Why does it take so long for a typewritten file to be deleted?

[wumply]

The situation is (was) this:

I'd typed 2.5 11.5 x 8 inch pages of single-spaced typing. And after the 3rd page was printed (my perinter is set to prints pages inreverse order) the paper jammed. So not wanting to print the last page again and unsure as to whether it would or wouldn't, I deleted the last page from Word and then told the printer to delete the job. Well, that took, I'd say, 3-4 minutes. The HD flickered continually, the CPU usage was steady between 4 and 7 % the entire time. Finally the word "deleting" disappeared from the Delete Screen. (So then I hi-lit the 3rd. page in Word and deleted it--and printed the first two pages.

But why did it take 3-4 minutes to delete the 3 pages of typing?

[cash_site]

it depends on your computer memory, printer memory and spool settings etc... depends how quickly/efficiently the computer talks to printer to send control commands such as delete etc... most times the data is sent to printer memory and too late, unless you press 'cancel' on the printer.

[wumply]

I don't quite get what you mean by "most times the data is sent to the printer memory and too late..." Are you saying that it would take very long times to delete from printer memory as compared to my computer's memory?

[cash_site]

I don't quite get what you mean by "most times the data is sent to the printer memory and too late..." Are you saying that it would take very long times to delete from printer memory as compared to my computer's memory?
not so much the time to delete from printer memory, more its hard for Drivers or XP to access the printer memory and delete it... they need to send control signals to the printer, but "too late" means that the printer has probably processed that data and started printing ;) thats why best bet is to hit "cancel" button on printer

[wumply]

Yeah, but if it's "too late" so that the printer has processed the information (which is the case in my instance since printing had begun and the first sheet had jammed. So all I could do was click cancel (in my case 'delete document) from my printer. But it was here that the 3 minutes slowly passed. Doesn't that indicate what is so time-consuming is the deletion of the printer's memory. If mean why can't the printer's memory be deleted as fast as the computer deletes a similar text file? I'm still confused.

[cash_site]

Ok, so the first page got jammed, and you clicked cancel where? actually on the printer hardware or in the printer status page in control panel??

If you actually pressed the button, and it took 3 mins, I dont know why...

If you cancelled from within printer status page, then it prolly could take 3 mins to send a delete message to the printer, and then the printer, which is confused by the paper jam, will have to deal with the delete command etc... they are only simple machines with slow microcontrollers...

[wumply]

Within the printer hardware what I did was to click on the printer icon in my systray which brings up a pop-up with printer's name and particulars of the print job. A toolbar reads "Printer..Document...View...Help." I click "Printer" and from the resultant pop-up I select "Cancel All Documents." This is when I wait. That sounds as if I was in Printer Hardware; will try going to control panel next time.

[cash_site]

Oh Ok, nope, that little systray icon and control panel is the same thing... you actually have to walk over to the phyical printer and press the 'cancel' button or even the On/Off switch for the actual printer.