I recently ran into a label printing issue with a client. The printer in question was installed via a new 2019-build server and shared to multiple computers via a GPO. Anytime someone would select this printer from an MS Office application, it would cause the computer to show a blue screen. This happened across all computers it was installed on. No other printers on the network were causing the same issue.
I went through the usual troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue. I deleted and replaced the printer driver on the server. Deleted the printer and re-added it on workstations, and even installed the printer directly on the workstations to circumvent the network/print server. None of the usual troubleshooting tricks resolved the issue, and all testing continued to result in workstation blue screens.
I spoke to a fellow engineer who pointed me to a Microsoft update gone wrong. This particular update doesn’t have anything specific to do with printers, and since the blue screens were only happening for one particular printer, I was skeptical, but I thought I’d look into it further. The Microsoft update in question is KB5000802. This is a generic Windows 10 update for security concerns, but only effects certain Windows 10 versions. After further research, the KB certainly was the cause of blue screens while printing. Numerous forums and articles have been posted online since the KB was put into circulation on 2/9/2021 that contribute the KB to the blue screen printing issues.
How to remove a Microsoft update
Since removing updates in Windows 10 can be a bit of a pain, I’ve outlined the steps below:
- Open Settings.
- Click on Update & Security.
- Click on Windows Update.
- Select the View Update history button.
- Click the Uninstall Updates option.
- Select the Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB5000802) Update.
- Click the Uninstall button, click YES to confirm.
- Reboot the workstation when prompted.
After the reboot, the workstation went into the normal “Installing Windows Updates, please wait” prior to loading the login screen. Testing confirmed that the blue screen issue was resolved as well as successful printing. The KB was removed from multiple machines, and all users reported the issues were resolved.
New fix for KB5000802
Microsoft has since released hotfix KB50001567 that resolves the blue screen/printing issues originally caused by KB5000802. I’ve downloaded and tested the hotfix on a few other workstations, confirming that it resolved the issues.
If you have any questions about removing Microsoft Update KB5000802 and/or installing the hotfix, please contact us at any time.
