Windows 11 24H2 causes USB scanners and printers stop working

Windows 11 24H2 continues to cause headaches for users. According to BleepingComputer, various USB scanners and other devices with scanning functionality are no longer working after the update.

As a result, Microsoft has confirmed the issue and paused the Windows 11 24H2 update rollout for users that have USB scanning devices.

Which devices are affected?

Complaints about this particular Windows 11 24H2 issue have been accumulating on the Microsoft community forum, on Reddit, and elsewhere for several days.

It appears to affect devices that support the eSCL protocol, which is widely used across manufacturers, including HP, Brother, and Fujitsu. Apart from standalone scanners, other impacted devices include multi-function printers, fax machines, and modems.

In many cases, the PC simply fails to recognize the connected scanning devices. Microsoft has since confirmed the problem and is working with various manufacturers on a fix. Current driver updates have not yet been able to make the affected devices discoverable again.

What you can do if you’re affected

As of this writing, the only thing we can advise is that you hold off on installing Windows 11 24H2 if you rely on any USB devices with scanning functionality. Then again, you likely can’t get the update anyway since Microsoft has blocked the update on affected systems.

Refrain from manually installing Windows 11 24H2 using other means, especially if you’re dependent on scanning for day-to-day tasks.

If you’ve already updated and can’t wait around for Microsoft to release a fix, your only option is to revert to an older version of Windows 11. This hasn’t always worked for all Windows 11 24H2 issues, but it’s worth trying anyway because there really isn’t any other recourse as of now.