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Microsoft confirmed that Windows will stop offering third-party printer drivers. The technology giant announced that it has begun the end of support for drivers of these devices through Windows Update, so manufacturers must offer an alternative means to download and install these files on the operating system.
Although at first glance the decision seems radical, the truth is that few companies offer their drivers the old way. The Mopria Alliance, formed in 2013 by Canon, HP, Samsung and Xerox, was definitive in creating a universal standard in devices such as scanners or printers. Over the years, companies such as Lexmark, Brother, Epson or Microsoft itself came together and developed a library that offers support for a wide range of hardware.
“With the release of Windows 10 21H2, Windows offers support for Mopria-compatible printing devices over USB and network interfaces,” Microsoft announced in your support website. “This eliminates the need for printing device manufacturers to provide their own installers, drivers, utilities, etc.” Because This is a significant change.the technology company will divide it into four phases that will cover a period of four years.
According to Microsoft’s calendar, Starting in 2025, no new printer drivers will be published in Windows Update. Although companies will be able to submit them for validation, no more WHCP-signed drivers will be offered after the chosen date.
It is important to mention that Windows will not prevent the installation of printer drivers. It will simply remove them from Windows Update, so the manufacturer will have to offer an additional installer.
Windows puts the final nail in the coffin of printer drivers
One of the most common reviews to the Microsoft operating system is its dependence on past technology. Although Windows 11 has a facelift, it is still possible to find access to old functions, such as Windows 7 backup and backup or disk manager. The Control Panel refuses to die and many applications maintain the original Windows 2000 layout.
Old guard users, mainly enterprise and government customers, carry considerable weight for the company. It is because of that Microsoft has put aside radical changes and adopted a stance in which it gradually eliminates options. The technology company not only adds functions in its major updates, but also gets rid of applications that no longer have a reason to exist in the operating system.
The most recent case is WordPad, an app that remained on Windows for more than 30 years and that will disappear completely in the next version. The same will happen with Cortana, the first version of Edge, Windows to Go or support for TLS 1.0 and 1.1. All of them are on the list and will not return in future versions of the operating system.
A curious case with printer drivers is that hundreds of thousands of installation tutorials will become obsolete. If you have ever looked for the solution to a specific Windows problem, you will notice that a basic suggestion is to update the driver with Windows Update. The decision to leave them out will take us back to the caveman ages, where we used third-party software that generated more blue screens than printed pages.
Although Windows will no longer offer third-party drivers, Microsoft will continue to release security updates.
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