Network printers fail to install on PCs running the Creators Update [FIX]

If you own a computer with less than 4 GB of memory and you upgraded it to the Creators Update OS, you may encounter various network printer install issues.

Microsoft explains that when connecting a network printer (a WSD device) to a network with a PC that contains less than 4 GB running Windows 10 version 1703, the printer’s setup software fails to discover and install the printer. This problem did not exist prior to installing the Creators Update.

The good news is that Microsoft has already acknowledged this issue and is working to fix this problem in a future Windows update. The company also explained that the network printer installation issues are due to the new Creators Update firewall rules.

Microsoft has confirmed a known issue that may prevent network printer software from discovering and installing the network printer on systems with low memory (< 4GB).  This is due to firewall hardening rules added in Windows 10 Version 1703.

How to fix network printer install issues

If you can’t install network printers on your computer, follow the troubleshooting steps listed below:

1. Right-click the Start menu > select Command Prompt (admin) to open Command Prompt as an admin.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the sc config fdphost type=own command and hit Enter
3. Restart your PC > run the printer’s setup software again. You should now be able to install your network printers.

There you go, we hope this workaround helped to fix the network printer install issues that you encountered after upgrading to Windows 10 Creators Update. If you’ve come across other solutions to fix this issue, feel free to list the troubleshooting steps in the comment section below.

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