Error 0x00000040, Printer Operation could not be completed

This post features solutions to fix Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040). It’s a common error that users face if a third-party printer driver is installed on the print server. Fortunately, you can fix this by following some simple steps. The error message reads:

Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040). The specified network name is no longer available.

What causes Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040)?

Windows 10/11 doesn’t allow users to install a third-party printer driver on the print server. You need to change the Group Policy settings or tweak the Registry to resolve the issue. The other reasons for this error could be:

• Point and Print Restrictions policy
• Pending print jobs in Print Spooler
• Printer Driver issues.

Fix Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040)

Follow these suggestions to fix Operation could not be completed (error 0x00000040), The specified network name is no longer available on Windows 10/11 computers:

1. Run Printer Troubleshooter
2. Modify Group Policy Settings
3. Disable the Point and Print using Registry Editor
4. Clear and Reset the Printer Spooler
5. Update Printer driver.

Now let us see these in detail.

1] Run Printer Troubleshooter

Before getting started with different methods to fix this issue, run Microsoft’s built-in Printer troubleshooter. Here’s how:

1. Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Troubleshoot > Other Troubleshooters.
3. Click on Run beside Printer.
4. Once the process is complete, restart your device to see if the printer error has been resolved.

2] Modify Group Policy Settings

Kernel-mode drivers operate in kernel mode and have unlimited access to hardware and memory. But sometimes, the kernel-mode driver’s policy can malfunction due to corrupted drivers. Disable the policy and check if the error is fixed. Here’s how:

• Click on Start, search for Local Group Policy, and hit Enter.
• In the left pane, navigate to the following path:

  Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Printers

• Search for Disallow installation of printers using kernel-mode drivers and double-click on it.
• Now click on Disabled and select Ok to save the changes.

3] Disable the Point and Print using Registry Editor

If your Windows does not have GPEDIT, you can fix the 0x00000040 printer error by changing some values in the Registry Editor. Create a System Restore Point, as even a tiny error in the registry can cause various problems.

• Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
• Type regedit and hit Enter.
• Navigate to the following path:

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Printers\PointAndPrint

• Right-click on InForest and select Modify.
• Now enter the Value data as 0 and click Ok to save the changes.
• In the same way, change the value data of Restricted and TrustedServers to 0.
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer.

4] Clear and Reset the Printer Spooler

If none of the above steps were able to help you, clear and reset the Printer spooler. Doing so can clear pending print jobs and potentially resolve the issue.

• Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
• Type services.msc and hit Enter.
• Scroll down and right-click on Print Spooler.
• Click on Stop.
• Next, navigate to the following folder and delete all the CONTENTS of this folder.

  C:\Windows\System32\spool\PRINTERS

• Now right-click again on the Print Spooler service and restart it.

5] Update Printer driver

Update your Printer driver and see. Keeping your drivers up-to-date is very important. Although Optional Updates do update some of the drivers, some require you to download the driver manually from the manufacturer’s website.

Fix: 0x00000bc4, No printers were found error in Windows 11

What does error 0x00000709 mean?

The operation could not be completed (error 0x00000709) usually occurs if the device already has a default printer set and configured and doesn’t want to configure a new one. Users can fix this by changing the Group Policy Editor and the Registry Editor.

Read: Printer Error 0x000006BA, Operation could not be completed 

How do I fix error 0x0000011b?

The error code 0x0000011b starts popping up after updating Windows. It occurs mainly due to Windows security patch updates. All you need to do to fix this is roll back the Windows update to the previous version. The error code reads Windows cannot connect to the printer.

PS: Windows users at times may face an unexpected error while trying to access shared resources. When trying to access a shared folder, they maye get the following error: The specified network name is no longer available.