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ERROR_PRINTER_DRIVER_IN_USE
Printer driver removal has dependencies that installation code does not. A driver can be registered for a server and environment while one or more printer objects still use it, and Windows documents that printer objects using a driver must be deleted before the driver itself is removed.
Driver files add another layer. DeletePrinterDriverEx can target registered driver files and specific versions, but its behavior depends on whether files or versions are still used by installed drivers. This makes a blind delete-and-retry loop unsafe on a shared print server.
Build a dependency map first
- Enumerate printer objects and group them by configured driver name before attempting removal.
- Record the driver environment and version; the same display name can participate in architecture- or version-specific deployment state.
- Distinguish removal of the registered driver name from deletion of driver files or all driver versions.
- After queues are migrated to another driver, close management handles and retry the documented removal operation rather than deleting spooler files manually.
DeletePrinterDriverEx dependency rules · Printer Driver Installation Reference · Samba remote print driver commands
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