Symptom: Computer “locked up”, SPOOLSV.EXE using 100% CPU.

Cause: Printing certain PDF files to a HP1012 printer from Windows XP and Windows 7 cause the SPOOLSV.EXE process (Print Spooler Service) to use 100% CPU. Other printer models may be affected. Please comment if you have run into this on other printers.

Fix:

Stop “Print Spooler” service (may require killing spoolsv.exe from task manager or TASKKILL).
Delete all files under C:WindowsSystem32SpoolPrinters (XP/Vista/7)
Restart the “Print Spooler” service.
Make a note of the PDF file contents. Seems to be caused by scanned documents which are image files stored in a PDF. Please comment on what types of PDF’s or other print jobs cause this problem for you.