Print Spooler Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start.__

When trying to start the Print Spooler Service, Error 1068 means "The dependency service does not exist. or the dependency service or group failed to start." 

Depending on your environment and your type of printer installed, your Print Spooler Service will have other dependent services that must be running before the Print Spooler Service will start.  If the dependent services are not running, you will see an error 1068 or similar message about dependent services when trying to start the Print Spooler Service. 

Some Lexmark printers will add their own services to XP and the starting of the Print Spooler Service lists them as dependencies and therefore those Lexmark Services must be running before the Print Spooler service will start.  It may be listed as the LexBce Server.

Do you now or have you ever had have any Lexmark printers installed?  If yes, are you still using the Lexmark printers?

Depending on your printing environment, if you are using another kind of printer, you may have other Service listed in the Dependencies tab of the Print Spooler Service.

Use the XP Services Applet to check the Print Spooler dependencies and options.

Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

services.msc

Click OK to open the Service Applet.

Locate the Print Spooler Service, right click it, choose Properties and then look at the Dependencies tab.  The services listed there must be running before the Print Spooler Service will start.  If they are not running, you will get an error 1068 or similar message about dependent services when trying to start the Print Spooler Service.

You should always see the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service and maybe some others depending on the type of printer you have installed (Lexmark printers can add some Dependency Services to your XP configuration).  All dependent services must be running before the Print Spooler Service will start. 

The dependent Services may vary depending on the type of printers you have installed.

The RPC service is also necessary for a lot of other things to work properly and is usually always running and set to Automatic start. 

If the RPC Service is not running and does not start Automatically, you may have some other problems, but start with the easy stuff first.

From the Services Applet, locate the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service and if it is not running, right click it and start it and set it to Automatic.

Then locate and start any other Print Spooler dependency services listed in the Dependency tab of the Print Spooler Service.  Set the Startup type for those Services to Automatic so they will start automatically the next time you reboot your system (if that is your desire).

When everything is running the way you want, reboot and check your Services again to be sure they start up properly and resolve any further
issues.

If the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is not listed as a dependency for your Print Spooler Service, you need to inform XP that the Print Spooler service depends on the RPC service.

Click Start, Run and in the box enter (including the important space after the equals sign):

sc config spooler depend= RPCSS

Click OK to assign the RPC service to the Print Spooler service, then be sure the RPC Service is running and start your Print Spooler Service.

If you still cannot figure it out, respond with the items you see under the Dependency tab of the Print Spooler Service.

Be sure to reboot and check to be sure everything is working properly after making any adjustments.

Please note that using the above command will effectively remove all the current (and perhaps old) Print Spooler Dependencies assigned to the Print Spooler Service and assign only the RPC Service dependency.  That would be "normal".

The RPC Service dependency  would be typical for most installations or after permanently uninstalling some (Lexmark) printers, but your printer may have some other dependencies.  If it still doesn't work, we'll fix it!

Do, or do not. There is no try.

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