HP Printer Stopped Working After Windows 10 Update 2021

[Printerdiva]

For all of you who have had problems printing for no apparent reason after Windows 10 update/upgrade in March and are getting errors such as "driver not available" or non-descriptive "Printer Error" and you have the latest update for Windows 10 when your printer stopped working, DO NOT BOTHER WITH ALL THE SOLUTIONS FOUND ONLINE. I spent hours trying to fix this problem. I installed and re-installed HP Printer software after also removing ALL drivers, etc. NOTHING. The ONLY fix that worked was the following:

1) Uninstall ALL printer drivers and software from your system

2) Go to RECOVERY and revert back to the Windows 10 BEFORE March 2021

3) Let the system reboot (I encourage you back up your files first just in case)

4) Once rebooted, go and do the Windows 10 Update - x64 operating system

5) Install the entire HP software package and drivers for your system

6) Your printer will need a new port added with the same IP address as your printer. Make sure this is selected and you hit "APPLY" as the port or Windows will keep reverting back to WSD port (which is the problem the update creates and why your printer will say ready and you *think* all settings are correct between the printer screen and what you have set up during software installation.

7) Go to Settings>Printers & Scanners>Select Your Default Printer>MANAGE>Pinter properties>Ports>Add Port>Apply

You should now be able to print. I can tell you all the "fixes" all over the internet for this problem, do not work. I even tried adding a port without RECOVERY and UPDATE process, still did not keep the new port active in Windows 10. You can try it, but it kept reverting to WSD port. What I *THINK* happened, is that Microsoft may have fixed this problem on their end but somehow it has created a problem if you are using the latest HP software for your product. Hence, having to uninstall ALL printer software and drivers, revert back to Windows 10 and install all updates, then re-install HP printer software and make 100% certain you have a new port added. Believe me when I say this was the only "work around" I could find and I think HP needs to get on Microsoft about this. Nobody should have to go through this much trouble just to keep Windows in sync with the printer software. HP needs to keep up with these updates and make sure that the latest updates Microsoft sends out for Win10, still actually functions with HP printers that are COMPATIBLE with Win10. I'm sure HP gets notified of Microsoft updates and potential issues it could create? This has been a NIGHTMARE and huge time waster. HP printer support was USELESS in fixing the issue.

I am not an IT or software engineer or tech support expert, just someone who is a rational thinker and knows the likelihood of a hardware vendor not keeping in sync with OS systems. I should have gone through this from the "get-go" but was trying to avoid a ton of uninstall, reinstall, update, etc to save time. How ironic. 😛

[Scottie8]

Thank you Printerdiva. Your solution to “driver unavailable “ was spot on.

you were correct in saying that other fixes didn’t work.

HP seem oblivious to this problem.