How to force XPS Service installation on Windows 10?

Question

QuickBooks 17.0 requires the XPS Service to be installed in order to allow the PDF emailing of invoices.

Unfortunately I am dealing with a workstation that is refusing to work properly in this regard. The XPS printer disappeared and trying to set it up again (via the local XPSPort existing port) in the Devices and Printers control panel, I receive an error:

I ended up removing the XPS Service (and Viewer) under the Windows 10 features panel in hopes to reinstall. After doing this and upon attempting to reinstall, I receive the following error each time:

DISM comes back saying integrity is fine. chkdsk is saying the filesystem is fine. SFC is coming back clean. The Windows Update Troubleshooter doesn't seem to resolve any problems as it also doesn't resolve the issue.

Any idea on how to force the XPS service to be reinstalled so that I can get around this and start to use the QuickBooks invoicing service again?

Solution

Hmm my client ran into this as well. Scoured the darkest depths of google struggling for a solution to this nightmare. Thanks to this chap all is well, although the posted driver would not work for me in Windows 10. Check below. Totally worked for me super psyched after spending 2 hrs troubleshooting this.

Google Download of Microsoft-XPS-Document-Writer.zip (Backup Download)

More info found on this KB page: How to resolve PDF issues on windows 8? (If that doesn't load, try this backup copy of the KB page)

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Steps archived for posterity since the original KB seems to not be loading everywhere:

How to resolve PDF issues on windows 8?

On Windows 8 Emailing forms, previous bank reconciliation reports, and saving as PDF within the program may get resolved by the following Steps:

1. Download and extract the Windows 7 XPS document writer printer drivers containing folder from here Microsoft XPS Document Writer Click File and Download.

2. Copy and paste this folder to C Drive\Windows\System32.

3. Open Devices and Printers using Windows key+ R to get the run box and type Control.exe Printers and press Enter.

4. Right Click Microsoft XPS Document Writer and Click Remove Device.

5. Click Add a new printer and Click on “A printer that wasn’t listed”

6. Select “add local printer with manual settings” and Click next.

7. Select the radio button Create a new Port,Type of port Local port and Click next.

8. Enter a port as XPS and click ok.

9. Click have disk and Browse to the C Drive\Windows\System32\Microsoft XPS Document Writer

10. Select prnms001 file and click open and the ok.

11. Select replace Current drivers and next.

12. Type a printer name will show up as Microsoft XPS Document Writer just click next and Finish.

Test: Open Quickbooks and open any invoice and Click File and Save as PDF and save to the desktop and check if that invoice got saved as PDF.

Comments

[Ramhound]

Have you tried installing Quickbooks again?

[ylluminate]

@Ramhound yes, no joy. QB tech support was also ZERO help; said we have to resolve it on our own.

[ylluminate]

So after a lot of fiddling, the end user had Intuit recommend Microsoft support themselves for the issue. They apparently performed and "In-place Update" via remote access which took several hours of remote access. Have you ever heard of such a procedure? I can only guess that they somehow downloaded a cumulatively updated install image of Windows and then ran the setup from that, but I am not finding any details on it... After they did this, the user could then install the XPS Service properly and QuickBooks emailing of PDF invoices began working again.

[ylluminate]

Thanks, interesting. Note my remark to the other answer here re: MS' approach to an "In-place Update," which was news to me. Edited your answer with some additional information and backups for good measure.

[Scott Mitchell]

This also works for Windows 10!