Windows not recognizing HP Scanner 3000 s4 with USB connection after Realtek Updates 10/18

Just figured it out for my office. Make sure you've got HP scan and your driver pack installed via HP's website. You've gotta open device manager, find at the bottom under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers" There will be 2 options for USB Printer support I'm not sure which one it is specifically so do this for both of them.

Open its properties and follow these steps

Update Driver

Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer

(If it brings up the long list of devices choose universal serial bus controllers)

If not then just press Have disk

Next to the selected path press Browse

Open this pathing C:\Program Files\HP\HP Scan\DriverStore\HPScanUnusedStubDriver

There is an .inf that says unused but it is the correct USB Driver to use.

Once installed to the correct one it will request a reboot.

You may need to reinstall the drivers to your Imaging Device via device manager but you should be set after this

Since last update for Windows 11 with KB5046617 I observe the same effect with a Scanjet Pro 2600 f1.

The HP helpdesk informed me, that they are aware of the fact and that the have informed Microsoft, but got no response so far.

This resolved the issue for one day. However, starting the next day, whenever the scanner shut down on its own (no way to stop it unless you are using every so often), the drivers would stop/revert to a different one. I work for a school district and so there are multiple scanners that I have to go in and perform these steps every 4-5 hours.

This is an issue I have seen with Scanjet Pro S3 and s4 as that is the primary scanner we use here. There is an HP LaserJet pro mfp m227fdn that is also having the same issue. This one is a printer/scanner and the printing still works, but the scanner does not. We are currently running more troubleshooting to work with the update 'Windows 11, version 24H2 x64 2024-10B', but this is all we have right now.

Hello, Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

Hello and thank you for responding to your question here, it seems that after Windows update, your HP Scanner 3000 S4 stopped working.

First of all, thanks for sharing the information, and since you've already done the basic troubleshooting, such as removing the device, reinstalling the driver, and plugging and unplugging the USB connection, let's explore some additional steps that might help resolve the issue.

1. Check the device Manager:

Right click on the Start menu and select Device Manager.

See if there are any devices with a yellow triangle logo, especially under imaging devices or universal serial Bus controllers.

If you see your scanner with an error, right click on it and select Properties for more information.

2. Update the USB driver:

In Device Manager, locate the Universal Serial Bus controller.

Right click on each USB root hub and select Update Driver.

Select automatic search for updated driver software.

3. Uninstall recent updates:

If the problem started after a specific Windows update, you can try uninstalling it:

Go to Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update > View Update History > Uninstall Updates.

Find the update installed on October 18, 2024 and uninstall it.

4. Run the Windows Troubleshooting program:

Go to Settings > Updates & Security > Troubleshooting.

Select other troubleshooting programs and run hardware and device troubleshooting programs.

5. Check the USB connection:

Try a different USB port on your computer, preferably one on the back of the console.

If possible, test the scanner on another computer to see if it works properly.

6. Install HP Smart software:

Download and install the latest version of the HP Smart application from the Microsoft Store or the official HP website. The software usually contains the required drivers.

7. Reset your printer/scanner:

Sometimes, a hard reset of the scanner can help:

Turn off the scanner, unplug it from the electrical outlet, wait one minute, then plug it back in and turn it on.

8. Roll back Realtek Updates:

If Realtek updates seem to be the root cause, consider rolling back these drivers:

In Device Manager, locate the Realtek component, right-click, and select Properties > Drivers TAB > Rollback Drivers if available.

9. Check for conflicts:

Disable other devices that may conflict with the scanner, especially other unnecessary USB devices.

You can try it out by referring to the steps above, and after that, give some feedback and I will further support you.

Best regards

Bobhe | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

So far, this has been the only solution that's worked for me. I don't know how you found this, but thank you--I have a bunch of co-workers that will be very happy to have their scanners working again--and so far, I'm 4/4 this afternoon getting them back up and running--so I'm having a decent Friday.

Thanks again!