Really large pain in the neck. When I purchased my main PC, it came with one of those "free" Lexmark printers that chew ink for breakfast and force you to clean the cartridges every two minutes.
A couple days ago, I decided to do my "let's analyze Task Manager and see if there is anything I can clean up" mid-year cleaning. I discovered a few applications that had managed to sneak back into the startup sequence either through updates or simply running them (I hate Apple QuickTime with a vengance). And I noticed a number of SYSTEM processes running. After uninstalling the Lexmark drivers and applications about a year ago, I noticed that Lexmark had kindly left stuff installed. I also noticed that I couldn't shut down and disable the Lexmark printer service without also eliminating the printer spooler. I realized it was going to be more effort than it was worth, so I left it alone.
Which brings me to today. Today I finally eliminated the last remnants of the Lexmark printer drivers. I got some hints from an Experts Exchange dialog that happened between someone else who wanted the same thing, but I realize that there are a LOT of people out there with the same problem - LexBceS.exe and LexPPS.exe keep coming back from the dead and showing up in Task Manager complete with dependencies on the printer spooler. So, I've created a solution that takes just a few keypresses and 'poof' everything Lexmark printer driver related is removed from the system:
http://www.cubiclesoft.com/Unrelated/RemoveLexmark.bat
The above batch file is pretty cheesy looking when it runs (as far as applications go, it looks very old-school). It also only works properly on Windows XP and later. You can easily tweak it by saving it to your hard drive and right-clicking and selecting the 'Edit' option. The "XP-only" feature in question is the 'taskkill' section. 'taskkill' is a utility that kills a running process from the command-line. You can replace those lines with pskill from SysInternals (www.sysinternals.com) but that is an extra download and I was feeling lazy.
Even when you finish running RemoveLexmark.bat, you will want to go into the C:\WINDOWS directory and search for Lex*.* files. On my machine, three files that were supposed to be deleted by the batch file didn't get deleted. So I manually deleted them.
The fact that it takes a batch file from an advanced programmer that executes a ton of commands to remove Lexmark's terrible print drivers from a system says something about the quality of the programmers at Lexmark.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
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29 comments:
Thank you so much, I tried everything to get the LexBec Service out of the services menu. Every-time I disabled it I could not use my printer and the printer and fax icons were removed. The Lexmark printer was uninstalled but I found these .exe in the System 32 folder LexBec.exe and Lexmark.exe.
The printer I have now is a HP. I contacted HP and they gave me instructions to change it but it did not work. I am going to send them your link.
Thanks again
Connie, I'm glad this was useful to someone. I wrote this entry several months ago and was somewhat disappointed no one had used the tool up to this point (or at least no one ever let me know).
I use a HP LaserJet 1020 now...and it is an amazing little printer - high-quality B&W laser.
Worked like a charm for me! I had purchased a new HP Photosmart 3310 All-in-One in January (quite a nice device BTW), installed the software, but the Lexmark drivers prevented me from getting full functionality out of my scanner. Even HP Tech Support could not help me, and Lexmark...forget about them! There were several other annoying glitches, too. So, when I finally lost the scanner completely, I removed the HP software, found your "RemoveLexmark.bat" and puff...the dreded Lexmark is toast! Then I reinstalled the latest HP software and everything now works smoothly as it should. A BIG THANKS to you Tom!
Neil
psycleman: Excellent! And you are most welcome. I'm a software developer. Most technical support people really don't do much but follow a "script". Should you ever need something done along these lines again (i.e. where regular tech. support is beyond useless), I'm the man for the job.
Excellent fix! Worked like a charm for me after trying numerous other 'fixes' that didn't work. Why Lexmark makes the Spooler dependant on their proprietary print driver is beyond me.
Hello Thomas.
I too am fighting with my Lexmark drivers, so your wee tool is just thing ... BUT ... while running your .bat file, you say do not continue if under 'Dependencies' anything other than 'LexBceS' and 'RPCSS' is shown.
Mine shows those two AND "http".
What to do? I am a little scared to continue as I do not want smoke to come out of my machine :-)
Can you help please?
Perhaps some 'environment information' would help you. I am currently using an HP all-in-one (2610) successfully, on an HP laptop running Vista. I also use a wireless router from D-Link which INCLUDES a wireless print server. So essentially I have made my printer wireless via the router. I suspect that that is where the "http" piece comes from.
Thanks a ton.
Ivan
Thank you for having this file available. I had been using a Z82 and have had nothing but problems since I moved with WIN XP machines.
The printer works fine, but after all these problems with drivers. I'm giving up and getting something else.
Sorry for the delayed reply everyone. I just completed a move from the Lansing, MI area to Tucson, AZ.
ivan: The first step is to find the 'http' NT service and determine what it is. Then, if you need the service it refers to, you'll need to modify the batch file before executing it. This is a pretty delicate operation. Feel free to call me - 517-803-4197. That's my business line.
I am going to try this tool on a computer shortly. Unfortunately, I think the printer spool is already screwed up from attempting to manually remove the driver, so it may not solve my problem (spool service will not start). I'll be sure to post the results.
Hi, first of all, thank you for this wonderful software.
I haven't removed my Lexmark driver yet cuz the "DEPENDENCIES" lists the following:
DEPENDENCIES: RPCSS
: http
Can i continue with the removal? If not, can you let me know what else I should do?
Tiffany - You seem to have the same problem as 'ivan' above. I did some quick Internet searching. If you are running Windows Vista, the 'http' NT service dependency might be the cause of the extra service (finding the service dependency can be tricky apparently). My recommendation is to NOT run my tool unless you are familiar with how to make changes to batch files.
Tom,
Thank you for the Lexmark driver removal batch file you wrote. I don't own a Lexmark printer, but I did install one while over at a friend's house with my Vista laptop trying to work on his computer (long story; won't go into it). Since then I've tried to remove it, but had all the standard items left over. Your tool removed them all. I would guess that tracking down all the hooks Lexmark puts into the driver was probably the hard part. I just want to thank you for putting that time in for all the rest of us.
-Mark
Mark - Thank you for the compliment.
You may want to install VerifyMyPC on your friend's computer as well. Yeah, I know, tooting my own horn as I wrote that product too (but who cares? If you like the Lexmark removal tool, VerifyMyPC is worth checking out).
The sole purpose of VerifyMyPC is to make diagnosing software problems easier - it assumes there will be computer problems and tracks only those changes to the system. It allows people like you and me to go back and understand any recent computer problem in five minutes or less. It doesn't directly fix problems. It merely collates all the system's changes into coherent English sentences with the assumption that something will go wrong and that humans with a technical background are smarter than computer programs. Basically, for us tech. support people, VerifyMyPC helps us.
So, try VerifyMyPC out on your computer first. If you like it, put it on your friend's computer too. Anything that simplifies our lives is a great piece of software.
Hi! I have a 'little' problem with Lexmark 5200 Series software. A few days ago I went to a friend with my laptop to print a very important document, because I thought it would be easier to install the printer on my computer. I have Windows Vista. When I connected the printer, it installed everithing it needed from the CD. The printer did not work, I couldn't print the document, and now I am stuck with all that useless software that's in the Windows Startup as well. The problem is I cannot find a way to uninstall it, as there is no entry in the Add/Remove Programs and no shortcut in Start/software folder for an uninstall operation. I found your bat file, but it says to uninstall all the software before running it. Any idea how could I remove the useless software?
There should be an Add/Remove programs entry, but if it has already been run or if the drivers were simply installed without any associated applications (also a possibility), then the system is ready to run the batch file.
You will still need to wander through the C:\Windows\System32 directory (and Printers subdirectories) and look for anything leftover. Lexmark printer drivers have this amazing ability to come back from the dead.
Thanks, it never occurred to me that one could readd RPCSS to Spooler service with sc config, had the stupid lexmark service running for ages without having a physical printer. I only use a print to PDF file driver now and have my stuff printed at a copy shop. Got tired of dried up cartridges. :)
Thanx a bunch!
X-actly what I was looking for!
Those damn Lexmark drivers where a pain in the butt.
F' Lexmark. Thanks Man, that is a bad ass script!
Huh! THANK YOU! &.. Merry Christmas :)
I just can't thank you enough. I'm a support technician and have had trouble with this problem before. Luckily I came across your removal tool and it worked like a charm.
Also in windows vista you have to give this program Administator's rights by right clicking on the program and choosing Run As Administrator.
Thank you very much!!
Chad - You're most definitely welcome. Thanks for the Vista tip. You're definitely right about it being necessary to run the batch file as Administrator (Elevated privileges) as it has to be able to interact with Windows Services and tell the Lexmark and Print Spool services to start/stop/etc.
You are wonderful!!! Worked GREAT! Thanks for sharing! Lexmark "LexBec" virus if you ask me. But also...I wouldn't have had to buy a new printer were it not for Vista's Device Incompatibility issues, who knew...what a PITA.
Thanks again!
This is brilliant - I've been griping about this forever and just found your solution. Worked perfectly. Thanks so much for sharing!
B, partlycloudy - you are both welcome.
Thank you so much.....after months (3 to be exact) of hair pulling, purchasing a NEW printer and several go rounds with Lexmark, Hp and Microsoft.....now I find your fix for a problem that never should have been. I will NEVER buy another lexmark printer. Thanks for taking the time to help out those of us who aren't developers....and apparently the lexmark developers as well since they couldn't be bothered. You are a life saver!
Tom,
I have the lexmark curse also and getting the http listed when I run your file. Is there a batch file for vista home premium? Or is it safe to run yours?
Thank you for your help!
bc - I don't know if it is safe or not. No one to date has figured out what the 'http' service is.
I've had a X63 for years and the printer part has been dead for many of them. I have been using just the scanner for some time. However, I had to change computers and I couldn't get the X63 scanner to work without the printer. Even the Lexmark scan manager couldn't scan. Error msg said the port was in use by another process, etc. I used you .bat file and it cleared out all of the printer drivers and low and behold, the scanner now works like a charm. Great work. Needless to say, I'll never ever have anything to do with Lexmarka again.
I finally got my dell printer working, something leftover from lexmark kept shutting off my printer spooler but all is fine now that i found this.. thank you very much
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