splwow64.exe crash due to hpbpro.dll_unloaded

environment:

server:
windows 2008 r2 sp1
hp upd pcl6 5.7.0.16448

client:
windows 7 x64 sp1
point , print gpos configured.
print driver isolation enabled , set shared (since isolated not configurable via gpo).

issue:

win7 clients report splwow64.exe crashing due hpbpro.dll_unloaded.  unable reproduce on demand.  spooler recovers, still annoying end users unable print while.  doesn't appear occur other vendors.  have ran fixit printing in full mode reset spooler on client, crash continues.

details:

\windows\system32\hpbpro.dll version 15.2.1.51
\windows\splwow64.exe version 6.1.7601.22268
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2815716 (among other printing related hotfixes) installed.

event log entries recent crash:

faulting application name: splwow64.exe, version: 6.1.7601.22268, time stamp: 0x512c3b64  faulting module name: hpbpro.dll_unloaded, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x519435a3  exception code: 0xc0000005  fault offset: 0x000007feecf28244  faulting process id: 0x1784  faulting application start time: 0x01cf29b0cd249f53  faulting application path: c:\windows\splwow64.exe  faulting module path: hpbpro.dll  report id: 42e78877-95ad-11e3-b463-9c8e99de2da8    -------------------------------    fault bucket 15041450, type 19  event name: bex64  response: not available  cab id: 0    problem signature:  p1: splwow64.exe  p2: 6.1.7601.22268  p3: 512c3b64  p4: hpbpro.dll_unloaded  p5: 0.0.0.0  p6: 519435a3  p7: 000007feecf28244  p8: c0000005  p9: 0000000000000008  p10:     attached files:  c:\users\username\appdata\local\temp\wer7593.tmp.werinternalmetadata.xml  c:\users\username\appdata\local\temp\wer8a4c.tmp.appcompat.txt  c:\users\username\appdata\local\temp\wer8a7c.tmp.mdmp    these files may available here:  c:\users\username\appdata\local\microsoft\windows\wer\reportarchive\appcrash_splwow64.exe_7d1f4dc4f0e476f57182371731a3814ae63be4b4_17ffad56    analysis symbol:   rechecking solution: 0  report id: 42e78877-95ad-11e3-b463-9c8e99de2da8  report status: 9

hp labs provided following information on root cause. fix slated in upd 5.9 released in fall.

“analyzing original set of dmp files customer provided, file shows crash in cio component. new dmp files customer provided shows crash in cio component. issue caused when null port-name passed cio. cio did not handle null port-name , crashing. lab able pin-point exception happening , had made fix. lab not able reproduce actual customer issue here. changes based on data in dmp files.”

Windows Server  >  Print/Fax