How to Fix USB Printer Issue Caused by KB4560960 & KB4557957

Jun. 16, 2022 / Updated by Bessie Shaw to Windows 10

For many enterprises, printer is a necessity. But it's also a troublesome device because it often has problems with configuration or breaks down. Some Windows 10 users complained that their USB printers were broken down these days. This time it's not a driver problem, but a problem with Windows 10 cumulative updates.

Microsoft released its regular June 2020 cumulative updates a few days ago. KB4560960 for Windows 10 version 1903 and Windows 10 version 1909 and KB4557957 for Windows 10 version 2004 were reported to cause issues with USB printers. Microsoft has confirmed the issue. According to Microsoft, “if you connect a USB printer to Windows 10 version 1903 or later, then shut down Windows and disconnect or shut off the printer, when you start Windows again the USB printer port will not be available in the list of printer ports. Windows will not be able to complete any task that requires that port.”

Microsoft has also listed two main causes for the USB printer issue:

  • If the driver for the USB printer contains a Language Monitor, the OpenPortEx callback function of the Language Monitor would not be called. As a result, the user cannot fulfill operations dependent on the operation of the Language Monitor.

  • In the "Devices and Printers" control panel, when selecting [Print Server Properties] > [Port] tab, the port for the USB printer (such as "USB001") would not appear in the list of printer ports. As a result, the user cannot fulfill operations dependent on the existence of the port.

This issue is mostly with Ricoh printers, as well as some other brands like Brother and Canon. Fortunately, Microsoft has confirmed the issue and is working on a solution. It’s expected to be fixed in a future version.

If you are one of these affected users, don’t worry. Here we offer two ways to help you temporarily get out of the issue.

How to Fix USB Printer Issue on Windows 10 Version 1903 or Later

To troubleshoot the USB printer issue on Windows 10 version 1903, Windows 10 version 1909 or Windows 10 version 2004, you can try the following methods.

Method 1. Connect a Powered-on USB Printer before Starting Windows

This is what Microsoft suggests. It can effectively avoid the issue.

Method 2. Uninstall the Cumulative Update KB4560960 & KB4557957

If method 1 doesn’t work for you, you can give this method a chance. Please follow the detailed steps in this article to uninstall KB4560960 & KB4557957: How to Uninstall Windows 10 Quality Updates via Advanced Start-up.

That's it. If you have any questions about how to fix USB printer issue caused by KB4560960 & KB4557957, please leave your comments below.

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