The next system update for Windows 11 could break your printer. Here’s what you need to know.
Are PCL6 drivers considered “legacy”?
I have a HP Laserjet 4N, a HP LaserJet 4050DTN, and a LaserJet 5000DTN, all of which work swimmingly on standard PCL6 drivers.
I uploaded a pack of about 100,000 legacy drivers to archive.org for y’all’s printing maintenance pleasure: https://archive.org/details/100.000-drivers-win9x-xp-vista
This is such a gross move from MS, that will inevitably create more e-waste, just like their dumbass TPM 2.0 requirement.
Having said that, if anyone is looking for a solution (that isn’t just switch to Linux lol), I was able to turn my ancient Canon laser (with very tricky driver setup), into a driverless airprint model by using a raspberry pi as an intermediary.
You can connect your usb/wifi printer on the pi, and through cups/ avahi, host an airprint server on your network for any devices (desktop, laptop, phone, or whatever).
I think I used this guide before: https://pimylifeup.com/raspberry-pi-airprint/
now rust is in the kernel maybe a new compatibility layer for old windows drivers
isnt just Switch to linux
look inside
SBC running linux
I have an archive of about 110.000 drivers for any ps2 fucken bellend massager ever, and I’ll fucken upload it to archive org so you can use your pin needle screetch feck printer until the cows come home.
Edit for visibility: https://archive.org/details/100.000-drivers-win9x-xp-vista
Done and done. https://archive.org/details/100.000-drivers-win9x-xp-vista
Why? I Mean I know why. But those drivers take up like zero space. It’s such a fuck you consume move is laughable. That’s all the innovative things coming out of America these days. Remove features and quality, then charge more.
I wonder if the plumbing required to keep them working is problematic somehow.
No. For those to become problematic Microsoft would have had to change core software to their OS. (that’s the problem with MSWindows, it’s only been added to for the past 50 years.) if Microsoft was smart they pups invest in a completely new OS. But that cost actually investing in human programmers. But no. They keep milking their outdated code for everything and will slap Ai on it and call it new.)
They haven’t changed the plumbing for printers since Vista, the changes they made then are part of why it took until 7 for things to work correctly.
Vista doesn’t throw the baby out with the bath water. It made a minor communication change between drivers, cpu, and software. They went right back to the old system post vista.
It’s almost like they agressively promote a premium Windows subscription where this bullshit doesn’t happen, but there is none.
The posted article is NOT accurate, here’s a clarification - https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/scared-your-printer-will-stop-working-with-windows-11-dont-be-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-microsofts-support-plans
The article is clear about that.
In these cases, the company recommends “contact your printer manufacturer and update to a supported printer driver or another current printing solution.”
And that is effectively death for all of them. Most of the old drivers are not distributed by vendors since we are talking about the era when CDs were included in the box. There are archive sites for them, but that is beyond most people technical abilities.
Perhaps but the next Windows 11 update is NOT going to “break your printer”. If you already have a printer setup it will keep working even if its driver is an old V3 / V4.
Most of the old drivers are not distributed by vendors since we are talking about the era when CDs were included in the box.
I dunno about that. I just looked up an HP LaserJet P1015. It was a very inexpensive laser printer released back in 2003, over two decades ago, and it has drivers available for download from HP both Windows and Linux. The P2035 was released in '08 and it has available drivers to download.
Granted that is only two printer models from a singly company but I think you may be overstating the impact of this.
A lot of older printers may also support “Universal” PCL 5 or 6 Drivers from HP / Cannon / Epson etc.
I’ve got HP PSC 1315. When I tried it with Windows 11, it said it couldn’t find drivers, and to use manufacturer’s website.
Le HPInstalling Your Printer Driver Using the Windows Built-in Solution
Install the HP Printer Driver and Software provided within your operating system.
There is no reason to not have backwards compatibility in cases like this. Oh, yes there is. Someone is getting rich from it.
I think windows central needs to take a look outside and see where the winds are blowing, the only thing this will shake up is the stability of windows 11 market share. People are already switching away from this toxic dysfunctional OS at a growing rate, either to an older version that still works or to Linux or some other competitor, this is going to accelerate the trend, and for no reason but hubris.
time for printer grannies to become linux
Printer drivers have been deprecated on Linux too. CUPS will eventually drop support for them.
Maybe they’ll add them back later, but you’ll be forced to print a full page add before anything else.
you’ll have to sync your printer with the cloud so ai can train on all of your printed documents and splice ads into your taxes
