If printers are normally the peripherals that generate the most problems in our computers, when they join forces with Microsoft to make our lives more complicated they can cause us real headaches. The March patches fixed a vulnerability in the Windows 10 printing system . However, fixing this security flaw has caused many users to get blue screens when trying to print. Microsoft released a patch to try to fix these problems, not only to no avail, but by introducing new problems when trying to print. Now, a second patch wants to fix, once and for all, these problems. Will it succeed?
A few hours ago, Microsoft uploaded a new update to Windows Update with which it intends to solve all the problems related to Windows printing. In other words, this patch wants to put an end to the “APC_INDEX_MISMATCH” blue screens and problems when printing documents, photos and images.
Download the new update to be able to print
This new update is available for all Windows 10 computers, from version 1607 to the latest 20H2 . The update will arrive as an optional quality update via Windows Update. We do not have to download and install it if we do not have problems or we do not have a printer, since the only thing it brings are corrections for this error, nothing more.
The update, for Windows 10 versions 2004 and 20H2 , is marked ” KB5001649 “. And in older versions of Windows 10 it has other numbering. We remind you that the 2018 and 2016 editions are only supported in their business versions.
At the moment there is no indication that these new patches have definitively solved the problems when printing, nor that they have done the opposite. Throughout the weekend we will be able to find out if, finally, the second patch has been the final one or not.
Uninstalling the March patches is still the best option
There are many users who need to print from their computers, and they cannot afford the games that Microsoft makes with the updates. Therefore, the fastest and most effective way to eliminate all these problems is to uninstall the latest updates. The March security patches for Windows 10 fixed 8 bugs in total, and none of them were critical or zero-day. Therefore, taking extreme precautions, we should not have problems temporarily uninstalling the patch.
By uninstalling the KB5000802 update , the spooler-related issues should disappear. Of course, we must also make sure that we do not have installed any of the other two updates released to solve the problems of the previous one: KB5001567 or KB5001649.
Microsoft has already identified the problem: a permission failure when using type 3 drivers (those of old printers that have not gone through Windows Update). And now he is working to be able to fix the problem as soon as possible without reopening the vulnerability. It is expected that the final fix will be included in the Windows quality patches, and that it will definitely be part of the April 2021 updates.