Scale and hardware driver crashes due to Windows updates: what to do?

Resolving trading equipment driver failures (scales and printers) caused by Windows updates

The issue where scales (for example, Dneproves) or printers suddenly stop transmitting data to Torgsoft is most often caused by Windows automatically downloading and installing an incorrect COM port driver through Windows Update. This may result in a lost connection with the device or cause Torgsoft to freeze completely when attempting to add a weighed product to a sale.

To resolve this issue permanently, you need to prevent Windows from automatically updating drivers for specific equipment or for all devices. Below are two step-by-step methods for doing this.

Preliminary step: restoring the correct driver

Before blocking updates, you need to restore the working driver:

1. Open Device Manager in Windows.

2. Find the COM port used by the scales and remove the current incorrect driver.

3. Refresh the device configuration so that the system detects the connection, or install the correct driver manually.

4. Open the Properties of this COM port and select the Details tab to find the hardware identifier (Hardware ID). It will look approximately as follows: USB\VID_1A86&PID_7523&REV_0254. Copy it, as you will need it for the first method.

Method 1. Blocking driver updates for a specific device through the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)

This is the most precise method because it prevents driver installation or updates only for the specified COM port (specific device) without affecting other system components.

1. Press Win + R, enter gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

2. In the window that opens, navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System > Device Installation > Device Installation Restrictions.

3. In the list on the right, find the policy named «Prevent installation of devices that match any of these device IDs» (or a similarly worded option, depending on the Windows language version) and double-click it.

4. Select «Enabled».

5. In the policy settings, click «Show...» and add the previously copied COM port identifier (for example, USB\VID_1A86&PID_7523&REV_0254) to an empty row.

6. Click OK and apply the changes.

Method 2. Blocking driver updates through the Registry Editor (ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate)

Use this method if you have Windows Home, where gpedit.msc is unavailable by default, or if you need to prevent Windows Update from downloading any drivers together with quality updates.

1. Press Win + R, enter regedit, and press Enter.

2. Navigate to the following registry path: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]. (If the WindowsUpdate key does not exist, create it by right-clicking the Windows -> New -> Key folder).

3. In the right-hand section of the window, right-click an empty area and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

4. Name the newly created value ExcludeWUDriversInQualityUpdate.

5. Double-click it and set its value to 1.

6. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.

Final step

After completing either of these methods, restart the computer. Open Torgsoft and check the operation of the scales or printer — the product weight should be transmitted to the program successfully and without delays, appearing in the «Sales» window without causing the program to freeze. The system policy will prevent Windows from replacing the working driver.