Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 Update Exorcises Occupied Printers that speared pages with random signs

Windows 11’s optional update for March has just arrived
This preview -update packs a solution for a printer error that caused devices to wipe out random signs
The cure is tested in this optional release and then becomes part of the full patch for Windows 11 23H2 released in early April

Do you remember that really strange printer errors with Windows 11 23H2 – the one that made it seem like your printer was occupied? There is some good news for those affected in the fact that Microsoft’s latest update has healed this problem.

Glitch was introduced in a preview update released by the end of January 2025, which made the printer mysteriously produce pages filled with random characters. It only affected printers that were connected by USB, mind and mainly happened when turning on the device – even though it undoubtedly spooked a lot of people.

However, Microsoft has just released the March -Preview update for Windows 11 – Packing a lot of goodies as it happens – and it also contains the correction to this strange printer error.

Neowin reports that Microsoft in a Windows 11 Health Dashboard update relating to the error informs us: “This problem was resolved by Windows updates released March 25, 2025 (KB5053657), and later. We recommend that you install the latest update to your device as it contains important improvements and questions, including this.”

(Image Credit: Shutterstock)

Analysis: Not disastrous and kind of funny – but still wasted

Granted, this is far from the worst Windows 11 bug we’ve seen, and 24H2 users have suffered all kinds of really weird bugs that are especially thrown on them (players have also been merciless under fire). There have also been Gremlins undergoing the depth of Windows 11, which has prompted printers to stop working (at least partially) in the past.

At least this mistake did not make something as bad as that, and it even had a kind of humorous side to that in terms of the ‘occupied printer’ aspect. That said, a waste of paper and ink is not fun if the error continues to happen, as it apparently did – without any way of stopping it. It is a very environmentally friendly view, even on a small scale like this.

In any case, it is good to see that Microsoft has fixed this wrench in the works in a relatively timely way. However, there is a note of caution to sound here, which is that the resolution of this printer problem is only in a preview update right now. These updates arriving late in the month to test the soil prior to the full patch release the following month are optional for a reason.

Example updates are still in what is effectively the last phase of testing, so things can still go wrong with them. This means that this solution may not work completely as expected or can cause unintended side effects elsewhere in Windows 11 (it certainly happened before).

In this case, if the printer error is something you find annoying, you will probably want to get hold of preview of March and take your chances. The good news is that even if you prefer to wait, you don’t have to be patient long as the fix will be included in the cumulative update of April to Windows 11 23h2 (arriving on April 7, so it’s only a week and a half away now).

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