Error 0x0000007c is a new problem that appears when trying to connect to a printer over the network. When trying to establish a connection, a message with a failure is displayed. Sometimes it is additionally asked to install a driver for a printing tool. A lot of users have encountered this error, as evidenced by dozens of pages discussing the problem on various forums. Moreover, the breakdown is not tied to a specific printer model or version of Windows 10. Here is everything that we managed to find out about this error, as well as all the known ways of fixing it, confirmed by other users.
Why does error 0x0000007c appear?
The root cause of the problem connecting the computer to the printer is the problematic Windows 10 October Update. After installing it, the error started to appear. We can conclude that this is not the only reason, as the failure occurs only in a certain group of people. In other words, some system settings are layered here, but it doesn’t make much sense on our part to find out. The only thing that should be additionally noted is that Microsoft has confirmed awareness of this malfunction and promised to fix it in one of the December updates.
How to fix error 0x0000007c?
Today there are 3 effective fixes that are already helping users. These are rather temporary solutions until the moment when Microsoft releases a full-fledged patch. Experience shows that promises are not always kept, and even less often – on time.
Things to try:
- Change keys in the registry. This solution has been advised by technical support and has the highest chance of success.
- Remove the problematic update. The changes will roll back and the problem may go away by itself.
- Reinstall the printer in a special way. At least several users have unsubscribed that it works for them.
We make corrections to the registry
The effectiveness of the method has been confirmed in systems: Windows 10 2004, 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, 1909, 1809, Server 2019. The essence of the method is to disable the security check that causes problems when connecting to the printer. As a result, the degree of security is somewhat reduced, but for many years they did without this function and you can be patient a little more. During the next update, when the fix is made, you will have to manually enable the option.
What should be done:
- Open the registry editor using the word regedit (you need to enter it in the “Run” line).
- We go along the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Policies Microsoft FeatureManagement Overrides.
- Instead of the value 713073804, insert 00000000. Other values may initially appear here: 3598754956, 1921033356 and others.
Removing the problematic update
Today, the most common error 0x0000007c is caused by the update KB5006670 for Windows 10 or KB5006674 for Windows 11. Removing them may work.
How to uninstall the cumulative update:
- Press the Win + I combination and go to “Update and Security” or “Windows Update” (in Windows 11).
- Click on the “Update history” button, then – “Delete updates”.
- Select the problematic update from the list and delete it.
Important! For the fix to work, you must additionally turn off automatic updates. Otherwise, it will be reinstalled without your knowledge and the problem will persist.
Reconnecting the printer
The last solution, which was praised by many users. You may have already tried to remove and reconnect the device, but in the standard version the procedure does not work. Just follow the instructions below.
Printer Reconnection Guide:
- We follow the path C: Windows System32 spool drivers x64 3, cut out all the contents of the last folder and transfer it to the desktop.
- Open the “Services” section (the easiest way is to insert the services.msc file into the search and open it.
- Restart the “Print Manager” (stop the process and start it again).
- We download the driver file from the Internet without auto-installation, just in the form of an inf-file.
- We remove the printer and manually add it in the standard way, only during its installation you need to specify the path to the driver inf-file.
There are other methods that have not been confirmed to be effective in combating error 0x0000007c, which we cannot yet recommend to our readers. We hope more for your experience. Please write in the comments if you managed to fix this problem and how exactly.