June 2020 Windows Update Causes Printing Problems

We’re sharing the following information, hoping to prevent businesses from experiencing unnecessary IT issues that may cause frustrations, revenue loss, and added IT support costs.

Microsoft releases patches on the second Tuesday of every month (aka Patch Tuesday). June’s Windows 10 cumulative update has been wreaking havoc on end-users’ ability to print, unfortunately. 

Microsoft has acknowledged the problem and has shared the following regarding KB4560960 and KB4557957:

After installing this update, certain printers might fail to print. The print spooler might throw an error or close unexpectedly when attempting to print, and no output will come from the affected printer.

You might also encounter issues with the apps you are attempting to print from. You might receive an error from the app or the app might close unexpectedly.

Note: This issue might also affect software-based printers, for example printing to PDF.

Related links:

• USB printer port missing after disconnecting printer while Windows 10 (version 1903 or later) is shut down.
• Windows 10 Known Issues for June 2020

What’s the solution? 

As of 6/16, Microsoft has released a fix for those affected by this.

Resolution: This issue was resolved in the out-of-band update KB4567512. It is a cumulative update, so you do not need to apply any previous update before installing it. To get the standalone package for KB4567512, go here.

Why does this happen?

As we understand it, Microsoft cut back on Windows Update quality assurance testing and crowdsources it to the poor souls that apply updates on the day they’re released. Microsoft’s reputation has taken a hit, but at its size and market share, they’ve gotten away with it. IT Companies have to adapt and quality check each Microsoft update on their clients’ behalf. 

PK Tech manages Windows Updates as a part of our ongoing services. We have a multi-step phased approach that ensures we only roll out vetted updates to our clients. 

If your computer(s) automatically apply Windows updates on the second Tuesday of the month, or never update, you have “unmanaged Windows updates”. We run into a lot of businesses with unmanaged Windows updates, and it’s a big problem if you’re in a regulated industry. Nearly every regulation that covers computer security requires routine security updates to be applied to your systems consistently. Letting updates automatically apply without testing has caused lots of issues so far in 2020. Not updating isn’t a solution, either. Your business needs managed Windows updates from a competent IT Company. 

Please contact us if you have any questions.