The pipe state is invalid

When I try to open some of my programs I get the error message, "The pipe state is invalid". whenever I leave the computer in Sleep mode and there after retrieve it, my Samsung Printer ML-2240 series stops working. When I give a command, "Find a Printer", the error message appears "The pipe state is invalid". This happens so often that I get very annoyed and am unable to use the computer to its optimum capacity.
Will somebody suggest a solution to this problem? Thanks
Ray

ray786 said:

When I try to open some of my programs I get the error message, "The pipe state is invalid". whenever I leave the computer in Sleep mode and there after retrieve it, my Samsung Printer ML-2240 series stops working. When I give a command, "Find a Printer", the error message appears "The pipe state is invalid". This happens so often that I get very annoyed and am unable to use the computer to its optimum capacity.
Will somebody suggest a solution to this problem? Thanks
Ray

Click to expand...

This may caused by malicious software, incompatible driver or windows update. Go for a system restore.

ray786 said:

When I try to open some of my programs I get the error message, "The pipe state is invalid". whenever I leave the computer in Sleep mode and there after retrieve it, my Samsung Printer ML-2240 series stops working. When I give a command, "Find a Printer", the error message appears "The pipe state is invalid". This happens so often that I get very annoyed and am unable to use the computer to its optimum capacity.
Will somebody suggest a solution to this problem? Thanks
Ray

Click to expand...

If the "pipe" error message is happening under multiple unrelated applications, try uninstalling your antivirus as a test.

A "named pipe" is a way for applications to share information with each other, kind of like a network connection between the memory contents of two apps. AV software generally tries to inspect interaction through named pipes to gauge whether there's anything untoward going on, but it's also possible for AV to interfere with the mechanism to the point where there's a breakdown.

Otherwise, if the scope of the problem is limited to attempts by apps to print to your printer after waking from sleep, try updating your printer driver and any software that may have been installed with the printer.

Thanks for the suggestion. But my AV software Mcafee was installed prior to the stage when these messages started appearing. Hence if it had something to do with AV software, this error would have shown much earlier. #As reported earlier whenever I leave the computer in Sleep mode and there after retrieve it, my Samsung Printer ML-2240 series stops working and as error message appears "The Active Directory Domain Service is currently unavailable ...". In order to overcome this problem, I have tried to run the printer in Run as Administrator mode, yet the problem persists. The only solution left is that I have to reboot my computer, which resolves this issue. Scores of other Vista users face the same problem and a real solution to the problem has yet to emerge.

ray786 said:

Thanks for the suggestion. But my AV software Mcafee was installed prior to the stage when these messages started appearing. Hence if it had something to do with AV software, this error would have shown much earlier.

Click to expand...

It's not quite that simple. The environment changes by virtue of you continuously using (and updating) the computer, and that can sometimes expose previously dormant problems.

ray786 said:

#As reported earlier whenever I leave the computer in Sleep mode and there after retrieve it, my Samsung Printer ML-2240 series stops working and as error message appears "The Active Directory Domain Service is currently unavailable ...". In order to overcome this problem, I have tried to run the printer in Run as Administrator mode, yet the problem persists. The only solution left is that I have to reboot my computer, which resolves this issue. Scores of other Vista users face the same problem and a real solution to the problem has yet to emerge.

Click to expand...

This is the first time you've mentioned an "active directory" (AD) error message, at least on this forum.

How is the AD error linked to the pipe error? In other words, what's the sequence of events?

Is your machine a domain (AD) member, or is it standalone? (Is it a work computer which you sometimes use at the office?)

Are you quite certain that you're running the latest driver+software combo for that printer?

Several months ago, I was using an Inkjet Printer Dell 720. The Active Directory error messages started appearing at that stage. Then I decided to change the printer - thus installing Samsung Printer ML-2240. It was several weeks after installing this printer that the Pipe error started appearing on the screen. I think that both these messages are inter-linked because both relate to printer.
My computer is not a member of a domain. However in our home there are three computers linked with BT Hub sharing the wireless network connection.
As regards latest driver for Samsung Printer ML-2240 is concerned, Yes! there is a new updated version of this printer driver available. I immediately downloaded and installed the latest driver. But instead of resolving the problem, the situation went from bad to worse. So much so that BSOD appeared. I was forced to do a system restore deleting the updated driver and restoring the old driver of this printer. At least, I can now use the computer. With the updated driver installed, the entire computer stalls and BSOD appears. Hence I have decided not to instal the new driver for this printer.

ray786 said:

...
My computer is not a member of a domain. However in our home there are three computers linked with BT Hub sharing the wireless network connection.
As regards latest driver for Samsung Printer ML-2240 is concerned,...

Click to expand...

The AD error suggests that you've got a very, very confused app in the mix there somewhere. Since the error message has now persisted through two separate printers, it is presumably not directly connected to either of them. The next time the error pops up a window, you might want to start the Task Manager (ctrl-shift-esc), go to the applications tab, find the entry that looks like the window corresponding to the error message (the window title should match), then right-click and choose "go to process".

What is the process throwing that error message? Is it SPOOLSV or something else perhaps?

ray786 said:

Yes! there is a new updated version of this printer driver available. I immediately downloaded and installed the latest driver. But instead of resolving the problem, the situation went from bad to worse. So much so that BSOD appeared. I was forced to do a system restore deleting the updated driver and restoring the old driver of this printer. At least, I can now use the computer. With the updated driver installed, the entire computer stalls and BSOD appears. Hence I have decided not to instal the new driver for this printer.

Click to expand...

Obviously, living with BSoDs is unpalatable, but you might be better off troubleshooting the BSoD rather than reverting to the old version of the printer driver+software. You may still have a few of the memory dumps generated during those BSoDs in your \windows\minidump folder. Each of the DMP files in that location corresponds to one BSoD (their names are formed from the date of the crash and the instance number on that day). If you copy a few of the dumps into a different directory, then zip them up and upload them here, I or someone else might be able to help you with the BSoD so that you needn't go back to the older version of the printer software. Maybe.

Thanks for the advice. I will keep a look out for the message wghen it appears next and try to determine which Services is the error associated with.
Meanwhile I have zipped 4 minidump files in a Zip file. I do not see any option here - how do I upload them on this site?
I have uploaded the file on the web:
Download Link: http://uploading.com/files/ZYTAX563/minidump.zip.html
File Download Link: http://uploading.com/del/ZYTAX563IJ2MU7/minidump.zip.html
Download link in html format: <a href=Download minidump zip for free at Uploading.com>Download from Uploading.com</a>
You will need to wait for 60 seconds to download this file.
If you conclude anything concrete, please do let me know.
Thanks once again

3 out of the 4 minidumps suggest the BSoD was caused by the inability of your NIC driver - fetnd5bv.sys - to handle power state transitions. The fourth minidump is ambiguous.

Why the presence of the newer printer software would be leading to problems in the NIC driver is not obvious, but the "why" may not matter in this instance. I'd suggest you update this driver to the latest available version:

It's over 2 years old now and it's quite likely that newer updates exist. Even the name of the driver (a reference to NDIS 5) suggests a pre-Vista architecture - Vista introduced NDIS 6.0.

If you do manage to find a substantially newer version of fetnd5bv.sys, I'd suggest first backing up your data and then installing the newer printer software again. You may have better luck at that point.