MFP Printer touchscreen frozen on Samsung logo and does not respond, after firmware update

[blokefromhull]

I have the Samsung Xpress SL-C1860FW MFP and it's an absolutely solid machine, which I've had for some time with no issues. It's only used lightly and is in great condition.

Following a windows update which prevented documents being communicated correctly, It was recommended to update the printer firmware, which I downloaded from the HP site and installed according to the instructions given.

My device prints and scans fine via the PC - however I have completely lost the ability to use the touchscreen as it's constantly frozen on the Samsung logo. I've tried button combinations to reset power, tried the battery drain and even a memory pull - but I cannot find any solution that works. This is a huge inconvenience as i've now totally lost front panel functionality. The only button that works is the power button.

From frantically trying to come up with a solution online, it seems this is pretty much the standard outcome from updating the firmware on this model, and nobody has managed to come up with a fix as yet short of replacing parts, which now costs more than the printer itself.

I thought about downgrading the firmware, however I've two problems with this - firstly, I can't find an older firmware - and secondly, with no access to the settings on the printer side I can't even guarantee this would work as i can't see if firmware updates were re-disabled after the update.

Effectively, I updated my printer according to HP's stated instructions, and it's bricked it.

Do you have any fixes for this? The printer is well out of warranty now but i'm not in a financial position to replace it - and more to the point, it's the fault of the HP supplied firmware so surely there's some kind of liability there, as effectively HP have damaged the machine?