Microsoft fixes printing gremlin, ends that block on Windows 11 upgrades

Microsoft finally fulfills its promise to fix a printing issue that was holding back the latest Windows 11 update.

The troubleshooting solution will fix the printing problem on affected machines. If that problem was preventing you from installing the 22H2 update, then there is even more good news.

Windows 11 upgrades

According to the update, “Once the problem with the printer has been resolved, you can remove the safeguard and upgrade to Windows 11 version 22H2.”Some users of Windows 11 22H2 found that they were unable to jump to because their printers depend on the Universal Print Class and the IPP Class drivers. The printers were unable to use printer-specific capabilities and would default to basic defaults.

This meant that the printer wouldn’t offer color, duplex, or two-sided printing. Custom settings and handling of resolutions greater than 300 dpi would also be out of the question. Microsoft placed a compatibility freeze on Windows devices that use printers with these drivers. This prevented them from upgrading to version 22H2 and offered workarounds to those who weren’t willing to wait.

Even though this troubleshooting upgrade is now available (it should automatically download, and install), it may take up to 48 hours for the 22H2 upgrade from Windows 11 to Windows 11 to be offered. Redmond engineers suggested that restarting the system and checking for new updates could speed up the process.

You can manually fix the problem by uninstalling and reinstalling printers that are using these drivers. This will force Windows to use the most recent version. Other Issues have occurred, including Daylight Savings Time changes in Jordan.

There are reliability issues with SSL/TLS handshakes for establishing secure connections. Signing in with Windows Hello may also not work after you upgrade to Windows 11 22H2. Microsoft offered a solution, essentially saying that users could use passwords to sign in instead of fingerprint recognition, a PIN, or face recognition. This was resolved earlier this month.

Microsoft is still investigating issues with provisioning packages that are not compatible with the latest updates. Microsoft suggests that you provision your Windows device prior to the 22H2 update to avoid the problem. A compatibility problem exists between Windows 11 (and certain drivers for Intel Smart Sound Technology) (SST), which could lead to a blue screen.