Empty printer folder in Control Panel.

I would like to know the cause and possible solution to my problem. I have a laptop with Windows ME installed. At times I can not print and an error message appears stating that I have no printer connected (which is not true, I do have printers installed). When I check my printers folder in the control panel I find it empty. Upon restarting my laptop and local printer as well, I check the printers folder again to find it not empty. This recurrs as often as 2 to 3 times a day.