A user cannot print from a Windows 10 workstation. In Services.msc, the Print Spooler status shows Stopped, and attempting to start it returns "Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start." To address the root cause and get printing working again, which action should the technician perform first?
Boot into Safe Mode and clear the print queue
Verify that the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service is running
Print Spooler depends on the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service. If RPC is stopped, Windows cannot start Print Spooler and will show Error 1068. Confirming that RPC is running-and starting it if necessary-removes the dependency failure and allows Print Spooler to start. Re-installing the driver, running DISM, or deleting queued jobs may help other spooler problems but will not resolve a missing dependency.
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What is the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service in Windows?
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Why does the dependency failure affect the Print Spooler service?
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How do you check and restart the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service?