ok got this one finally figured out and created my own workaround. The windows 11 driver still refuses to install but if when the driver installation detects the printer and then fails 2 mins later you simply cancel the installation. Then go
1) using winrar or some other zip utility uncompress the exe file into a directory.
2) go to control panel add devices and printers and manually add a printer
3) don't let it search for your printer just manually add a cannon pixma ip8720 printer
4) say have disk and go add the driver manually yourself selecting the newly created directory. (note I didn't have to do this as the driver was there now from the failed install but if not this should simply select the driver)
5) printer installed now you should be able to say print test page.
6) if you want all the apps rerun the exe full package installation again but do not select the first box which is driver install. - It still fails to work. just install all the software components after the driver install
7) done. Of course this is a Dell or Microsoft problem right? at least that is what support tells you but this kind of proves all theories wrong. It's not your USB port. it's not the PC it is the application and how it detects the printer or whatever it is doing and this proves it and fixes the issue.
