The HP OfficeJet Pro 9025e printer is affected.
A firmware update rendered several models of HP OfficeJet printers unusable for weeks. As I mentioned Sleeping Computer on Saturday, a recent firmware update inadvertently left many users with devices that would not print and only display the dreaded blue screen.
HP support forums are now littered with users complaining that their printer has stopped working and its screen has turned blue with the error code “83C0000B”. The problem dates back to May 8. According to Bleeping Computer, the problem affects owners of OfficeJet 902x printers.
At least one HP representative has participated in the forum Proposal This error was caused by a “printhead problem”. However, Bleeping Computer reported that the problem is caused by a firmware update released in May.
“I just spoke to customer service. They have confirmed that this is a firmware bug that is happening all over the world. They won’t hear back until Tuesday the 16th, so there’s nothing they can do right now,” said an HP customer. books In the support forum on May 12.
HP told the publication that a “limited number” of users were affected, but support indications show the issue is affecting dozens of customers in the United States, Australia, France, Germany, the Netherlands. Bas, in New Zealand and Poland.
HP responds
HP reportedly told customers the issue would be addressed or resolved on different dates throughout the month, but has yet to release an official fix, leaving customers without a way to print.
Delayed responses and purported promises to fix the problem by earlier dates led to visible frustration and customers reconsidering HP products.
1 user on May 12 books:
I spoke to HP customer service and they told me they don’t have a solution for this firmware issue at this time. They said next Tuesday maybe. I will wait until Tuesday and then return the printer to Amazon for a refund.
HP shed some light on the situation in a statement sent to Bleeping Computer:
Our teams are working hard to resolve a blue screen error affecting a limited number of HP OfficeJet Pro 9020e printers. We recommend that customers who encounter the error contact our customer support team for assistance: https://support.hp.com.
However, we still don’t know when users will see a fix, why the firmware update was released, or why the update broke HP printers. We asked HP about these remaining issues, but the spokesperson only responded with the same statement sent to Bleeping Computer.
Another bad look for HP printers
It’s bad enough that customers’ printers are blocked for weeks. Usually when you want to print something, you need it to have it handy NOW, Not when HP discovers its firmware issues. But on top of that, HP no longer has much grace when it comes to suddenly released firmware updates that ruin customers’ days. Now, some people lack patience.
On May 16, a frustrated user got books:
In fact, HP was supposed to fix the issue “at the latest” by May 16. I called HP France support this morning…can’t fault the person on the phone who used diplomacy to explain that HP engineers were aware of and working on this issue (which is exactly the message I got received last week). This time there was no time for a solution. I find it strange that HP doesn’t even try to post an apology, known explanations for the problem, and regular updates on their efforts to fix it, instead letting their customer service agents handle our growing frustration. It does not give assurance that HP is paying attention to a problem, rendering their product completely useless and preventing hundreds of customers in many countries from printing anything… Certainly not what we can expect from HP, and that harms customer loyalty.
It’s unclear what triggered the firmware update that broke HP printers and the support pages for 9020AH and 9025AH series only focus on the printers use of malicious dynamic security from HP. HP Dynamic Security is used to prevent printers from working with non-HP ink cartridges. HP’s sudden release of Dynamic Security for Printers suddenly rendered ink stacks useless.
Officially, HP says it uses “dynamic security measures to protect the quality of our customers’ experience, maintain the integrity of our printing systems, and protect our intellectual property,” but since its debut in 2016, it led to class action lawsuits and angered customers who stuck with ink that otherwise works. He works.
HP Dynamic Security Page Notes Dynamic Security printers require periodic firmware updates to “maintain the effectiveness of Dynamic Security” and that “updates may enhance, improve, or extend the features and functionality of the printer, protect against security threats and serve other purposes”.
Bleeping Computer said the only way for users to avoid this frustration is to disconnect the printer from the Internet, and HP advises customers to do so until the issue is resolved. That’s not a good look at automatic firmware updates, which are supposed to assure customers that their devices will stay secure and work without too much effort on their part.
HP’s mismanagement of printer firmware updates can deter users from potentially important future updates. During this time, HP has traumatized countless customers, and many will now think twice before relying on an HP printer again.
