CS3 Incredibly Slow to Print

Question

This is a problem that started a couple of days ago.
I have a Toshiba Satellite notebook AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core running Vista with 4GB ram & 18GBs available on a 200GB HD. I have 2 non-networked Epson R800 printers.
For some reason, it started taking an incredibly long time to print. When I click ctrl-p to print, it can take 10-15 minutes to open the print dialog, then another 5 minutes to spool to the printer. I've been using Photoshop CS3 for about a year now, but the problem started 2 days ago.
When the problem first started 2 days ago, it would also take 5-10 minutes to open an image in addition to the above printing problem. I was advised to clear recent (File> Open Recent> Clear Recent), which resolved the "file opening" problem, but the printing problem still persist.
Any help would very much appreciated.
Najee Williams

Answer 1

First thing I'd do is a cold boot, and before starting any programs launch Windows Explorer and go to your Windows\Temp directory. Delete everything it will let you. Then reboot.
Go to your Control Panel and select Administrative Tools. Them select Services. Scroll down to Print Spooler. Right-click over it and select Stop. Do a slow count to 15 then right-click again and select Start. Then reboot.
This just clears out any junk in your temp directory and print spooler. Kind of like giving your system an enema. If that doesn't help, uninstall your print drivers, power down, disconnect your printers and reboot. Then install the latest version of the driver and follow the manufacturer's instructions to re-install, but just one. If that works correctly then install the second printer.