Epson's update disabled my printer. What to do? Firmware roll back - or something better?

Epson's update disabled my printer. What to do? Firmware roll back - or something better?

Sometimes Epson will put out a new firmware update that damages your printer's performance or kills it altogether. Today I will go over what to do if that happens.

Epson printers sometimes have an auto-update feature. Sometimes that same feature can do more harm than good—and usually does. There’s a chance that one day, you’ll wake up and go to use your printer, only to find that the cartridge is no longer recognizable.

Despite what Epson tells you, I can’t emphasize enough that you should never update your Epson printer. Nothing good has ever (or will ever) come out of Epson’s firmware updates. So what can you do if your printer got updated and is now broken?

Solution 1

There are three routes you can take. First, you can call Epson and explain the issue. Sometimes they will be nice enough to send you a new set of cartridges. They may even send you a new printer if you're really lucky.

This problem is so prolific that in May of 2022, Epson faced a class-action lawsuit. They said installing the software and firmware updates would improve performance and fix printer issues. But they didn’t say that these new updates would prevent third-party cartridges from working. This tidbit is important because there’s a chance bringing up this class-action lawsuit might persuade Epson to be a bit more generous.

Solution 2

The second possible solution is to roll the firmware back to the previous version. While this method is effective, it’s not always easy to find the older version to goit back to. If you go to my YouTube channel, you’ll be able to find a video or two explaining how to do this.

Solution 3

The third way you can fix the update issue is to turn your printer into chipless mode to stop keeping track of the cartridges. This is the method I’ll be showing you today, as well as how to turn off Epson’s automatic update feature.

While it may sound straightforward, disabling the Epson printer’s automatic update feature is more complicated than it seems. There are three areas we’ll need to disable, and then I’ll show you what to do if you accidentally download Epson’s firmware update.

Downloading the Previous Firmware

When you go online and look for a website to make your printer chipless, there are going to be a lot of “options” that come up. However, I always recommend using InkChip.net since it’s straightforward, and I’ve used it enough times that I can assure you it’s not a virus — though you will have to disable your antivirus before downloading it.

Start by going to InkChip.net and clicking on the software tab. Each row on this page represents a different printer model. Find your specific printer’s number in the list. Each row has four links. The first will be a video showing how to turn your printer into firmware update mode. After doing this, click the second link to download the “updated” firmware.

Before moving forward, check to see that the firmware update worked. If it did, go ahead and purchase an activation key by clicking the third link. If you want a paper manual and are unsure of how to do this process, click on the fourth link.

The instructional videos always make it look so easy, but you may have to give it a couple of tries before you can get it to work. On the printer’s front screen, you need to hold your thumb down on the right side. With your other hand, press and hold the power button. If the power doesn’t come on right away, that’s a good sign.

As soon as the light above the power button goes blue, release the screen and power button. If the screen is just a blank white square, it didn’t work, and you have to try again. If the process does work, then the screen should be displaying a black square with white text that reads as follows:

“EPSON PRINTER ROM

Program Update Mode”

Now the printer is ready to download the firmware link. If you get an error message saying that the archive is damaged or in an unknown format, click okay and google “7-ZIP.org”. There should be a free software download. You can use the 7-zip software to unzip the download.

Next, you’ll need to plug the printer into the USB port. It must be connected using the USB because a wireless connection won’t work. You should be able to see your printer listed, and then you can just click start, and it should do the download.

Even after the computer says the download is finished, your printer will stay on that screen for a while. Leave it be and come back to it when it’s done. It usually takes around ten or 15 minutes until it’s completed. Now you can turn the power off.

To turn the power off, you can randomly tap the screen until the printer turns itself off.

Now that the firmware has been installed, it’s time to download the activation software. The software is called InkChip.net Activation. You’ll get a blue popup window the first time you run it. Don’t click okay. Instead, click the more information button and select “Run Anyway.”

If you have Norton Antivirus, you may get another popup saying that the activation does not have a valid digital signature. Just tell it to always run and then click okay. The software always updates itself the first time you run it, and then you should see your printer listed in the drop-down menu.

Go back to InkChip.net once more and buy a license for your printer. Make sure it’s the one that goes with your specific printer, or it probably won’t work. After the software updates, you can click “activate online” and input the key.

Do not get rid of the code – copy and paste it into a text file somewhere. It’s extremely important that you save it somewhere on your computer. The printer should now be chipless. To make sure, go to your printer and check the ink levels. It should display that all of the ink cartridges are full.

This solution will remain effective as long as you don’t update your printer.

Turning off Epson’s Automatic Update Feature

During installation, uncheck the box next to “Allow Windows Firewall to Unblock Epson Utilities.” After installation, it will say that there is a firmware update available. Of course, you’ll want to check “no.” Under no circumstances should you let it update.

After it’s installed, go to Devices>Printer>Printing Preferences. Under the maintenance tab, click on software update. Let it check for updates and just run. This is a necessary step, and you can do nothing to stop it. After it does this, go to the auto-update setting and check “never.” You’ll have to do this on every computer connected to your printer.

I hope this blog helped fix your auto-updated Epson printer! For more DIY printer tips and tricks, follow me on YouTube at Kevin at BCH. I made a video walkthrough of this post, which you can view on my channel. Happy printing!