The Canon Laser Shot LBP2900/LBP2900B remains widely used because it is a simple, reliable monochrome laser printer. However, installing this older printer on modern versions of Windows 11, particularly Windows 11 25H2 64-bit, can be considerably more difficult than installing it on Windows 7 or Windows 10.

A typical installation may fail even though:

• Windows detects the printer through USB.
• Print Spooler is running.
• The Canon CAPT driver package installs into the Windows Driver Store.
• A USB printer port such as USB001 exists.
• The driver is digitally signed.

One particularly confusing error is:

Operation could not be completed (error 0x000004ec).
This program is blocked by group policy. For more information, contact your system administrator.

Another symptom is that "Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings" is unavailable or greyed out.

This article explains how to diagnose and manually install the Canon LBP2900B on Windows 11 25H2, including the exact PowerShell, PnPUtil and PrintUI commands that successfully registered the legacy Canon CAPT driver.

Important: The procedure below is based on a Windows 11 25H2 system using the Canon LBP2900/2900B CAPT R1.50 V3.30 x64 package. Canon's package is old, so compatibility with future Windows releases cannot be guaranteed.

Understanding the Problem

The Canon LBP2900B uses Canon's older CAPT — Canon Advanced Printing Technology architecture.

The driver involved in this case was:

Canon LBP2900
CAPT Driver R1.50 V3.30
64-bit
Driver Version: 3.30.0.0
Driver Date: 21-Oct-2012

Windows identified the package as:

Provider Name: Canon
Class Name: Printer
Class GUID: {4d36e979-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Driver Version: 10/21/2012 3.30.0.0
Signer Name: Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher
Attributes: Legacy

The critical item is:

Attributes: Legacy

Modern Windows 11 versions have significantly stronger printing security than the Windows versions for which this driver was originally designed.

Therefore, a successful:

pnputil /add-driver ...

does not necessarily mean the printer driver has been registered with the Windows Print Spooler.

This distinction is central to troubleshooting the LBP2900.

Symptoms You May Encounter

During installation, you may encounter one or more of these conditions.

Canon installer firewall warning

The Canon installer may display:

To display the status of the shared printers, you must remove the Windows Firewall block set against "Canon LBP2900 RPC Server Process".

It may subsequently report:

Could not remove the Windows Firewall block against "Canon LBP2900 RPC Server Process".

Do not disable Windows Firewall entirely to solve this problem.

Printer registration failure

The Canon installer may report:

An error occurred during the processing of printer "Canon LBP2900".
The registration of the printers can continue.

Windows policy error

When manually registering the driver:

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry ...

Windows may report:

Operation could not be completed (error 0x000004ec).

followed by:

This program is blocked by group policy.

Manual installation option unavailable

Under:

Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device → Add manually

you may find:

Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings

greyed out.

Step 1: Confirm Your Windows Version

Press:

Win + R

and run:

winver

For example, the affected machine in this troubleshooting case was:

Windows 11
Version 25H2
OS Build 26200.8894
Windows 11 Home Single Language

This is important because instructions written years ago for Windows 7/8/10 may no longer behave identically on current Windows 11 builds.

Step 2: Download and Extract the Canon x64 CAPT Driver

Use the Canon LBP2900/2900B 64-bit CAPT driver package appropriate for your printer.

The package used in this installation was:

LBP2900_R150_V330_W64_uk_EN_2

After extraction, locate:

x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF

For example:

C:\Users\jittu\Downloads\LBP2900_R150_V330_W64_uk_EN_2 (2)\x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF

Your path will naturally be different.

Do not copy the example username/path blindly.

Step 3: Verify Print Spooler

Open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

sc query spooler

A healthy service should report:

STATE : 4 RUNNING

You can also check from Administrator PowerShell:

Get-Service Spooler | Format-List Status,StartType

Expected:

Status    : Running
StartType : Automatic

For additional verification:

sc.exe qc spooler

You should normally see:

START_TYPE         : 2 AUTO_START
SERVICE_START_NAME : LocalSystem

If the Spooler is stopped:

Set-Service Spooler -StartupType Automatic
Start-Service Spooler

Step 4: Confirm Windows Detects the LBP2900B Through USB

Connect the printer directly to the PC and turn it ON.

Open Command Prompt as Administrator:

pnputil /enum-devices /connected | findstr /i "Canon LBP USB"

In our case Windows reported:

Instance ID: USB\VID_04A9&PID_2676\...
Device Description: USB Printing Support
Class Name: USB
Driver Name: usbprint.inf

The important identifiers were:

VID_04A9
PID_2676

and:

USB Printing Support

This established that Windows was communicating with the printer.

If you reach this stage, repeatedly changing USB cables and ports is unlikely to solve a driver-registration problem.

Step 5: Stage the Canon Driver with PnPUtil

Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Run:

pnputil /add-driver "C:\Path\To\x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF" /install

For example:

pnputil /add-driver "C:\Users\jittu\Downloads\LBP2900_R150_V330_W64_uk_EN_2 (2)\x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF" /install

The successful result in our case was:

Microsoft PnP Utility

Adding driver package: CNAB4STD.INF
Driver package added successfully. (Already exists in the system)
Published Name: oem4.inf

This proves that the package has been accepted into the Windows Driver Store.

However, it does not prove that the Canon printer driver is registered with the Print Spooler.

Step 6: Check the Driver Store

If Windows reports a published name such as:

oem4.inf

inspect it:

pnputil /enum-drivers | Select-String -Pattern "oem4.inf" -Context 0,12

The actual machine returned:

Published Name:     oem4.inf
Original Name:      cnab4std.inf
Provider Name:      Canon
Class Name:         Printer
Class GUID:         {4d36e979-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}
Driver Version:     10/21/2012 3.30.0.0
Signer Name:        Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher
Attributes:         Legacy

This is an important diagnostic result.

The package is:

• Present
• Canon supplied
• Printer class
• Signed
• Recognized as legacy

Step 7: Check Whether the Printer Driver Is Registered

Use PowerShell as Administrator, not Command Prompt.

Run:

Get-PrinterDriver | Format-Table Name,Manufacturer -AutoSize

Initially, the affected machine displayed only Microsoft drivers such as:

Universal Print Class Driver
Send to Microsoft OneNote 16 Driver
Microsoft Virtual Print Class Driver
Microsoft Print To PDF
Microsoft IPP Class Driver

There was no:

Canon LBP2900

This revealed the real problem.

The Canon INF was in the Driver Store, but the Canon LBP2900 print driver had not been registered.

Step 8: Check the Printer Port

Run:

Get-PrinterPort | Format-Table Name,Description -AutoSize

In our case:

Name        Description
----        -----------
USB001      CanonLBP2900
USB002      Virtual printer port for USB
USB003      Virtual printer port for USB

This was another strong indication that USB detection was working.

The correct port was:

USB001

Do not assume yours is always USB001. It could be USB002, USB003 or another port.

Step 9: Understand Error 0x000004EC

When attempting to register the driver with:

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ia ...

Windows may report:

Operation could not be completed (error 0x000004ec).

and:

This program is blocked by group policy.

Do not immediately assume the PC belongs to an Active Directory domain.

The error indicates that the operation is being blocked by a Windows policy/security restriction. On current Windows 11 installations, one relevant feature to check is Windows Protected Print Mode.

Step 10: Check Windows Protected Print Mode

Go to:

Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners

Scroll to printer-related preferences and locate:

Windows protected print mode

Windows Protected Print Mode is designed around Microsoft's modern printing architecture and does not support arbitrary third-party legacy print drivers in the same way as the traditional Windows print stack.

If WPP is enabled and you need this old Canon CAPT driver, turn Windows Protected Print Mode OFF.

Restart Windows afterward.

Disabling WPP reduces the protection provided by that feature. Do it only when you specifically need a printer that depends on a legacy third-party driver.

Step 11: Register the Canon LBP2900 Driver

After resolving the policy/WPP restriction, open PowerShell as Administrator.

Run:

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ia /m "Canon LBP2900" /h "x64" /v "Type 3 - User Mode" /f "C:\Path\To\x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF"

For example:

rundll32 printui.dll,PrintUIEntry /ia /m "Canon LBP2900" /h "x64" /v "Type 3 - User Mode" /f "C:\Users\jittu\Downloads\LBP2900_R150_V330_W64_uk_EN_2 (2)\x64\Driver\CNAB4STD.INF"

Now verify:

Get-PrinterDriver | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Canon*" -or $_.Name -like "*LBP*"} | Format-Table Name,Manufacturer -AutoSize

Successful output:

Name          Manufacturer
----          ------------
Canon LBP2900 Canon

At this point, the most difficult part of the installation is complete.

Step 12: Create the Printer Queue

Having the driver registered still doesn't necessarily mean a printer queue exists.

We already determined that the physical printer was associated with:

USB001

Therefore:

Add-Printer -Name "Canon LBP2900" -DriverName "Canon LBP2900" -PortName "USB001"

If your system reports USB002, substitute that port instead.

Verify:

Get-Printer | Format-Table Name,DriverName,PortName -AutoSize

Successful output:

Name          DriverName    PortName
----          ----------    --------
Canon LBP2900 Canon LBP2900 USB001

The Canon LBP2900B is now registered as a Windows printer.

Step 13: Print a Test Page

Press:

Win + R

Run:

control printers

Locate:

Canon LBP2900

Then:

Right-click → Printer properties → Print Test Page

If the page prints successfully, installation is complete.

The Complete Diagnostic Logic

This case is useful because several different layers of the Windows printing system were involved.

Layer 1 — Physical USB device

Verified with:

pnputil /enum-devices /connected

Result:

USB Printing Support
VID_04A9
PID_2676

Status: Working

Layer 2 — Print Spooler

Verified with:

Get-Service Spooler

Status: Running

Layer 3 — Canon driver package

Verified with:

pnputil /enum-drivers

Status: Installed in Driver Store

Layer 4 — USB printer port

Verified with:

Get-PrinterPort

Result:

USB001 CanonLBP2900

Status: Working

Layer 5 — Printer driver registration

Verified with:

Get-PrinterDriver

Initially:

Canon LBP2900 missing

After manual registration:

Canon LBP2900 Canon

Status: Fixed

Layer 6 — Printer queue

Created with:

Add-Printer

Final result:

Canon LBP2900
Canon LBP2900
USB001

Status: Installed

Useful PowerShell Diagnostic Script

For future troubleshooting, Administrator PowerShell can run:

Write-Host "=== PRINT SPOOLER ==="
Get-Service Spooler | Format-Table Status,StartType,Name

Write-Host "`n=== INSTALLED PRINTERS ==="
Get-Printer | Format-Table Name,DriverName,PortName -AutoSize

Write-Host "`n=== CANON DRIVERS ==="
Get-PrinterDriver |
Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Canon*" -or $_.Name -like "*LBP*"} |
Format-Table Name,Manufacturer -AutoSize

Write-Host "`n=== PRINTER PORTS ==="
Get-PrinterPort |
Format-Table Name,Description -AutoSize

Write-Host "`n=== CANON USB DEVICE ==="
Get-PnpDevice -PresentOnly |
Where-Object {$_.InstanceId -like "USB\VID_04A9*"} |
Format-Table Status,Class,FriendlyName,InstanceId -AutoSize

This quickly shows whether the problem is at the:

USB → Port → Driver → Queue → Spooler

level.

What Not to Do

When dealing with the Canon LBP2900B on Windows 11, avoid randomly making major Windows security changes.

Do not:

• Disable Windows Firewall completely.
• Disable Windows Update.
• Disable driver-signature enforcement permanently.
• Delete random oem*.inf packages.
• Modify unrelated Group Policies.
• Repeatedly reinstall the Canon package without diagnosing the failure.
• Assume that pnputil /add-driver means the printer is fully installed.
• Assume that USB001 always belongs to the Canon printer.
• Download modified drivers from unknown websites.

The diagnostic commands above make it possible to identify the failing layer first.

Why PnPUtil Said Installed but Get-PrinterDriver Did Not

This is one of the most important lessons from this issue.

These two operations are not identical:

pnputil /add-driver CNAB4STD.INF /install

and:

Get-PrinterDriver

PnPUtil can successfully stage a driver package in the Driver Store.

That doesn't necessarily create/register the corresponding print driver with the Windows printing subsystem.

Therefore:

PnPUtil → Canon INF present

while:

Get-PrinterDriver → Canon missing

is entirely possible.

In this case, manual PrintUI registration solved that stage.

Why Get-Printer Did Not Work in Command Prompt

A command such as:

Get-Printer

is a PowerShell cmdlet.

It will not work when entered directly into traditional Command Prompt:

C:\Windows\System32>

Run it from:

PS C:\Windows\System32>

The same applies to:

Get-PrinterDriver
Get-PrinterPort
Add-Printer
Get-PnpDevice
Get-Service

Canon Firewall Warning: Should You Disable Firewall?

No.

The old Canon installer may attempt to modify Windows Firewall for:

Canon LBP2900 RPC Server Process

Failure to perform that old installer action is not a good reason to turn off the entire Windows Firewall.

For a directly connected USB LBP2900B, first determine whether normal printing works after the driver and queue are correctly configured.

Treat printer-status/RPC communication problems separately if they actually occur.

Windows 11 25H2 and Legacy Printer Drivers

The LBP2900B illustrates the broader transition taking place in Windows printing.

Modern Windows increasingly emphasizes:

• Modern print architecture
• IPP
• Inbox class drivers
• Reduced dependency on third-party kernel/legacy components
• Stronger print security
• Windows Protected Print Mode

Older printers that rely on vendor-specific legacy drivers may therefore require manual installation or may eventually become incompatible with future Windows releases.

For business environments that depend on old LBP2900/2900B printers, maintaining tested driver packages and documented installation procedures is advisable.

Final Working Configuration

The successful Windows 11 25H2 configuration in this case was:

Operating System:
Windows 11 Home Single Language 25H2

Printer:
Canon LBP2900B

Driver:
Canon LBP2900

CAPT Version:
3.30

Architecture:
x64

Driver INF:
CNAB4STD.INF

USB:
VID_04A9
PID_2676

Windows USB Driver:
usbprint.inf

Printer Port:
USB001

Queue:
Canon LBP2900

Final verification:

Get-Printer | Format-Table Name,DriverName,PortName -AutoSize

returned:

Name          DriverName    PortName
----          ----------    --------
Canon LBP2900 Canon LBP2900 USB001

This confirms that the printer queue, Canon driver and USB port were successfully linked.

FAQ

1. Does Canon LBP2900B work with Windows 11 25H2?

It can work on Windows 11 25H2 using the legacy Canon CAPT x64 driver, as demonstrated in this installation. However, because this is an old legacy driver, compatibility with every Windows 11 build and future releases should not be assumed.

2. Why does Windows detect LBP2900B but not install it?

USB detection and printer-driver registration are separate stages. Windows can recognize the physical USB printing device while the Canon CAPT print driver remains unregistered.

3. What does error 0x000004EC mean?

In this context, Windows is blocking the requested printer-driver operation because of a policy/security restriction.

4. Why was "Add a local printer" greyed out?

Printer security configuration, including Windows Protected Print Mode or other restrictions, can prevent legacy manual printer-driver installation.

5. What is Windows Protected Print Mode?

It is a newer Windows printing security architecture intended to reduce reliance on third-party printer drivers. Legacy printers requiring vendor-specific drivers may require WPP to be disabled before their drivers can be installed.

6. Is turning off Windows Protected Print Mode safe?

It removes protections provided by WPP, so it should be a deliberate compatibility decision rather than a general troubleshooting step.

7. Why did PnPUtil say the Canon driver was installed?

PnPUtil successfully staged the INF package in the Windows Driver Store. The Canon printer driver still needed to be registered with the Windows print subsystem.

8. What does Attributes: Legacy mean?

Windows considers the package part of the legacy printer-driver architecture rather than the modern driverless printing model.

9. Is CNAB4STD.INF the correct INF?

For the CAPT R1.50 V3.30 x64 package discussed here, yes. The INF itself contained:

"Canon LBP2900" = LBP2900...

10. Why is the printer called Canon LBP2900 when mine is LBP2900B?

The driver package uses Canon LBP2900 as the model/driver name for this LBP2900/2900B family.

11. How do I know which USB port to use?

Run:

Get-PrinterPort | Format-Table Name,Description -AutoSize

Do not assume USB001 without checking.

12. Can I use USB002 instead?

Only if Windows has associated your printer with that port. Use the port actually created/detected for the printer.

13. Should I disable Windows Firewall?

No. Do not disable the entire firewall merely because Canon's old setup reports an RPC firewall warning.

14. Do I need to disable driver signature enforcement?

It was not necessary in this case. The driver was reported as signed by Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher.

15. How can I check whether the Canon driver is registered?

Run:

Get-PrinterDriver | Where-Object {$_.Name -like "*Canon*"}

16. How can I check whether Windows detects the USB printer?

Run:

pnputil /enum-devices /connected | findstr /i "Canon LBP USB"

17. How do I create the printer manually after installing the driver?

Example:

Add-Printer -Name "Canon LBP2900" -DriverName "Canon LBP2900" -PortName "USB001"

Use the actual port reported by your system.

18. What if the printer appears but doesn't print?

Check the queue, Print Spooler, port assignment and CAPT components before reinstalling the driver.

19. Can this method be used on Windows 11 Pro?

The underlying diagnostic method applies to Windows 11 generally, although policies and security configuration may differ, especially on domain-managed or organization-managed computers.

20. Should businesses continue using the LBP2900B?

If it remains reliable and the environment supports it, it can continue to be useful. However, organizations should recognize that its dependency on a legacy CAPT driver creates increasing compatibility risk as Windows printing architecture evolves.

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