Every Windows version has its own set of issues, some of which take a long time to resolve. One such error is where the USB printer goes missing. The exact error message is:
USB printer port missing after disconnecting printer while Windows is shut down.
In this post, we will show how you can resolve this issue using a workaround.
USB printer port missing after disconnecting printer
In this scenario, if a user shutdown Windows while the USB printer is connected or directly disconnects the printer, then it will not be available in the list of printer ports when reconnected or when the computer is restarted. So the problem is that the port goes missing, and if Windows tires to complete any task that requires that port, it will not work.
You can verify by going to Settings > Devices > Printers & Scanners > Print Server Properties > Port tab.
If you check for the USB port associated with that printer, it will be missing. The affected printer and the USB port it connects to should not be displayed on the page.
Workaround for USB Port Missing error
The resolution is straightforward—all you need to do is turn on the printer before starting Windows and keep it connected over USB. Windows will automatically detect the printer and the port associated with it. It will be available if you are using the port for something else.
You will have to keep repeating this unless the workaround becomes available. It will become available to Windows users via the update.
Another workaround is to have a router with a USB port. You can connect to the router and access it through the network. This essentially relieves you from having to keep a printer always.
That said, there are two causes of the problem.
- If the USB printer driver contains a Language Monitor, the language monitor’s OpenPortEx callback function will not be called. As a result, the user cannot perform operations dependent on the Language Monitor’s operation.
- In the “Devices and Printers” control panel, when selecting [Print Server Properties] > [Port] tab, the port for the USB printer (such as “USB001”) does not appear in the list of printer ports. As a result, the user cannot perform operations dependent on the port’s existence.
The technical background for the problem is that they seem to be using the USB Redirection Feature, where a virtual port is used instead of the local port.
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem and is working to fix it in a future version of the operating system.
Related read: Fix Power surge on the USB port error on Windows.
