Has Microsoft replaced your OEM print driver yet???

Unofficially you can refill a toner cartridge, there are even toners sold in a bottle to do just that. But then you have to reset the page count which is not trivial for the average user. You can also give the used toner to a professional refill service to refill it for you. However third-party toner cartridges are about the same price as the toner powder and the service charge, so why bother? You can just buy a third-party toner cartridge ready to use.

gunrunnerjohn said:

Which IPP will change in a heartbeat if you let it!

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I do not believe MS is going to put out an IPP driver for my printer. My Printer does not support IPP anyway or Mopria. MS is not going to stop working third party drivers as far as I am aware. So no, I don't believe that is a concern after nearly 20 years.

HeavyHemi said:

I do not believe MS is going to put out an IPP driver for my printer. My Printer does not support IPP anyway or Mopria. MS is not going to stop working third party drivers as far as I am aware. So no, I don't believe that is a concern after nearly 20 years.

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They will make the Windows Protected Print mode enabled by default and let the average user believe his old printer doesn't work in Windows 11. Most will consider to replace it, especially if it is a cheap model, that's exactly Microsoft's goal in order to help manufacturers boost sales. Similarly with Windows 11 official system requirements. The average user is not aware that he can bypass compatibility check and install Windows 11 to his perfectly working old PC. The backwards compatibility is not abandoned, Microsoft doesn't want to disappoint their millions of users, but it is well hidden.

HeavyHemi said:

I do not believe MS is going to put out an IPP driver for my printer. My Printer does not support IPP anyway or Mopria. MS is not going to stop working third party drivers as far as I am aware. So no, I don't believe that is a concern after nearly 20 years.

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I wouldn't be so sure of that. I'll be willing to bet it's going to keep getting harder to keep old printers running. The two main computers I have here are IPP supported, but I believe I lose a bunch of features like scanning if I turn that on. Also, I'd have to upgrade the label printers I use, not to mention buy the overpriced OEM labels for them. I don't feel like spending hundreds of dollars and getting nothing tangible for it!

Last time I compared Printing Preferences of the HP Universal PCL6 drivers and the IPP printing drivers instances, it was exactly what I was feared about. HP Universal PCL6 drivers has many features, not sure if I get more once I install the model-specific printer drivers. The IPP printing drivers only has color/BW and draft/normal quality, no features at all! That's what Microsoft means by "simplified printing" ? To remove all features so novices find it easier to use? No thanks! I want to get the maximum out of my precious hardware, not just make it work on Windows 11. I had seen that back in Windows XP. The XP printer driver was very basic, while the Windows 2000 driver had all the features. Thankfully I could install the Windows 2000 driver on XP. Similarly I will install the legacy drivers on Windows 11, even full featured Vista 64-bit drivers are a lot better than oversimplified IPP printing drivers! Advanced users hate oversimplification and minimum control. We want full control of our hardware and access to all features.

Compare model-specific printer drivers like you have a conversation at your native tongue. Universal PCL6 drivers like you have a conversation at a foreign language which you are fluent but it's not the same as talking to your mother tongue. IPP printing drivers is similar to not using any language at all and try to communicate with emojis! I prefer model-specific printer drivers for best compatibility and access to all features. I think you get my point.

This is why I always keep Windows updates disabled until absolutely needed.

OAT said:

MS has all the rights to protect their OS and their users.

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No.

Microsoft (like all developers) has the right to do what they consider best to their software in benefit of their users.
Uninstalling something else, not made by them, without user knowledge or consent ispretty much malware behavior, even if good intended.
Microsoft owns the OS, but it runs on the user machine, and is the user who ultimately decides what happens on his computer.
We should never, under no circumstances, accept this kind of manipulation without keeping the user informed and let him to decide what to do.

OAT said:

If the printer manufacturers refuse to comply on correcting vulnerabilities, they are the ones to be blamed.

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Yes, of course, refusing to fix a bug is the developer fault.
But that doesn't justify them to be targeted by malicious updates by other software provider. It's the user who must be informed and ultimately take the final decision of replacing it or accept the risk and keep going.

gunrunnerjohn said:

I wouldn't be so sure of that. I'll be willing to bet it's going to keep getting harder to keep old printers running.

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I am positive MS is not going to bother with a driver for a nearly 20 year old printer. I do not believe anyone should be surprised that it gets harder and harder to get older and older hardware to work on newer operating systems and hardware. Why would anyone be betting on an established fact.
I am not even sure what the compliant is... That your 3 decade old printer might be not be as plug and play as a newer one and might a slight hassle to get working?
Gosh, how come my PC still doesn't have SCSI and IDE ports... it is such a hassle needing an adapter...

HeavyHemi said:

I am positive MS is not going to bother with a driver for a nearly 20 year old printer. I do not believe anyone should be surprised that it gets harder and harder to get older and older hardware to work on newer operating systems and hardware. Why would anyone be betting on an established fact.
I am not even sure what the compliant is... That your 3 decade old printer might be not be as plug and play as a newer one and might a slight hassle to get working?
Gosh, how come my PC still doesn't have SCSI and IDE ports... it is such a hassle needing an adapter...

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That's not about how easy it is to install an old printer on Windows 11. It's about Microsoft removing backwards compatibility with the legacy drivers required without asking. This essentially rules out all models that don't support IPP printing drivers. I might be eccentric and want to install my old 90's HP Deskjet 895Cxi printer on Windows 11 using a USB to parallel port adapter. I don't expect Microsoft to make it easy for me. But I do demand to leave my 5 year old printer alone and keep working with the legacy drivers and have the full range of features available. Using the IPP printing driver as pointed out in a previous post has no features, only color/BW and draft/normal. This reduces an expensive printer to a cheap model. Why pay extra for the better model and not buy a cheaper model in the first place?