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O.E Print icon greyed out

John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

O.E Print icon greyed out

I wonder if any forum users have come across this problem and if so does anyone have a cure?
One of the PC's at my wifes offices has suddenly decided that the print icon (and the "file > print option") should be greyed out. I have cleared it by using the system restore option and it works fine for a day or two.
Then it greys out again  Huh
I suspect that it's something to do with a particular windows update but if it is then whats the perminent cure?Huh
I have tried removing outlook express from the machine and putting it back but the problem is still there.
Formatting the HDD and reinstalling everything clears it for a few days but then it comes back. Hence my suspicion that it's a windows update causing the problem, as the reformat should have removed any possible virus.
Anyone know an answer to this???
Edit:- Should have mentioned that it's using  XP service pack 2
19 REPLIES 19
minkey
Rising Star
Posts: 418
Thanks: 15
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎22-07-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Hi
Is it all emails or just one?
Have you tried creating a new identity to see if the print is returned? If its that then you can import the messages from the old identity into the new identity.
Regards
Jeff
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Thanks for the reply Jeff.
It's all emails in all the viewing pains e.g. sent box. in box. draft box etc.
I have thought about the new identity but not tried that yet.
To me thats more of a workround rather than a cure for whatever caused it in the first place.
I have trawled the net and it seems to be not that uncommon and the new identity was among some of the suggestions on other forums.
I would dearly like to know a proper cure though.  Wink
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Jeff
Just and update.
Creating a new identity has brought back the print icon and it all works.  Smiley
I have imported the old emails and address book so it looks like this is good work around.
However I still would like to know what the cause of the problem is and how it can be cleared without having to resort to the new identity.
Peter_Vaughan
Grafter
Posts: 14,469
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

I had a look around but like you only found work-a-rounds, not a cause & solution.
I suspect some kind of registry change/hack/corruption has occurred but the cause may be one of those unknowns in the Microsoft world!
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Well the "work round" was only temporary.  Cry 
I created a new identity this morning and left it with everything working fine. Got a call to say that it had greyed out again in the afternoon.
Went back to try and see what had happened and there had been some windows updates, after which the fault came back on.
I reset it using system restore to before the updates and then set updates to manual using the Admin Tools from control panel. The idea being stop it updating and see what happened.
At about 4pm it greyed out again so I now suspect a virus.
The thing is I have already formated the HDD and reinstalled everything so I am now looking at the possibility of a boot sector virus.
On monday I will be going armed with a fresh HDD and re-installing everything again.
Watch this space  Wink
petlew
Pro
Posts: 7,416
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Registered: ‎30-08-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

I suppose James, that it might not be something simple, like a loose printer cable, if there's no printer attached (intermittently) then the icon may well grey-out (intermittently)
Just a thought...
Experience; is something you gain, just after you needed it most.

When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

No its nothing that simple  Huh
The printer is a HP workstation on a network and it's only the Outlook Express print icon that greys out.
In fact they have been working around the problem by copying and pasting the email text into a word document then printing that.
Oh! and who is James??  Cheesy
petlew
Pro
Posts: 7,416
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Registered: ‎30-08-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Ooop's!! sorry John...
Experience; is something you gain, just after you needed it most.

When faced with two choices, simply toss a coin. It works not because it settles the question for you. But because in that brief moment while the coin is in the air. You suddenly know what you are hoping for.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

No need to be sorry  Wink
Any ideas are welcome at this stage.
Ive just downloadd a utility called "Killdisk" that is supposed to erase everything including the boot sector from a HDD so I may give that a whirl in Monday.  Cool
Just testing it at this moment on a spare drive to see what it does.
minkey
Rising Star
Posts: 418
Thanks: 15
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎22-07-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Have you tried this?
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318378
Does printing from IE work?
If not try this to re-registry the IE dll's:
1. Click Start->Run and then enter "cmd" without quotation marks.
2. Type the following command one by one. Press Enter at end of each command.
regsvr32 msscript.ocx
regsvr32 dispex.dll
regsvr32 vbscript.dll
regsvr32 scrrun.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll 
Regards
Jeff
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Thanks for the info Jeff.
Unfortunately it does still print Ok from IE7 and I have tried the option of reseting it to the defaults.
The only print function that gets disabled is in Outlook Express.
Your earlier suggestion of creating a new  identity works for a while but then the problem comes back.
No other machine on their network seems to be affected so I think I can rule out a gremlin coming in over the network.
What is realy frustrating is the fact that when I think it's fixed and I go off home, I get a call an hour or so later to say the fault is back.  Cry
I will try your list of Registry repairs though before I start rebuilding on Monday with a new Hard Drive.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out


Quote from: John_Essex
The thing is I have already formated the HDD and reinstalled everything so I am now looking at the possibility of a boot sector virus.
On monday I will be going armed with a fresh HDD and re-installing everything again.
Watch this space  Wink

Ok the latest update.
This morning I have fitted a new HDD that I had treated with "Killdisk" and re-installed everything including anti virus etc.
Then had it do the 150 plus windows updates before setting up the email client Outlook Express.
When I left at 12:15 it was still all working well and printing from Outlook Express.
I will let you all know what happens after this treatment.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
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Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Well I thought it was too good to be true  Huh
Having fitted the new Hard drive and re installed everything on Monday morning it all worked well until late on Tuesday when the fault came back.
Interestingly it was just the "Draft" folder that was effected at first and the print icon was available on an earlier test mail in the "Draft" box but not a new one that had just been composed.
By the time I managed to get there early this morning the fault was then affecting all mail in all boxes.
I created a new identity and set that up with the emails and address book imported from the old one and then deleted the old identity.
Everything now back to normal and working ok. But for how long?Huh
Not long apparently. Withan an hour the fault was back.  Huh
At this stage I thought I would try a different approach and installed "Thunderbird" as the email client.  Smiley
So far so good, it's been stable all day so fingers crossed it will stay that way.
I'll give it a few days to prove itself and then report back.
Oh! just a word of caution if anyone tries the "Killdisk" software that I downloaded to clean off the old hard drive with.
When it says "Erase-All-Data" it really does mean just that.
I had forgotten to remove my USB memory stick from the machine and it erased everything on there as well.  Sad
So make certain that you have only the drive you want to clean connected.
John_Essex
Grafter
Posts: 6,983
Thanks: 8
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: O.E Print icon greyed out

Sorry you have lost me there/
what is  a AD?
Still working fine using Thunderbird at the momont.