Why Printer Not Activated Error Code 30?

Printer not activated error code 30 is a common problem which occurs in almost every brand of printers. This error notification mainly occurs when the users try to print a PDF file or when they try to save the document in PDF format. It is reported that when the notification pops up in a device, users are unable to use any kind of printing function of that printer, which makes it one of the most irritating problems for the users.

If you are also facing the same problem with your printer and don’t know how to solve it, then no need to panic. Because we are going to provide you with the effective guide which can solve the issue instantly without the need for a third party software. So, follow the rest of the article carefully.

How to Fix printer not Activated Error Code 30 Issue?

The printer not activated error code 30 can be easily fixed by visiting the nearest service centre. But, what if the problem occurs in the middle of important work? There will be no time to visit the service centre and fix the issue. So, if you want to fix the problem quickly to complete the work, you need to rely on some easy hacks or tricks for it. That’s why we did a little bit of online research and gathered in all the effective quick hacks in this article. With these methods, you can fix the issue instantly without any tool, third-party application or a convincing amount of tech-savvy knowledge. So, without wasting any more time let’s check them out.

Solution #1: Give your Account the Full Control for the Program

In 8 out of 10-time printer not activated error code, 30 occur when you use an account which doesn’t have full control over to the program. If that is the case with your device, to be exact with your users account then you need to set your account so that it can run the particular program with administrator privileges. In case you don’t know how to do that, then follow the below steps carefully:

  • If you already have a shortcut icon of that particular program then the first thing you have to do is right click on the shortcut icon to choose Properties from the given options. If there is no shortcut icon then open the program location and right click on it to select the Properties option.
  • Once the properties window opens, click on the security tab and then, select your account from the given list of Group or user names. After selecting your account click on the Edit option.
  • When the new window opens, select your account again and after that click on the Allow box of Full Control option (You will find it under the Permissions list).
  • After making the following changes click on the Apply button to save the setting and then press the Ok button to close the window.

Once the above steps are done try to perform the printing task again to check if printer not activated error code 30 is solved or not.

Solution #2: Check Wire or Wireless Connection

Another most common reason for the printer not activated error code 30 issue is a loose or faulty USB connection. To confirm if you are also facing connection problem or not, remove all the wire connection between your computer and printer and then reconnect them to its appropriate place. If there was a loose connection issue in the setup, then applying the above step will fix the problem. But, if the problem is associated with the faulty USB port, then you can try to connect the wire connection with a different USB port of your computer. If the problem is still there, then jump to the next method.

For the wireless printer, you can refresh the connection by turning Off the power supply of your router and then, turn it On after a few minutes.

Solution #3: Update Driver of USB Composite Device

In several cases, it is reported that the current problem is associated with a faulty USB Composite device. USB Composite is a very important function and a peripheral device of a computer. In this case, we suggest to reinstall the driver or update it to fix the issue. If you are interested to use the method then follow the below steps:

  • First, click on the Start Menu and then open the Device Manager with the help of the search bar.
  • Once the window opens, select the View tab and click on the Universal Serial Bus controllers
  • Next, from the drop-down menu locate the option called USB Composite device and right-click on it.
  • Now, choose the Uninstall driver option if you think that the driver got corrupted. Otherwise, simply select the Update Driver option from the menu.

After completing the above steps simply restart your device and try to print again. If the method does not work for you, then jump to the next step.

Solution #4: Run Printer Troubleshooter

All the Windows device comes with several built-in tools to get rid of any kind of error problem. In case of printer not activated error code 30, you can take the help of Printer Troubleshoot tool to find the root of the problem and fix it quickly. To use the method Click on the Windows Key + R to launch the Run dialogue box. Once the box open type msdt.exe /id PrinterDiagnostic and then click Enter. When the Printer Troubleshoot window opens simply follow the on-screen instructions to fix the issue.

Solution #5: Set the Printer as Default

If the problem is occurring in a new printer you just have brought the most probably you forget to set the printer as Default. So, in this case, you just need to set the printer as default to fix the problem quickly. If you are new to this kind of stuff, then follow the below method carefully to avoid making any mistakes:

  • First, click Windows key + I key to open the Windows Settings page and then, select the Devices from the given options.
  • Next, choose Printer and scanner from the left panel and ensure that the option Let Windows manage my default printer is disabled by unchecking the corresponding box from the right pane.
  • After that, locate the printer you want to set as default and click on it. When you click on the printer name, it will expand show some more options for you.
  • From the new options list choose the Manage option to open the Manage your device page of the printer. Now just locate the button which says Set as default under the Printer status section and then clicks on it.

By completing method hopefully, you will be able to solve the printer not activated error code 30 issue. But, if your printer is already set as default, then skip this method and jump to the next solution.

Solution #6: Run Printer Software in Safe mode

Sometimes, this problem can also occur when a third party application starts conflicting with the printer’s software. To check if you are facing the same problem or not, you need to run the PC in the safe mode. Safe mode will disable all the third party application until you command your system to start a particular function and run only elementary programs at the background. So if you are successfully able to run a print job in safe mode, then there is no doubt that some other application is creating the problem for you.

To activate safe mode, at first you have to restart your device. Once your device starts booting up again continuously tap the F8 key. If you do that your computer will start displaying hardware information and runs a memory test. Once it’s done the Advanced Boot Options menu will appear in the screen. Use the navigation key to select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking (if you want to use the internet connection when you are in safe mode) and then press the Enter button. By completing the above steps you will be able to start the Safe Mode for your device. Now, while staying in safe mode if you are able to perform the print job, then you need to locate and delete the third party program which is conflicting with the printer software.

Solution #7: Rename the DLLs File

According to the user’s review, this problem can be also solved by renaming the DLLs file. Even though we don’t have solid proof of the effectiveness of this method but many users claim that it works for them. So, we decide to also include this method in the article. Here is the guide to use the method:

Stop the Print Spooler

  • Turn on your device and type Windows key R key to open the Run box.
  • Now, type “services.msc” in the run box and hit the Enter button to open the Service window
  • Now from the list of available service, locate Print Spooler.
  • After locating right click on it and select Stop.

Rename DLLs

After stopping the Print Spooler follow the step below to rename the DLLs file:

  • For 32-bit system
    • Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\
    • Rename acpdfui400.dll to acpdfui400.old
    • Go to C:\Program Files\Workshare\Modules
    • Copy acfpdfui.dll to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\
    • Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\w32x86\3\
    • Rename acfpdfui.dll to acpdfui400.dll
  • For 64-bit system
    • Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\x64\3\
    • Rename acpdfui400.dll to acpdfui400.old
    • Go to C:\Program Files\Workshare\Modules
    • Copy acfpdfui.dll to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\x64\3\
    • Go to C:\WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\x64\3\
    • Rename acfpdfui.dll to acpdfui400.dll

After completing the above step, open the service page in the same way you have done in the above section and once again right click on the Print Spooler to start the service.

Solution #8: Adjust Printer Driver or Update Driver

If none of the above methods solves the problem for you, then your last option will be to adjust or update the printer driver. An outdated printer driver or a wrong configuration can be also responsible for this type of situation. So, making a few changes in Printer driver setting can solve the problem for you. If you don’t know how to do that, then follow the below steps:

Driver Configuration:

  • At first, turn On your Windows device and then open the Start Menu.
  • Now, locate and open the Control Panel, and after that, click ‘View devices and printers’ option under the ‘Hardware and Sound’ setting.
  • Next, select your printer, right click on it and select the Properties option.
  • Now, from the new window, select the Advanced tab and after that click on the Print Processor.
  • From the Print Processor window, open the WINPRINT and make sure RAW is selected under the default data type. Once you confirm it, press OK.
  • After that, go back to the Advanced tab to uncheck ‘Keep printed document ‘and after that press the Apply button to save the changes.
  • Next, after completing the above changes in the Advanced tab, open the General Tab and click Print Test Page.

If the above method is still not able to solve the problem, then try to update the driver by following the steps:

  • Go back to the Control Panel window and change the view type as Category.
  • After that click on the ‘System and Security’ option and then open the ‘Devices and Printers’.
  • Now, select your printer and right click on it to choose Update Driver from the drop-down menu. Here, you will get two options to update driver. First one is, Search automatically for updated driver software and second on is Browse my computer for driver software. Choose whichever is preferable for you. You can also visit the official website of the printer to choose and download the latest driver for your printer manually.

After successfully completing the process, restart both your computer & printer and then try to print a page to check the status of the problem.

Wrapping Up

We hope our article is able to help you to solve your query regarding how to fix printer not activated error code 30 issue. We try our best to gather all the working method and provide it to you. But somehow if we forget to mention any effective method in this article, then feel free to share it with us. We will update the article as soon as possible. Also, if the above methods are unable to solve the issue in your printer, then it can be possible that the printer’s hardware gets damaged. So, in this case, we will highly recommend contacting an expert for better throughout the guidance.

Maria Colombo
Maria Colombo
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