RPC Server Unavailable when installing printer

Trying to install a new printer and getting, "Printer Installation Failed: RPC Server Unavailable"? Or are you simply trying to print document but happen to run into an error along the lines of: "Print Spooler Service Is Not Running"

Well, the first thing you need to know is that it is most likely that the problem you are having is within your operating system itself. As always, if you are having major printer problems, try uninstalling and reinstalling your printer's drivers and/or visit the printer manufacturer's website and download and install the latest drivers for your device. If this does not fix your printing issues, the problem does most likely lie within the operating system itself. (Unless of course, your printer itself is broken).

What we have been seeing here at BG Computers, is that customers with these specific "Printer Spooler Service" or "RPC Server Unavailable" errors happen to have, or have had, a Lexmark printer.

What Is RPC and How Does it Work?

Secondly, here is a quick definition of what a Windows Service, like the Print Spooler Service, basically is: (Taken from Wikipedia.org Link)
A Windows service is an application that starts when the Microsoft Windows operating system is booted and runs in the background as long as Windows is running.
So the Print Spooler Service itself basically is a Windows service that starts when your computer starts, and is constantly running in the background of your operating system to load files to memory for printing.

Now what does all of this have to do with Lexmark printers?
Well when we have heard of these errors and have actually seen these errors, we have found that there is a service installed in the computer from Lexmark called the "LexBce Server".
The LexBce Server Service is installed by the Lexmark printer's software to configure the onboard network print server. Because the LexBce Server Service installs itself so the Windows Print Spooler Service becomes dependent upon it. Disabling the LexBce Server Service will make it so that the Print Spooler Service can no longer startup, which then disables printing on your computer. Also, without the Print Spooler running, an installation of a printer is not going to be possible and you are going to most likely get the "RPC" error. the LexBce Server Service can also come pre-installed on some Dell computers that are packaged with "Dell" printers made by Lexmark.

The LexBce.dll, a file related with the LexBce Server, is also related to the software "MarkVision for Windows" also a product of Lexmark.

So, do all Lexmark printers install this service? We don't know. What we do know is that if you are using a Lexmark printer or have had a Lexmark printer, you could have the LexBce Server Service installed on your computer. Same scenario for previous owners of Lexmark printers. The un-installation of Lexmark printer drivers/software might have left this service behind. The bottom line is that if LexBce Server Service was, or is, on your computer and happened to fail, become disabled, or become infected; you could be facing the "Printer Installation Failed: RPC Server Unavailable" or "Print Spooler Service Is Not Running" errors.