Windows 11 optional August update fixes printing issues

At the end of each month, Microsoft likes to release an optional update for the public non-beta version of Windows 11. These cumulative update previews typically will bring patches for common Windows issues ahead of the usual Patch Tuesday release that comes on the second Tuesday of the following month. In the case of this month's update (known as KB5016691), Microsoft has just patched issues with USB printing, Bluetooth audio, and more.

In total, there are four highlights in this KB5016691 preview update, which can be found under the Download & install section of Windows Update in settings. The most important one is the fix for where USB printers might malfunction after restart or reinstall. The other three highlights can be seen below, covering the Microsoft Store, Bluetooth audio, and Microsoft Edge.

Addresses an issue that might cause certain Bluetooth audio headsets to stop playing after a progress bar adjustment.
Addresses an issue that prevents Windows 11 SE from trusting some Microsoft Store applications. This might prevent you from downloading the untrusted app.
Addresses a known issue that causes Microsoft Edge to stop responding when you use IE mode. This issue also prevents you from interacting with a dialog.

There are not any security updates or changes with this release, and it is rather designed for the quality improvements we mentioned above. Some of the other improvements can be seen below. Microsoft highlights three new improvements aimed at IT admins, file compression, and Microsoft Defender, which rolled out in the Windows Insider Program's Release Preview branch this week. The full changelog can be seen below.

Improvements in KB5016691

New! Gives IT admins the ability to remotely add languages and language-related features. Additionally, they can now manage language scenarios across several endpoint managers.
New! Compresses a file regardless of its size if you have configured Server Message Block (SMB) Compression.
New! Enhances Microsoft Defender for Endpoint’s ability to identify and intercept ransomware and advanced attacks.
Addresses an issue that causes ServerAssignedConfigurations to be null in a few full configuration scenarios.
Addresses an issue that affects the automatic high dynamic range (Auto HDR) feature for cross-adapter resource scan-out (CASO)-capable GPU drivers.
Addresses a known issue that causes Microsoft Edge to stop responding when you use IE mode. This issue also prevents you from interacting with a dialog.
Addresses an issue that prevents virtualized App-V Microsoft Office applications from opening or causes them to stop working.
Addresses an issue that might cause the deployment of the Windows Hello for Business certificate to fail in certain circumstances after you reset a device.
Addresses multiple issues related to USB printing such as:
A printer malfunctions after you restart or reinstall it
Being in the wrong mode after you switch from an Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) Class Driver to an independent hardware vendor (IHV) driver
Experiencing bidirectional communication issues that prevent you from accessing device features
Addresses an issue that affects the ProjectionManager.StartProjectingAsync API. This issue stops some locales from connecting to Miracast Sinks.
Addresses an issue that degrades BitLocker performance.
Addresses an issue that prevents Windows 11 SE from trusting some Microsoft Store applications.
Addresses an issue that prevents HyperVisor Code Integrity from being enabled automatically on systems that have Arm64 processors.
Addresses an issue that stops non-Windows devices from authenticating. This issue occurs when they connect to a Windows-based remote desktop and use a smart card to authenticate.
Addresses an issue that causes the Resultant Set of Policy tool (Rsop.msc) to stop working when it processes 1,000 or more “File System” security settings.
Addresses an issue that causes the Take a Test app to remove all policies related to lockdown enforcement when you close the app.
Addresses an issue that causes the Settings app to stop working on server domain controllers (DCs) when accessing the Privacy > Activity history page.
Addresses an issue that might cause certain Bluetooth audio headsets to stop playing after a progress bar adjustment. This issue affects modern systems that support Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) offload.
Addresses an issue that prevents devices from receiving an offer from Windows Update for the same extension driver when that extension driver is already installed without the base driver.
Addresses a race condition that causes the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) to stop working on Active Directory domain controllers. This issue occurs when LSASS processes simultaneous Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) over Transport Layer Security (TLS) requests that fail to decrypt. The exception code is 0xc0000409 (STATUS_STACK_BUFFER_OVERRUN).
Addresses an issue that affects a lookup for a nonexistent security ID (SID) from the local domain using read-only domain controller (RODC). The lookup unexpectedly returns the STATUS_TRUSTED_DOMAIN_FAILURE error instead of STATUS_NONE_MAPPED or STATUS_SOME_MAPPED.
Addresses an issue that might cause the Local Security Authority Server Service (LSASS) to leak tokens. This issue affects devices that have installed Windows updates dated June 14, 2022 or later. This issue occurs when the device performs a specific form of service for user (S4U) in a non-Trusted Computing Base (TCB) Windows service that runs as Network Service.

These types of updates typically come with service stack updates, as well. Microsoft says that this month's update improves the service stack itself with quality improvements. The service stack is what is used to install Windows Updates.

As for known issues, if you opt to install this update on your PC, the XPS Viewer might not be able to open XML Paper Specification documents or Open XML Paper Specification Files in non-English languages. This has been an ongoing issue for a month now, and Microsoft is working on a resolution and will provide an update in an incoming release.

It's typically safe to install these optional updates, but if you're not sure about it, you can wait. A lot of the fixes and patches in Windows 11 optional updates usually roll out as part of the Windows 11 Patch Tuesday update which follows in two weeks. You also can manually download the update if you please.

Source: Microsoft