Important information for Windows 10-11 users

Information for Silhouette users on Windows 10

Information published on 7/8/2021
We are seeing Windows 10 users affected, but that does not mean older versions may not also see effects of this update as well. We just have not seen reports of it yet.

UPDATED 7/9/21 – This issue has now been resolved by Microsoft. Silhouette users should be able to connect to their machine again after the computer is restarted. I would suggest a complete shut down of the computer from the menu option for the best results. In some cases, some users may not notice the “fix” until 7/10/21 at 8 am.
YAY!

If you continue to have issues connecting with Silhouette please read the following below for more information on why the Windows update may be the cause.
If it still does not work, check out these Troubleshooting tips on the Silhouette America website HERE

If you have not heard about the impact of the most recent Windows 10 updates, they are impacting Silhouette users in a BIG way.

UPDATED 10/29/21 – We are seeing some users affected with the Windows 11 update as well.

First, I’d like to state that I am an independent Silhouette Instructor and that I am not an IT person or advising in any “official” capacity for any company. I am a Licensed Silhouette Instructor that teaches Silhouette users and troubleshoots Silhouette issues daily on many different platforms. I have been teaching as an instructor for almost 5 years and see many different issues posted.
I am writing this blog post to inform Silhouette user’s of the current issue we are seeing and to make them aware of the current options available.
I troubleshoot daily for Silhouette users and understand how frustrating it can be to encounter an issue. Even though I am a Licensed Silhouette Instructor and do this daily, that does not make me immune to issues either. Even experienced users encounter cut issues, software issues, etc. But as an Instructor and a software Beta tester for Silhouette, I may see issues arise earlier than the average user.

The following information is to make you aware of current issues we are seeing and to provide you with the information to make a decision on how to proceed.

The nitty gritty of it… Microsoft released Windows updates that have been rolling out over the past few weeks, but this week was pushed out to a lot of Windows users and this is affecting Silhouette users in a BIG way. After these updates are processed on your computer (or in some cases a little while after), the USB connection on the Silhouette machine is no longer recognized in the Silhouette software. The computer recognizes something has been plugged in, but the USB connection is not complete in the computer.
For some users, it is just happening out of the blue. One minute they are cutting and the next it will not connect.

The is as basic as I can describe it the issue that we are seeing.

Here is the official information from Silhouette America – I am providing a link to the information so that you are receiving the most up-to-date information that has been released.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM SILHOUETTE AMERICA

I encourage everyone to click the link above and read it direct on the
Silhouette America website.

However, please understand that Microsoft has said that these updates are for “security” purposes & has pushed out the “fixes”. These “fixes” are what are making the Silhouette machines no longer able to connect. These “security risks” have been present in the Microsoft software as far back as Windows 7.
Why do I mention this?
It is to make you aware that you will need to decide how you are going to proceed with all the information presented to you.

Many users are finding that they can connect to their Silhouette machines if the Windows updates are rolled back or paused. There are a small percentage of users who seem to be the “lucky” ones that even rolling it back does not work. However, it is an option to try if you chose to do so.

The alternative is to let Windows updates stand and not be able to use your Silhouette machines that will not connect until a fix is created.
User’s can also try to connect by Bluetooth if that is available to them, however, this is not a guaranteed fix either. I am seeing issues with the Bluetooth connections as well.

Silhouette is working as fast as they can to identify what has changed and why it will not recognize the connection between some Silhouette machines. This situation has evolved very quickly and I am in contact with Silhouette directly to be able to provide the most up-to-date information I can. This is also why I provided the link above. You will be able to see the official information released as soon as possible and when a fix is found it will be posted at the link above.
I will also be posting any updates to all platforms that I troubleshoot on.

A few things to note:

– Silhouette has no control over what updates Microsoft or Apple release. These big software companies do not release information in advance to test how it affects other programs. It is a process of “wait and see” how users are affected and how to work with those updates. Especially in cases where updates are rolled out to a small group of individuals and then pushed out to the masses later, it can take time to identify an issue and to find that fix.
This process taken will take time to investigate, develop a fix, and to test that fix by a sample of users before it is pushed out for the masses. As a member of the Beta testing team, we test beta versions of the software prior to things getting released to the public.
Nothing is 100% accurate at identifying bugs, but we do try to test it as much as we can.
There are times that some bugs do not appear on our Beta tester computers but affect other user’s computers differently.

– User’s who have been affected by their Silhouette machines no longer connecting have been able to connect again after rolling back the updates.
The update numbers that seem to be the cause of the connection issues are:
KB5003690 as well as KB5004945 and 21H1 – it will all depend on how it shows on your computer under the Windows updates information.

– This works for most user’s but not all. Some users are still experiencing issues even after rolling the updates back. And some user’s are unable to roll the updates back far enough.

– There is no fix at the moment, but they are working on it as fast as they can. It will take time to implement. Again, it is not something that Silhouette has control over.

Just in case you missed it above, here is the link to the official announcement on the Silhouette America website.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM SILHOUETTE AMERICA

Now, I know this is not the greatest news to bring to your inbox or for reading, but I hope it has answered some questions if you are having issues.

Wishing you the very best on your Silhouette journey!

If you have further questions or to follow along with the updates, join us on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

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