Microsoft Resolves Another Windows 11 Bug

Microsoft says it has managed to resolve another Windows 11 problem, this time causing the installation of printers to fail when attempted over network connections.

The company originally confirmed this problem earlier this month, but worth knowing is the whole thing existed not only on Windows 11 but on Windows 10 too. And Microsoft said that pretty much and Windows 10 and Windows 11 version was affected, as long as it still receives support.

“This issue has been observed in devices which access printers via a print server, using HTTP connections. When a client connects to the server to install the printer, a directory mismatch occurs, which causes the installer files to generate incorrectly. As a result, the drivers may not download,” it explained.

“The printer connection methods described in this issue are not commonly used by devices designed for home use. The printing environments affected by this issue are more commonly found in enterprises and organizations.”

Fix now available for users

The good news is the issue is now gone, as the most recent cumulative update that Microsoft released to all devices running the aforementioned Windows versions includes dedicated fixes on this front. So in theory, the only thing you need to need to do is to install cumulative update KB5006746 on the affected systems.

Microsoft, however, says it also discovered a workaround that does the trick temporarily if you can’t install this cumulative update just yet.

“IT administrators with admin privileges can still install printer drivers on the client through other means, such as copying packaged drivers from a known good package location. Only the automatic download and installation processes are impacted by this issue,” it says.

Worth knowing is this cumulative update is still in preview at the time of writing, so unless you install it manually, you have to wait until the next Patch Tuesday for automatic deployment.