HP printers and their owners are not having the time of their lives.
Many HP OfficeJet printer owners are complaining about them bricking following a firmware update from the company earlier this month.
HP is working with customers and a potential fix to solve the issue, which could be released in a future update.
HP OfficeJet Printer Bricking Issue
HP OfficeJet Printer owners recently went to the company's official customer support threads to complain about their printers malfunctioning on them after downloading their latest firmware update.
According to PC Mag and Bleeping Computer, the affected printers include HP OfficeJet 902x models, such as HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e, HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e, HP OfficeJet Pro 9020eAll-in-One, HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e All-in-One Printer. The issue with these printers comes in the form of a blue screen error with the error code "83C0000B."
One customer said on the thread that they already approach HP's customer service for a solution after determining that their printer's hidden service menu was not working and their printer was not booting anymore. Another said they didn't get a solution to the problem as they didn't have one to fix it when they called.
Meanwhile, others had their printers either sent in for service to fix the issue or resolved to have it replaced entirely.
HP is working on a fix to solve the issue, though the company has yet to give an update on how close they are to completing it. It mentioned in a statement that its teams are "working diligently to address the blue screen error affecting a limited number of HP OfficeJet Pro 9020e printers."
Is There A Solution Or Preventative Measure?
Engadget reports that there is no way for someone to fix a bricked printer on their own - factory resetting the printer requires interacting with its touchscreen display, which is unavailable due to the blue screen.
Unfortunately, the printers seem to automatically download the problematic update once they're connected to the internet. As such, those who have yet to experience the problem are advised to disable their printers' internet connection and wait for HP's firmware update to fix the issue.
HP also mentioned that it is recommending that affected customers contact its customer support team for assistance.
HP's Recent Blunders
The OfficeJet bricking is one of the more recent problems HP had to tackle lately due to one of its software updates. The company released a security update that allegedly improved its unpopular dynamic security policy sometime in mid-March.
The update caused its printers to not work with third-party ink cartridges, according to The Verge, forcing people to either switch to HP-made ink cartridges or buy a new printer entirely.
Interestingly, HP became the target of a class action lawsuit for the same thing, with the company reaching a $1.5 million settlement with US customers for rendering the competitors' supply cartridges incompatible with HP printers in 2020, among other things.
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