Don't update! Latest Windows 10 release can break your printer
What's the story
Microsoft is having a hard time getting a grip on Windows 10 issues. Just a few weeks back, the company disappointed users with a bug-packed feature update, and now, making the matters worse, it has released a couple of security patches that appear to be breaking printers from brands like HP and Canon. Here's more about it.
Issue
Cumulative updates causing problems
On June 9, Microsoft started rolling out KB4560960 and KB4557957 cumulative updates to fix a few security issues and broken features in Windows 10. But, as soon as the updates began rolling out, users started reporting instances of printer malfunction. Essentially, they said, their devices were running into an error on Windows and not printing anything.
Details
Problem spreading regardless of the printer being used
A number of users reported the printer problem on Reddit and Microsoft Forums, indicating that the issue was associated with the two cumulative updates released as part of Patch Tuesday. They also noted that the glitch affects printers across brands, including models of HP, Canon, Panasonic, Brother, and Ricoh, as well as their ability to print pages as PDFs.
Explanation
Soon, Microsoft came up with an explanation
As the complaints grew, Microsoft published a notice acknowledging the glitch rendering hardware/software printing unusable. It said, "Print spooler may error or close unexpectedly when attempting to print and no output will come from [the] affected printer," adding, "You might also encounter issues with the apps you are attempting to print from," as they could give an error or close while attempting to print.
Fix
Fix in the works but workarounds also available
Microsoft has confirmed that it is working on a resolution and will provide an update but there's no clarity on when the fix would roll out. If you rely extensively on your printer for work/school projects, there are two workarounds that may help - either you uninstall the two buggy updates or replace printer drivers with the latest PCL6 drivers from your vendor.