Microsoft blocks Windows 11 24H2 update as it breaks USB network modems, printers, scanners

A printer alongside Windows 10 logo in red indicating issue

Back in June 2024, when Windows 11 version 24H2 was released for Arm-only Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft had assured that printer support on Windows on Arm was going to be fine and dandy, especially for Mopria standard.

However, recently, Neowin noticed that the tech giant had acknowledged issues with printers on Windows on Arm, though there was no word about AMD or Intel PCs, even though various online user reports suggested that it was happening on x86 (AMD64) systems as well.

The problems may have had to do with eSCL, as Microsoft has finally confirmed today that the protocol is broken on Windows 11 24H2. As such, the feature update has been blocked on such systems. The issue, Microsoft explains, is a result of devices not switching USB mode from eSCL when needed, which is essentially causing a conflict. This follows the upgrade block imposed on PCs with certain Ubisoft games.

The tech giant writes:

After installing Windows 11, version 24H2, you might experience issues discovering USB connected devices that support the eSCL (eScanner Communication Language) scan protocol. You might observe that your device does not discover the USB connected peripheral and the device discovery does not complete. This issue primarily affects USB-connected multifunction devices or standalone scanners that support scan functionality and the eSCL protocol.

eSCL is a driverless scanning protocol designed for networked scanners. It enables driverless scanning over a network (Ethernet, Wi-Fi) and USB connections. This issue is caused due to the device not switching out of eSCL mode to USB mode, which allows the scanner drivers to be matched.

To safeguard your update experience, we have applied a compatibility hold on devices connected to a USB device that supports the eSCL scan protocol. These devices will not be offered to install Windows 11, version 24H2 via the Windows Update release channel. IT administrators using Windows Update for Business reports can check this issue using its safeguard ID: 54762729.

You can find the issue here on Microsoft's Windows health dashboard website.

For those who may not be familiar with eSCL or eScanner Communication Language, it is a specification developed by Mopria for driverless scanning. It is essentially the way Modern print or scans operate on Windows, which makes installing third-party drivers unnecessary.