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Printer Bug HP Microsoft

Microsoft Releases Downloadable Tool To Remove Unwanted HP Printer Software (arstechnica.com) 35

Posted by BeauHD from the problem-solved dept.
Longtime Slashdot reader UnknowingFool writes: Microsoft has released a new software tool to remove printer software from HP that was installed without user permission or system need. A few weeks ago, users noticed that Windows Update installed HP printer software even if they did not have HP printers or printers at all. Affecting Windows 10 and 11, consumers reported that this update sometimes caused problems as it could rename their non-HP printers as HP printers causing some printing features to be inaccessible. Microsoft has not disclosed the root cause of the issue. The fix released by Microsoft requires users to download and run a dedicated troubleshooting tool available from Microsoft's support site. "There are four different versions of the troubleshooter, depending on whether you have the 32- or 64-bit version of an Arm or x86 version of Windows," notes Ars Technica. "Microsoft will also release an additional recommended troubleshooting tool 'in the coming weeks' that will fix the problem in Windows 11 upon a user's request without requiring the download of a separate tool."
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Microsoft Releases Downloadable Tool To Remove Unwanted HP Printer Software More

Microsoft Releases Downloadable Tool To Remove Unwanted HP Printer Software

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  • Couldn't have done it better myself...

    • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

      by Saffaya ( 702234 )

      Funny how Microsoft gets a pass for owning your computer and doing whatever it pleases with it.
      I guess you took a liking to the leash on your neck, slave.

  • No automatic install? (Score:3)

    by mmdurrant ( 638055 ) on Tuesday December 19, 2023 @06:41PM (#64091937)
    Considering how the fucking thing got there in the first place, I'm surprised they didn't also uninstall it without permission. Oh wait, that would upset their rapidly dwindling customer base.
    • Why would anyone be upset that they removed something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place? Just do it quietly in the background and pretend that nothing happened. These companies all have a lot of experience doing sneaky, underhanded things. Why not do something sneaky that is actually good.

      • Re:No automatic install? (Score:4, Informative)

        by Immerman ( 2627577 ) on Tuesday December 19, 2023 @09:14PM (#64092209)

        You're assuming they could successfully remove just the copies that weren't wanted.

        This is Microsoft we're talking about. $100 says they'd end up also accidentally removing the drivers of most HP users. Probably in such a way that either made reinstalling them practically impossible, or would continue to re-uninstall all future HP drivers until you do a complete factory reset while bleeding a chicken over your hard drive under a full moon.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

          You're assuming they could successfully remove just the copies that weren't wanted.

          This is Microsoft we're talking about. $100 says they'd end up also accidentally removing the drivers of most HP users. Probably in such a way that either made reinstalling them practically impossible, or would continue to re-uninstall all future HP drivers until you do a complete factory reset while bleeding a chicken over your hard drive under a full moon.

          That's the problem - there probably was no way to tell who installed

        • Nobody would complain. The people who don't have HP printers would be happy, the people who do have HP printers are used to their printer not working for no fucking reason whatsoever and blame the printer out of experience.

      • Why would anyone be upset that they removed something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place?

        Some non-Slashdotters actually have hp printers and may be quite upset about MS removing something that *was* supposed to be there. Remember this entire thing started because of a printer name mismatch. As far as Microsoft can tell hp pushed out a legitimate driver to a legitimate hp owner. There's no telling which users legitimately needed the driver and which ended up having it installed by accident.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Aczlan ( 636310 )

          Why would anyone be upset that they removed something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place?

          Some non-Slashdotters actually have hp printers and may be quite upset about MS removing something that *was* supposed to be there. Remember this entire thing started because of a printer name mismatch. As far as Microsoft can tell hp pushed out a legitimate driver to a legitimate hp owner. There's no telling which users legitimately needed the driver and which ended up having it installed by accident.

          Printer name mismatch? I had that software install itself on a VM with no printers installed and no HP printers on the network.

          Aaron Z

          • It was covered in detail in an earlier Slashdot story. There was a bug in a windows update which caused printer models to be changed to HP Laserjet M101. You don't need to actually have any printers installed. The Print to PDF option that is a default on all Windows installs suffered from the issue too, suddenly pretending to be a HP Laserjet M101 printer.

            It technically wasn't a printer "name" mismatch, but rather a model mismatch. The printers still looked like they were supposed to, but if you opened up t

        • C'mon, everyone who has a HP printer is already used to their drivers acting up and requiring a reinstall every now and then, it would just be like any other Tuesday for them.

      • Re:No automatic install? (Score:4, Interesting)

        by nightflameauto ( 6607976 ) on Wednesday December 20, 2023 @09:36AM (#64093247)

        Why would anyone be upset that they removed something that wasn't supposed to be there in the first place? Just do it quietly in the background and pretend that nothing happened. These companies all have a lot of experience doing sneaky, underhanded things. Why not do something sneaky that is actually good.

        Because it's Microsoft, and I absolutely, 100% guarantee you that any attempt to auto-uninstall the offending software would uninstall it from systems that were intentionally installed. Like, say, a print server running a few dozen printers in a big office complex. You think people were whining about having something sneak into the system? You don't want to see the result of an auto-cleanup that took out more than it should have.

    • Considering how the fucking thing got there in the first place, I'm surprised they didn't also uninstall it without permission. Oh wait, that would upset their rapidly dwindling customer base.

      The problem with automatic *uninstall* is that you capture people who had the software installed automatically as well as those poor sods who bought hp printers and installed the software manually. The bug here was a renaming in the printer to make the printer appear to be a hp printer which installed the driver for it. It's not trivial to identify now which users need the software removed again.

  • Now HP needs to step uo to the plate (Score:4, Funny)

    by Required Snark ( 1702878 ) on Tuesday December 19, 2023 @07:30PM (#64092031)
    And release a tool that removes everything Microsoft from the computer.

    Complete harmony and peace at last...

    • Well considering how they are quite willing to install their software without permission it seems only fair.

  • If the removal tool doesn't work then use a debian install iso.

  • I thought that now since IPP is so universally established - Microsoft was going to deprecate all third-party printer drivers????

    • I thought that now since IPP is so universally established - Microsoft was going to deprecate all third-party printer drivers????

      There's still a lot of old printers out there that have hardware that still functions.

      For many use cases, I would question whether there has been enough improvement in printer hardware within the last decade to compel you to replace an older printer that is still working.

    • I thought that now since IPP is so universally established - Microsoft was going to deprecate all third-party printer drivers????

      Depreciate != removed. And even then the timeline for depreciation is 2027. So any printer you buy after 2027 won't require a 3rd party printer driver.

      • I thought that now since IPP is so universally established - Microsoft was going to deprecate all third-party printer drivers????

        Depreciate != removed. And even then the timeline for depreciation is 2027. So any printer you buy after 2027 won't require a 3rd party printer driver.

        I think you meant "deprecate" and "deprecation". Both the spelling and the meaning are similar to those of the words you used, so it's an easy mistake to make. Or were you simply a victim of auto-incorrect? ;-)

  • Starting with Microsoft setting really bad standards and being both unable and unwilling to clean up their act and then others, like here HP, following that bad example. The problem is not that we, as the human race, do not know how to systems, software and the like right. The issue is that far too many of the players and especially the large players have zero interest in doing so.

    I have come to the realization that the reason why a new technology needs something like 100-300 years from lab demo to working

    • The issue is that industries are run by greedy, conservative and not very smart people that cause a massive slowdown to tech adoption and that keep pushing outdated, substandard and frankly stupid tech.

      And all this time I thought the issue was that greedy, conservative and not very smart people were pushing brand new, immature, poorly-thought-out tech out the door and turning buyers off with items that don't work as expected and are full of vulnerabilities. Hmmm... maybe both are true?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gweihir ( 88907 )

        Hmmm... maybe both are true?

        Quite possibly, yes. The problem is that MS is so behind in skill and insight, that their new stuff is outdated when it comes out.

  • What next? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Will you need a printer software removal tool removal tool?

    She swallowed the dog to catch the cat, she swallowed the cat to catch the bird,...

  • ...ransomware company?

    • No. Ransomware is usually pretty well maintained and their support staff are highly motivated and quick to react.

    • I have never had an issue with HP printer-drivers for my Linux systems. Ransomware ... really ? Only if profit from your own creative work is considered theft.  I no byteboi  fairytail  bullshit ---  date/code/HW  wants to  be free.  There I call bullshit, as  never ever in this world of 2nd Law reality.  But, I will inform WD I overpaid for their enterprise-grade HD & Crucial their RAM .

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