HP Printers stop working with MacOS

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BillyAnderson

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#279586 24-Oct-2020 19:16

Many HP printers and scanners, especially older ones, have suddenly stop working. :(

AppleInsider.com: Some Mac users being warned that Amazon Music app and HP drivers are malware

TheRegister.com: If you suddenly can't print to your HP Printer from your Mac, you're not alone: Code security cert snafu blamed

The issue appears to be due to Apple expiring an old HP code signature used by the driver software and installers (it has nothing to do with Amazon Music which is having its own similar issue). For some users downloading the new HP Printer Drivers 5.1 update from the App Store app's Updates tab has fixed the problem. Others have fixed it by downloading drivers from HP's website. Some of us are still waiting for it to be fixed.

Unfortunately many old printers may not get any fix at all because they're considered "obsolete" despite still working fine in currently supported versions of MacOS (High Sierra, Mavericks, Catalina). For these people you may be able to use workarounds like Gutenprint (free) and VueScan (not free) ... or you will have to just buy a new printer.

Goosey

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#2591534 24-Oct-2020 23:11

This irks me.... in a world where almost all large companies bleat on about environment and how they support the causes etc etc....they then make it hard for people to simply use pieces of tech which work well e.g. printers, forcing upgrades and more junk into landfills.

K8Toledo

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#2591552 25-Oct-2020 06:19

HP build wonderful computers, but their printers are garbage.

BillyAnderson

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#2591585 25-Oct-2020 09:39

Goosey:

in a world where almost all large companies bleat on about environment and how they support the causes etc etc....they then make it hard for people to simply use pieces of tech which work well e.g. printers, forcing upgrades and more junk into landfills.

It's ridiculous that they still sell brand new printers far cheaper than buying an official replacement ink cartridge for your existing printer. You're financially better off simply buying a new printer every time your ink runs out.

For the original topic's issue, it seems to be turning into a problem of "Apple blames HP and HP blames Apple" with neither bothering to actually properly fix it so far. :(

Behodar

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#2591591 25-Oct-2020 09:58

K8Toledo:

HP build wonderful computers

[citation needed]

but their printers are garbage.

I hear that a lot, but have yet to personally have any serious trouble. My 12-year-old F2235 still works fine.

As for this issue, I've disabled automatic updates and can thankfully still print.

freitasm

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#2591593 25-Oct-2020 10:06

Behodar:

As for this issue, I've disabled automatic updates and can thankfully still print.

So trade-off is either ability to print or being open to security threats that evolve every day...

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Behodar

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#2591600 25-Oct-2020 10:25

Fortunately that's fine for my use case. I didn't mean to suggest that everyone does the same!

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BillyAnderson

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#2591663 25-Oct-2020 14:07

The problem isn't caused by any software update, so having Automatic Updates turned on or off isn't relevant. It doesn't seem to have affected everyone, so you may be one of the lucky ones or are using an unaffected older version of MacOS. The problem is caused by Apple expiring a software coding certificate, which is a background process with no user control ... short of running the computer off-grid from the internet.

On my Mac running High Sierra the problem appears to have been solved by installing the HP Printer Essentials package from their FTP site. It may or may not also need the HP Printer Drivers 5.1 update from the App Store Updates tab (I installed that yesterday, but it didn't fix it by itself). Then deleting and re-adding the printer in System Preferences.

K8Toledo

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#2591929 25-Oct-2020 21:32

Behodar:

I hear that a lot, but have yet to personally have any serious trouble. My 12-year-old F2235 still works fine.

As for this issue, I've disabled automatic updates and can thankfully still print.

I've worked in Field Services for 16yrs, when it comes to printer issues HP make up ~90% of callouts. And the software is generally buggy.

Brother I almost never see, ottomh one in 4yrs & that was for a dried inkline.

BillyAnderson

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#2592402 27-Oct-2020 13:01

Apple seems to have fixed the issue for most people with another behind-the-scenes process (not an auto-update) - possibly whitelisting the apps or revoking the previous expiration. It may or may not be a temporary method until a normal update is made available.

If you're still having problems, you can try downloading the HP Drivers 5.1 from the App Store's Updates page or Apple menu > About This Mac > Software Update ... if it is listed, otherwise from Apple's Support website.

If that doesn't fix the problem (which it didn't for me) then download and install HP Printer Essentials S-5_14_8_4 from HP's FTP site. This is the option that worked for me.

wellygary

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#2592421 27-Oct-2020 13:54

BillyAnderson:

It's ridiculous that they still sell brand new printers far cheaper than buying an official replacement ink cartridge for your existing printer. You're financially better off simply buying a new printer every time your ink runs out.

They have thought of that too.... the cartridges that ship with new printers typically have smaller ink tanks than the regular retail ones....