New Windows 10 KB5006670 update breaks network printing

[thatdude]

Hmmm....I suppose you could try a system restore prior to the date that update was installed and then check for updates and hide that update. Next question, what Build of Win 10 are you on? Maybe that's got something to do with it.

Lastly, is there an updated driver for that printer? Maybe a different (newer or older) driver would help? You've probably already checked that but thought I should mention it.

 

[alluseridsrejected]

They are on Version 10.0.19042.1288. Yes there was an updated driver. I removed the old driver and reinstalled with the current one last night. It was no help.

 

[thatdude]

Interesting. I just checked a Win 10 Pro computer I know we took that update out of and hid it. It is running Versions 10.0.19043. Wonder if that is your problem.

 

[alluseridsrejected]

Interesting. I just checked a Win 10 Pro computer I know we took that update out of and hid it. It is running Versions 10.0.19043. Wonder if that is your problem.

I am trying the system restore right now. Will let you know if it worked. Thanks for the idea! This is a customer I have tried to get on my ShadowProtect backup service for years. Tell them everytime I talk to them they need backups. But I guess if the system restore doesn't work, I can always reinstall the OS from an older version and just reinstall their POS software.

 

[alluseridsrejected]

What OS are they running, Windows 10 (Home) or Windows 10 Pro? We've had no issues removing that update and hiding it off of Windows 10 Pro computers that are peer to peer. Wonder since yours are POS you can't uninstall the update regardless of version. I don't know man. But waiting 45 seconds for a POS to print something ain't good at all.

You should simply be able to open cmd as administrator and run: wusa /uninstall /kb:5006670. That should remove it.

Keep in mind, don't reboot that computer when it tells you. You wanna first run the Hide Utility (wushowhide.diagcab) from Microsoft before rebooting or that little ******* may come back on ya at reboot.

try a system restore

That did the trick, I should have thought of that. Thanks and I gave you a few likes since you don't seem to have that many.

 

[thatdude]

Cool @alluseridsrejected! Now keep in mind, some other update (or that one) could come along and bite you again. That's one of the bad parts of using System Restore and not knowing what the real gremlin was.

I can't tell you the number of times I ask my techs, "Have you tried a System Restore?" And they say, "Ah man, I forgot about that." And guess what? I can't tell you the number of times my techs ask me, "Have you tried a System Restore?" My response., "SON OF A !"

So please, no need to say "I should have thought of that." Kinda goes with the job.

Hope you're client appreciates your diligence in getting the printer working better.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Yeah it's always the little things that suck up the most time. Infuriating, but part of the job.

 

[thatdude]

@Sky-Knight said:

Infuriating, but part of the job

Let me help ya out there @Sky-Knight. You mean "the BEST part of the job"

 

[DRPCNZ]

Not exactly. We've seen it happen with Canon IR and Ricoh Copiers in two offices we support. Of course, those are not USB printers. Also had it with an HP Plotter for an Architectural Client also not a USB shared printer. All of these networks I speak of are Domain environments with Print Servers.

We did have one Win 10 computer (Workgroup) having issues printing to a USB Shared Printer but that's the only one. I think that was from the latest Windows Printer Security update.

Full disclosure: We still have a lot of Server 2012 out there an it seems they are affected the most. But you can read about all the other 2016 and 2019 Servers out there are on reddit that are affected too.

Interesting I have had no issues with any printers except USB shared BUT I dont have anyone on anything before Server 2016. Copiers have not been an issue

 

[Sky-Knight]

Let me help ya out there @Sky-Knight. You mean "the BEST part of the job"

Ahh a fellow sadist! Hat's off to you sir!

But I must admit that 2x4 of inspiration or direction turning into a magic wand via blunt force impact to the skull is rather addicting.

 

[thatdude]

So this post should really be given credit to @rhsiv and not me. @rhsiv has been following this thread and trying to find out why "Mr. Smarty-Pants" @Sky-Knight doesn't have these issues with multiple Print Spooler Vulnerability security updates from Microsoft and some of us do. @rhsiv is out of the office on a client site (actually doing meaningful work) and I'm in the office.

So "Hold on to your Butts" as here comes our reasoning.

If you are installing your printers to a central machine (Workstation, Server, Print Server, etc) and then sharing them out you've probably experienced an issue from a Print Spooler update regardless if it's a network printer or USB printer. However, if your client machines are connecting to a network printer directly (via IP or hostname) you don't see these problems.

For a long time I never used any type of Print Server. I didn't even use a GPO within a DC to push them out. I would often just install the network printer based on it's IP and have everyone print directly. I even wrote batch scripts to install several printers at one time and make sure they got the driver I wanted them to have. Worked well but kind of a pain to manage.

Alas! Let's just use a Print Server like the DC, share 'em, and then push everything out via GPO. Worked great....up until a few month ago.

I believe @Sky-Knight is pushing his printers out through GPO, but, he is having those clients print directly to the printer and not going through a "shared" printer on a Print Server. Is that correct @Sky-Knight? If it is, that's the missing link. Have we found your "magic sauce"?

 

[Sky-Knight]

@thatdude For the most part, everyone is printing directly to printers yes...

But here's a plot twist... I have one environment that has some people printing direct, and others printing via a share on the server. The difference was the time at which they were deployed. I wanted to do the share / GPO thing but had to fall back to manual direct printing because the office loves to just move things without telling me. GPO organized printers get stupid quickly when you have 30 of them that just randomly move around. But there are 4-5 of them in the central office that haven't moved in a decade, and are still printing via the shares... without complaint.

Now, these are HP Laserjets 4200s. They are all using HP Universal Drivers. And I could be using GPOs to configure systems to print directly... but again that requires knowing the DNS name of the printer, or the IP address and they love moving them around.

I wish I was still supporting the construction company I had in Tuscon, they had a ton of USB label printers that are supposedly a huge mess right now, not to mention had 40 some Epson TMwhatever receipt printers all over the place. But sadly I lost them shortly after the onset of the pandemic.

But yes MOST of my current clients are using network printers, and printing to them directly yes. Configured via a mix of GPO, CMD, and powershell script depending on when they were deployed.

Even the few home users are setup that way, via wireless printer. And my phone is silent. I do actively avoid USB connected devices. Not only is that a fragile connection to a machine that tends to break things... but once you share from there now multiple people can't print because a desktop is down. Better to slap those things on the network and not have that weakness. This is triple true if you're in an accounting office!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

We have not run into this issue at all. Granted, we mostly have clients that have a server, which shares out IP printers...via Print Mangler group policy. We do have a small handful of peer to peer/workgroup clients, most of those would still be IP printers, guessing there are a couple that are USB connected and shared out, but haven't gotten calls.