Microsoft admits to yet more printing problems in Windows as back-at-the-office folks asked for admin credentials
- Reference: 1634562005
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/10/18/windows_printing/
- Source link:
The latest problem turned up in the [1]Windows Release Health dashboard last week and warned that a prompt for administration credentials might pop up when the print server and client are in different time zones.
It isn't only Windows 11 affected. The issue also affects the firm's other operating systems from Windows 7 onwards, according to the known issues list.
[2]
"The affected environments described in this issue," the company said, "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."
[3]
[4]
This is not ideal, of course, as the average enterprise user will not be able to supply admin credentials on demand and the person who can will not be best pleased when roused from sleep (being that they're likely in a "different time zone"),
The problem – which according to Windows won't be fixed until "late October" – joins other issues reported in recent days, including the installation of printer drivers failing on print servers accessed through HTTP, and printer properties defined on servers being ignored by clients.
[5]
Printing and Microsoft have been uneasy bedfellows of late. The company previously emitted a stream of fixes aimed at patching up vulnerabilities in its printer code, and has occasionally ended up [6]making things worse for harried administrators. Microsoft's Patch Tuesday update in September was meant to fix the print spooler remote code execution vulnerability known as "PrintNightmare" but also broke network printing for many, with some frustrated admins disabling security or removing the patch to get it working.
[7]Microsoft responds to PrintNightmare by making life that little bit harder for admins
[8]Fix network printing or keep Windows secure? Admins would rather disable PrintNightmare patch
[9]3D printing site Thingiverse suffers breach of 228,000 email addresses amid sluggish disclosure
[10]Microsoft Exchange Autodiscover protocol found leaking hundreds of thousands of credentials
Still, while network printing may have its problems, there isn't much that can go wrong for locally attached printers, right? Er, no. Printer maker Brother [11]confirmed last week that some of its hardware was unhappy with Windows 11.
"Depending on your model," Brother said, "you may not be able to connect your Brother machine to a Windows 11 computer using a USB cable."
While there's nothing we'd like more than to see the return of a chunky parallel printer cable (for which there can be no doubt about the right or wrong orientation of the plug and socket), a properly tested operating system that can actually output hard copy when connected to the wares of a relatively widely used printer manufacturer like Brother (10.7 per cent world market share [12]according to Statista ) would be even better. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-health/status-windows-11-21H2#1728msgdesc
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YW2aOBCrJqEKXwau26WRvAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YW2aOBCrJqEKXwau26WRvAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YW2aOBCrJqEKXwau26WRvAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YW2aOBCrJqEKXwau26WRvAAAAMQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/21/microsoft_printnightmare/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/11/printnightmare_mitigation/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/21/microsoft_printnightmare/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/14/thingiverse_data_breach_228k_email_addresses/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/22/microsoft_exchange_autodiscover_protocol_found/
[11] https://support.brother.com/g/b/oscontents.aspx?c=gb&lang=en&ossid=14
[12] https://www.statista.com/statistics/541347/worldwide-printer-market-vendor-shares/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Microsoft's Effort at Being "Green"?
I guess printing at all should be reduced, https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/18/uk_850m_print_hardware_framework/ My guess is, that this is the way to finally achieve the paperless office.
Windows ain't done 'till the printer won't run.
And the latest update ignores the workaround for the previous update.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/new-windows-10-kb5006670-update-breaks-network-printing/
"When the September cumulative updates caused printing issues, it was possible to fix them by allowing non-Admins to install printer drivers or disabling the 'RpcAuthnLevelPrivacyEnabled' Registry value.
However, this Registry key is no longer working for the problems caused by the October updates, and users are required to fix it using other methods."
Only affects users where there are differing time zones
Not like I haven't had issues with Windows not keeping the correct time between restarts for months now or anything
Easy Alternative
I found that my network printer connection failed with about every Windows 10 update. Fired up a 12 year old dual core Celeron and loaded Netrunner Linux with the appropriate printer set to share. All six of my home office computers recognize my shared printer (HP Laserjet 4!) and it has worked with no drama through power outages, reboots and updates. Cheers.
Re: Easy Alternative
Does Linux eventually support the Canon Pixma Pro printers - or maybe now that they have been replaced by even newer models they will be never supported?
Re: Easy Alternative
As a penguin-fancier I always for for network printers that support postscript as they usually work OK. Generally look for compatibility with Apple and it gives you that. While they are not usually the cheapest choice, the reduction in pain and suffering in getting it to print and continue printing is usually wroth it.
Re: Easy Alternative
Yes. At least PCLinuxOS does support my Canon Pixma ip4500.
It seems as if, unlike sound, Linux has got a grip on handling printers as I have never had any problems using the likes of Brother, HP, Canon and so on. Scanners on the other hand are a nightmare for me at least.
I recently set up a LInux Mint computer. Setting the HP, All in One, only required to select the printer and then everything just worked. Scanning, print both sides, ink levels, everything.
Microsoft could take lessons here. Maybe Apple too.
"Maybe Apple too."
Err... don't they have something to do with CUPS?
Of late?
Printing and Microsoft have been uneasy bedfellows of late since MS-DOS 1.0 .
Some of that can be laid at the feet of printer manufacturers (*cough* HP *cough*), but printing has always been at least somewhat janky.
Not a bug but a feature?
OK so how long until MS spin this one as a feature to stop people in one office accidentally printing in another one that they recently visited and that Windows in its wisdom decided to make the default printer?
Microsoft's Effort at Being "Green"?
Think of all the trees being saved by people being unable to print their childrens school work at the office (because we all now that's a good 80% of the workload of the average office printer)!