14 DAY TRIAL // A bug in Windows 10 April 2018 Update breaks down select Samsung printer and scanner models, with a hotfix said to be available, but not shipped automatically to impacted devices.
Posts on Microsoft’s Community forums reveal that various printers and scanners no longer work after systems are upgraded to Windows 10 April 2018 Update, including Samsun’s Xpress SL-C480FW. According to users who posted on the forums, trying to use these devices fails with the following error:
“I/O error while communicating with the device. Please wait and try scanning again. If it does not help, please turn the device off, then switch it on and wait while it warms up.”
Needless to say, the suggested workaround doesn’t make any difference, and neither does removing the drivers and reinstalling them on Windows 10.
“After following the above without any success, I did uninstall all software, drivers, printers. Reinstalled them, used different usb cable and port but the result was the same. I can scan through windows but the easy document creator doesnt work anymore and gives the above error message,” one user explains.
No word on potential bugfix
HP, the company that recently took over Samsung’s printing business, hasn’t offered a statement in this regard, but one user has come across a fix that is believed to be restoring functionality. The download link is available in the linked thread.
What’s important to know, however, is that this hotfix isn’t shipped automatically to devices, and users need to install it manually on Windows 10 April 2018 Update.
Neither Microsoft nor HP commented on the bug, but according to one user who reached out to support services, the latter has already escalated the problem to the software giant and a fix might be in the works. The next cumulative update for Windows 10 April 2018 Update will land in July, but it’s not yet known if a patch would be included or not.