAsServer: False

9/2/2009 12:14:17 PM: MyAppData: C:\Users\SN\AppData\Roaming

We have WIN2003 terminal server with PDFcreator locally installed (not as a server). We have the same issue and we thin it is related to using the mailfunction within Microsoft Excel. Whenever a user uses the "send to e-mailrecepient" function in Excel the PDFcreator is turned off (icon turns red) and we cannot use the PDFcreator anymore.

We automatically generate e-mails with a PDF attachment from Microsoft Dynamics, but now the e-mails are generated without an attachment.

If we manually start the PDFcreator again, all works fine from Microsft Dynamics.

Thank you Logisch,

Your clue saved me. I'm running Vista 32

I set every users all access (may be this is too much but it works) on this directory and my PDFCreator stopped adding a job as soon as it's finished.

Neither deletion nor print could remove the job from the list !