Yet Another Print Spooler Problem

I'm running Windows Vista Home Premium, 64-bit.

My HP Photosmart 7660 has worked like a charm but suddenly can't function. I've followed the suggestions posted in several forum threads and have come to the conclusion that the problem resides with the print spooler.

When I try to fix by using services.msc, I receive the following message: "Windows could not start the Print Spooler service on Local computer. Error 3: The system cannot find the path specified." This seems to be the computer equivalent of someone who can't find his own rear end with both hands and a spool of duct tape!

I'd like to try to examine the registry,
e. g., HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Spooler\\ImagePath, but I don't know how to do this, and I'm afraid of causing irreversible damage by mucking around in the Registry. I prefer not to trade a headache for an upset stomach.

How to get my printer to work again by overcoming the Print Spooler problem?

This seems to be an awfully common problem, yet every situation that's been discussed online seems to require a different fix!

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Frankly, I'm at my wits' end with this!