Move the printer spool folder in Windows Server 2003

by Scott Lowe MCSE | Sep 06, 2005 6:45:00 PM

Tags: Printers, Servers, Scott Lowe MCSE, printer, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows Server, Microsoft Windows, Windows Server 2003 Tips Newsletter

Takeaway: You can potentially increase system performance in Windows Server 2003 by moving the printer spool files to a different drive than the one that holds the operating system. In this quick Windows Server 2003 tip, Scott Lowe tells you how.

By default, Windows Server 2003 places the printer spool folder at %systemroot%\System32\Spool\Printers. However, you can potentially increase system performance by moving the printer spool files to a different drive than the one that holds the operating system.

Computers frequently access system files, so moving the printer files to a different location allows faster access to those files. The drive won't have to try to service requests simultaneously.

To change the location for the printer spooler files, follow these steps:

1. Go to Start | Printers And Faxes.
2. From the File menu, select Server Properties.
3. On the Advanced tab, enter the location where you would like to spool print jobs. If the location doesn't exist, this process will create it for you. Make sure the new location has sufficient disk space to handle large print jobs.
4. Stop and restart the printer spooler service, or reboot the server.

On the services list, you'll find the spooler service under Print Spooler.

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