Spooler keeps stopping immediately after starting it

I can't print anything due to the fact that my print spooler has a mind of it's own.  Here's the issue:

A few weeks ago I was running Windows Vista 32-bit and when I tried to print something, it wouldn't print. (I have a Dell Photo 966 Printer, connected by USB cable, and a Dell XPS system.)   I deleted it from the print queue and tried again, no luck.  I shut off the printer, restarted the computer, and tried again, and it printed.  This happened twice within a week or so, and both times restarting the printer and the computer worked and the job printed.  I didn't think much else about it until....

I purchased the Windows 7 upgrade and installed it last week.  Since then, nothing prints and restarting does not work.  I ran the troubleshooter, which said to restart the spool service.  I did that (administrative tools, print service, right click and start spooler).  Didn't work.  I checked the forum and after doing some reading, decided that I needed to update the driver.  So I tried to uninstall the printer.  I couldn't uninstall it!  I tried and got a weird %buildtemplateerror% message - or something like that.  So I tried a manual uninstall.  No luck, as the link on which I was to click (I don't remember now, device I think) didn't exist when I right clicked on the printer in Devices in Control Panel.  So....

Again I checked here and read a similar message, an answer to which suggested that I download a patch to remove the printer from my system.  I did that.  Then I downloaded and installed the Windows 7 driver (checking compatibility to Windows Vista SP2) according to the directions.  The software for the printer is now installed, and things would seem to be working ok - except that when I was at the end of the installation and it asked me to print a test page, I tried and got a "could not print" message.  The job showed in the print queue, which wasn't happening before, but still nothing prints. 

I checked administrative tools, services, print service, and sure enough, the spooler had stopped.  I manually started it, then closed the window.  Opened the window again just to verify that it had started, and it had stopped again!  As soon as I start it, it stops.  What can I do to correct this situation?

I thought about just removing the printer and buying a new one, but I'm afraid that I would have the same problem, so I just don't know what to do.  Please help!