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A Windows Update bug is renaming everyone's printers to HP M101-M106

By Simon Batt
Published 9 hours ago

The reason behind the strange HP Smart App installations has finally
been found.

Source: Hatice Baran (Pexels)
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Key Takeaways

  * Recent Windows update mistakenly identifies all printers as HP
    LaserJet models, causing the unwanted installation of the HP
    Smart App.
  * The bug only affects printer metadata, and print jobs can still
    be sent to the printer despite the incorrect name.
  * Microsoft has removed the faulty metadata from Windows Update,
    and a future update will fix the problem.

A few days ago, we spotted that the HP Smart App was being installed
on people's PCs without their consent. Even worse, the app would
reappear if users tried to uninstall it or clean-installed Windows.
Now, the cause has finally been identified: a recent Windows 10 and
11 update is renaming everyone's printers to "HP LaserJet M101-M106"
regardless of what model it actually is.

Windows Update's strange printer bug

As reported on Windows Latest, the latest update for Windows 10 and
11 seems to think that people's printers are an HP LaserJet model,
regardless of their actual brand. It's believed that the bug appeared
after HP pushed its latest metadata to Windows Update, but something
went awry in the code and caused other printers to be labeled as HP
LaserJet printers.

This explains why the HP Smart App has been sneaking onto people's
computers without their consent. A key part of Windows Update is
keeping third-party drivers and devices updated, including
downloading any apps that the devices depend on. After the printer
metadata incorrectly identified everyone's printers as HP LaserJet
printers, Windows installed all the software needed for an HP printer
to work smoothly, including the HP Smart App.

Fortunately, the bug only affects the metadata for the printer. While
the printer may show up with a different name on your system, you
should still be able to send print jobs to it. Microsoft has since
removed the fault metadata from Windows Update, so anyone performing
a clean install from now on should get their original printer's name
back and stop the HP Smart App from re-downloading.

If you're not keen on performing a clean install just to reset a
printer's name, Microsoft should be releasing an update in the future
that corrects this problem. And if all this is too much hassle, you
can always grab a portable printer for phones and skip all the mess.

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Related Topics

  * Computing
  * Computing News
  * Windows 10
  * Windows 11
  * printer

About The Author
Simon Batt (26 Articles Published)

Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about
technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After
working for an indie game studio, he found his passion for writing
and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.

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