March 2021 cumulative updates cause printing bluescreens on Windows 10 devices

[mood]

March 2021 cumulative updates cause printing bluescreens on Windows 10 devices

 

Microsoft published security updates for all supported versions of Windows 10 yesterday on the March 2021 Patch Day. It appears that the updates are causing issues on some devices; specifically, the attempt to print may result in bluescreen errors on affected devices.

 

The updates patch security issues, all with the second-highest severity rating of important. One of the additional issues that these updates patch is a printing to FILE ports vulnerability. The issue is patched in updates for all versions of Windows, from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

 

The following updates include the FILE port printing fix:

• KB5000802  for Windows 10 version 2004 and 20H2
• KB5000808 for Windows 10 version 1909
• KB5000822 for Windows 10 version 1809
• KB5000848 and KB5000853  for Windows 8.1
• KB5000841 and KB5000851 for Windows 7 SP1

 

It is unclear if pre-Windows 10 systems are affected by the issue as well.

 

 

The new patch is not the first attempt to resolve issues related to File ports and printing. In the patch notes, Microsoft confirms that users may run into printing errors after patch installation, but these are limited to print jobs that are in the queue prior to the installation of the update. The already-in-queue print jobs cannot complete after the installation and need to be deleted and pushed again to the queue.

 

Several reports have been published on the Internet about printing related bluescreens after installation of these updates on Windows 10 devices. Günter Born has published a few links on his site (in German).

 

According to the reports, updates may cause bluescreens in win32kfull.sys when printing after update installation. Some appear to have mitigated the issue by deinstalling and reinstallation printers on systems, but it does not seem to work for everyone. Others resolved the issue by updating printer drivers.

 

The update may not be offered anymore to all devices via Windows Updates. It is still available for download on the Microsoft Update Catalog website.

 

Microsoft has not acknowledged the issue yet, the support articles, e.g. KB5000802 or KB5000808, have not been updated.

 

Administrators may consider delaying the installation of updates to avoid running in the issue.

 

 

Source: March 2021 cumulative updates cause printing bluescreens on Windows 10 devices

[aum]

Windows 10 update is causing havoc with some printers

 

(Image credit: Shutterstock; Future)

 

Windows 10’s latest round of patching for March is causing some serious problems for the printers of some users out there.

 

Cumulative update KB5000808 for the November 2019 Update and KB5000802 for the May 2020 Update (and the following minor October 2020 Update) were recently unleashed with various security fixes for Windows 10 and Microsoft Office products.

Sadly, these patches are leading to some users experiencing Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) crashes when trying to print, accompanied by an error message reading: ‘APC_INDEX_MISMATCH for win32kfull.sys’.

 

There are various complaints from affected users online across Reddit, such as this one: “Getting BSOD on multiple systems of APC_INDEX_MISMATCH for win32kfull.sys when doing anything involving a Kyocera printer … Upgrading to a newer Kyocera driver did not work … I should clarify, I was using Type 3 KX Kyocera printer drivers on networked printers.”

 

Fun with workarounds

Some folks have seemingly got round the problem by upgrading printer drivers, but as with the above user, this route doesn’t seem to be viable in many cases.

 

A purported Microsoft employee has offered some further workarounds on Reddit, but going by reports from users, many haven’t managed to cure the problem by any method other than removing the cumulative update (not ideal, as then you lose those security fixes).

 

Bleeping Computer notes that the KB5000802 update is no longer being offered – an observation shared by others troubleshooting the problem – so it would seem that Microsoft has pulled the offending patches (or at least prevented them being delivered via Windows Update for now, although they can still be grabbed manually).

 

Indeed, Microsoft has updated the known issues section of the release notes for the updates as follows: “After installing this update, you might receive an APC_INDEX_MISMATCH error with a blue screen when attempting to print to certain printers in some apps.

 

“We are presently investigating and will provide an update when more information is available.”

 

So there you have it – an investigation is underway, and we should hopefully hear more in due course.

 

This appears to be happening with a variety of printers according to reports (as highlighted by Bleeping Computer), including Kyocera, Ricoh, and Dymo models.

 

Source

 

[mood]

Microsoft Confirms the Latest Windows 10 Cumulative Updates Might Cause a BSOD
The company says it’s currently investigating

 

 

Microsoft shipped new cumulative updates for all Windows 10 versions earlier this week, but as we know already, installing such updates on day one is often quite a risky thing because of all the problems they might be causing.

 

In theory, everybody should install new cumulative updates as soon as they are released, pretty much because they include security updates or other important improvements, but very often, they end up causing various glitches, such as broken Windows 10 features or even fatal crashes.

 

This is what’s happening after installing the latest cumulative updates shipped by Microsoft as part of the March 2021 Patch Tuesday cycle, as the company has confirmed that some might actually cause a BSOD on a number of devices.

No word on when the fix could go live

The issue is related to printing, and the Redmond-based software firm says it’s currently investigating, so nobody knows for sure when exactly a fix is supposed to land.

“After installing this update, you might receive an APC_INDEX_MISMATCH error with a blue screen when attempting to print to certain printers in some apps,” the company explains. “We are presently investigating and will provide an update when more information is available.”

 

Microsoft has confirmed the issue exists in cumulative updates KB5000802, KB5000808, KB5000809, and KB5000822, and according to a report, it could affect various printer models, including Kyocera and Zebra.

 

There’s no known workaround at this point, so turning to things like installing other drivers is pretty much a waste of time. On the other hand, removing the latest cumulative updates for Windows 10 is believed to fix the problem, though this obviously isn’t recommended given they include several important security patches.

 

Time will tell how fast Microsoft is going to resolve this problem, but you’d better not hold your breath for a fix since the next Patch Tuesday is nearly a month away.

 

 

Source: Microsoft Confirms the Latest Windows 10 Cumulative Updates Might Cause a BSOD

[anakin206]

That's a PITA for my work. We have many clients that use Kyocera printers and are facing BSDO problems.

[mood]

Microsoft publishes workaround for printing BlueScreen issue in Windows

 

Microsoft published a workaround for the printing issue that affects all Windows 10 client and server versions that have the March 2021 security updates installed.

 

The security updates were released on March 9, 2021 as part of the Patch Day of the month. Reports of printing related BlueScreen issues started to appear on social media sites and forums shortly after the release, and Microsoft did confirm the issue but did not publish a workaround back when it did.

 

An update was posted to the known issue today that provides further details on the issue and workarounds to address it.

Microsoft notes that a subset of Type 3 printer drivers are affected by the issue. The company provides instructions to find out if such a driver is installed:

1. The Print Management Console needs to be installed, if it is not, search for "manage optional features" and run the result. Select Add Feature, type print, find the Print Management Console and install it on the device.
2. Load printmanagement.msc from the run box (Windows-r).
3. Expand Print Servers and select Printers.
4. The Driver Type for each printer is displayed.

A video demo describes how to mitigate the printing related issue. Microsoft explains that the workaround differs depending on the system and driver architecture.

 

For 32-bit printer drivers on 64-bit versions of Windows

 

 

1. Select Start, type cmd, right-click on the Command Prompt result and select "run as administrator" to open an elevated command prompt.
2. Run rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /Xg /n "KX driver for Universal printing"
   • Make sure to replace KX driver for Universal printing with the name of the driver.
   • You can find out the name by opening Settings, typing printer in the search field, and selecting Printer & Scanner settings. All printers that are installed are listed on the page that opens.
3. The command opens the Printer User Interface. Check for the existence of "Direct" under Attributes.
4. If Direct does not exist, run rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /Xs /n "KX driver for Universal printing" attributes +direct to add it.
   • Again, replace KX driver for Universal printing with the name of the installed driver.

The issue should be resolved afterwards for that particular driver. Repeat the steps for any other driver that is affected by the issue.

 

For 32-bit drivers on 32-bit Windows, or 64-bit drivers on 64-bit Windows

 

 

The solution is more complex for these scenarios.

1. Load the Windows ADK download page by pointing your web browser to https://aka.ms/windows/adk.
2. Download the Windows ADK to your system.
3. Run the downloaded installer.
4. On the "select the features you want to install" page, check "Application Compatibility Tools" to install those as part of the ADK.
5. Complete the installation.
6. The next steps need to be followed for every application that you print from, e.g. Edge and Microsoft Word.
   1. Open Start, select the new Compatibility Administrator.
   2. Right-click on the only database file under Custom Databases, and select Create New > Application Fix.
   3. Type the name of the application and the vendor, and select the executable file using the browse button on the page.
   4. Click next until the Compatibility Fixes page is displayed.
   5. Find PrinterIsolationAware on the page and check it to enable it.
   6. Click Next and finish.
   7. Save the changes using the save button.
   8. Right-click on the new fix in the Compatibility Administrator and select "install" to install the fix.

Microsoft plans to release a fix for the issue in the coming week. (via Tero Alhonen)

 

 

Source: Microsoft publishes workaround for printing BlueScreen issue in Windows

[feedtalenine]

On 3/11/2021 at 10:14 PM, mood said:

Microsoft Confirms the Latest Windows 10 Cumulative Updates Might Cause a BSOD

Damm even I am having a similar kind of issue, I have searched all over the internet and even have posted on number of threads on different forum, no solution seems to work. I am really frustrated, can anyone of you here help me resolve this issue, I am very much tired now. vidmate insta save

[mood]

Microsoft warns of more printing issues caused by March updates

 

 

Microsoft says that customers might experience additional printing issues besides blue screen crashes after installing Windows 10 updates released earlier this month.

 

According to Microsoft, these recent Windows 10 updates will cause issues when printing from some apps or when printing to some printers, including missing or solid color graphics, misalignment/formatting issues, or printing blank pages/labels.

 

"After installing updates released March 9, 2021, or March 15, 2021, you might get unexpected results when printing from some apps," Microsoft said in an update on the Windows 10 Health Dashboard.

 

The printing issues highlighted by Microsoft include :

• Elements of the document might print as solid black/color boxes or might be missing, including barcodes, QR codes, and graphics elements, such as logos.
• Table lines might be missing. Other alignment or formatting issues might also be present.
• Printing from some apps or to some printers might result in a blank page or label.

Affected platforms and problematic updates

Affected platforms include client and server editions of a wide range of Windows versions starting with Windows 7 and up:

• Client: Windows 10, version 20H2; Windows 10, version 2004; Windows 10, version 1909; Windows 10, version 1809; Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019; Windows 10, version 1803; Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2016; Windows 10, version 1607; Windows 10 Enterprise 2015 LTSB; Windows 8.1; Windows 7 SP1
• Server: Windows Server, version 20H2; Windows Server, version 2004; Windows Server, version 1909; Windows Server, version 1809; Windows Server 2019; Windows Server, version 1803; Windows Server 2016; Windows Server 2012 R2; Windows Server 2012; Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1; Windows Server 2008 SP2

The cumulative updates causing issues when printing are:

• KB5000802 for Windows 10 2004/20H2 & Windows Server 2004/20H2
• KB5000808 for Windows 10 1909 & Windows Server 1909
• KB5000822 for Windows 10 1809 & Windows Server 2019
• KB5000809 for Windows 10 1803 & Windows Server 1803

Microsoft is working on a fix for these issues and will provide a solution during the coming days.

Ongoing Windows printing issues

These new known issues affecting printing on Windows devices follow the release of multiple out-of-band Windows 10 cumulative updates that fixed a bug causing blue screen crashes when printing.

 

Despite claiming to fix the crash issues, multiple BleepingComputer readers have reported still experiencing blue screen crashes and some of the problems Redmond mentioned in today's update.

 

Microsoft confirmed the known issue causing Windows 10 BSOD crashes after BleepingComputer reported a stream of user complaints regarding system crashes while printing.

 

Before issuing the OOB updates, Microsoft also provided a temporary fix for the crashes involving a procedure that some customers considered too convoluted.

 

H/T Günter Born

 

 

Source: Microsoft warns of more printing issues caused by March updates