After updating to Windows 11 24H2, computers stopped “seeing” many scanners and MFPs

Users encountered further problems after updating Windows 11 to 24H2. This time they affected computers to which scanners are connected via USB, supporting eSCL (eScanner Communication Language) – a driverless exchange protocol that works via Ethernet, Wi-Fi and USB. The problem affected scanners, multifunction devices, fax machines, modems and other network devices that support the eSCL protocol.

Image source: Microsoft

Microsoft confirmed the problem following numerous reports from affected customers that began appearing more than a month ago on the Microsoft community site, Reddit and other online platforms.

«I contacted different vendors about both the medical software it connects to and the scanner. According to Ricoh (the company that now owns Fujitsu’s scanner division), there is currently no fix and they are working on it. this post was published on October 31st,” one affected customer wrote on Reddit.

«The problem occurred on five of our computers that were updated. We tried a clean install of 24H2 and the problem persisted. In HP’s case, we tried new drivers/new firmware but nothing worked,” another customer complained.

According to Microsoft, the issue is due to the device not switching from eSCL mode to USB mode. “After installing Windows 11 version 24H2, you may have trouble detecting USB-connected devices that support the eSCL scanning protocol,” a Microsoft spokesperson acknowledged. “You may notice that your PC does not detect the USB-connected peripheral device and the process does not complete.”

As of today, Microsoft has blocked upgrading to Windows 11 24H2 on systems with eSCL scanners connected via USB (Safeguard ID 54762729). Customers are advised not to manually update affected devices using the Media Creation Tool or Windows 11 Installation Assistant until the issue is resolved.