Scanning, Faxing & Copying

After upgrading to Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (version 1809) printer/scanner combo (HP Officejet Pro 8600 N911g) no longer can connect to network folder (worked w/o issues on Win 8.1 Pro). Win 10 PC is part of a Workgroup (not a domain) and main user account sits under 2FA (two-factor-authentication), however, the accounts specifically created for folder sharing are not under 2FA.

This access problem seems to be VERY common and it does not matter whether SMB 1.0 is supported together with SMB 2.0 or not in Windows. The issue is that new FIRMWARE is needed for this printer to play nicely with Windows 10.

I have tried letting printer/scanner get access to folder via my admin account, just as I have created a new account(s) specifically for printer. Regardless of account, all have been given full read/write privileges to target folder.

Adding: printer is hardwired ethernet to router. No WiFi issues. 

Still no go. When setting up access to target in the HP Printer EWS, folder access cannot be authenticated. I have spent days and many nights over the summer scanning the web, the HP forums, I have used the (useless) "HP Print and Scan Doctor", I have rebooted a billion times, and everything points back to HP firmware not playing nice with Windows. As I have four more PCs in the house (all running Windows 10, 1809) I have tried to access a folder share on those as well, but all the time the same error message is given in the EWS when trying to set up the target folder for scanning. I have also replaced the computer's name with the (fixed) IP address - 192.168.15.111 - w/o any success. Also tried with turning "controlled Folder Access" (Windows 10 setting under "Ransomware Protection) on and off. I have been surviving by scanning to a USB stick, but that is not the same, nor very efficient after having been using the excellent feature of "Scan to Network folder" over the years.
Scanning via the HP Smart app for Windows 10 does work, but not always practical to use. And certainly not for high volume scanning jobs.

When browsing the web, found similar issue for a HP Color 500 M575 which was resolved with new firmware from HP.
www.experts-exchange.com/questions/29049243/Scan-to-network-folder-doesn't-work-after-an-update-on-W...

So please don't give the "canned" answers here, so often seen by HP support staff, and please read through the post. I have scanned the HP forums, I have scanned the web, none of the solutions suggested works.

And FWIW: Printer was purchased brand new at Costco, yet when pulling out serial number and model directly from printer's web server, that information will not allow printer to be registered in my HP profile, and hence one is getting stuck, unable to actually get to talk to a "live" HP person (or any luck in finding "the contact options below are still valid"). See attached screen shots (serial number blanked out due to this being an open forum, but will be provided to HP staff as soon as I am contacted). Registering this product has been tried over several months with same error message.

And FWIW, my Epson Workforce printer/scanner combo connects without issues.