Microsoft fixes printing issues caused by January Windows updates

Microsoft has fixed a known issue causing some USB printers to start printing random text after installing Windows updates released since late January 2025.

The bug has been addressed in the March 2025 KB5053643 and KB5053657 non-security preview updates for Windows 10 (version 22H2) and Windows 11 (versions 22H2 and 23H2). This fix will also roll out to users who don't install this month's optional updates with the cumulative updates released during the April 2025 Patch Tuesday.

"We recommend you install the latest update for your device as it contains important improvements and issue resolutions, including this one," Microsoft said in a release health dashboard update.

Earlier this month, Microsoft also resolved this printing issue on enterprise devices through Known Issue Rollback (KIR), a Windows feature that reverses flawed non-security updates delivered via Windows Update.

On affected systems, users reported seeing erroneously printed text that starts with the header "POST /ipp/print HTTP/1.1," followed by other IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) related issues headers.

The issues will more frequently impact printers when turned on or reconnected after being disconnected. Affected users will observe the printer unexpectedly start printing when the print spooler sends IPP protocol messages to the printer on Windows devices with the printer drivers installed.

"After installing the January 2025 Windows preview update (KB5050092), released January 29, 2025, or later updates, you might observe issues with USB connected dual-mode printers that support both USB Print and IPP Over USB protocols," Redmond said when it first acknowledged the issue.

"You might observe that the printer unexpectedly prints random text and data, including network commands and unusual characters."

This week, Redmond fixed another known issue causing Remote Desktop and RDS connection issues after installing recent Windows updates released since January 2025. This fix was also rolled out via Known Issue Rollback to enterprise customers and will be made generally available in a future Windows Update.

Veeam also said in a Tuesday advisory that it's jointly investigating with Microsoft a known issue that triggers connection errors on Windows 11 24H2 systems while restoring data from Backup & Replication servers or SMB network shares.