Windows 11 won't recognize imageCLASS MF4450

[cappy1920]

Hi.  I was given this printer a couple of days ago; however, I cannot get my Windows 11 pc to recognize it.  I downloaded the driver and the tool box, but I cannot get it to work.  Any suggestions?  Should I give up?  I saw that some people were able to get this working with Windows 10, but cannot find any help for Windows 11.  Thank you.

[shadowsports]

Thanks for the feedback...Glad it worked for you.  

For others.  Canon does not design products with an "expiration date".  The service life for a product can vary.  Sometimes it has to do with the hardware or architecture.  Others due to parts availability.  In order for a product to be supported, parts must remain available so it can be repaired if needed.  Canon does not manufacture every part that is used to manufacture the products it sells, so if a vendor decides to stop making parts, this could in turn affect the service life.  

Here's an example.  The MF4450 was released 14 yrs ago.  If you didn't buy it at release, the length of time it can be supported might be less.  It's also possible that parts for it are no longer being made.  Canon has to account for this as it must be able to repair what it sells.  

Most people do not keep computers, phones or printers for 10+ years.  If you get more than 5 yrs of service, you have done well and the return on your investment is high.  Technology changes, operating systems change and the hardware they run on is also constantly evolving.  So these factors should be considered cumulatively.  Several factors beyond Canon's control are in play here.  

[Yoshi_o]

Hi Danny, I want to thank Canon for being so respectful of the owners of this device.  I bought my LaserJet MF4450 in 2009 when it was EOL product on sale.  When I finally migrated in 2018 to Win10 from Windows 8, the "USB Patch" had been officially posted.  For about 2 years, there was a question of whether MicroSoft would fix what they broke with Windows 10.  And after that long wait, Canon created their own Patch, doing what MicroSoft was too lazy to do.  Thank you so much.  I am currently reinvesting in the Canon camera ecosystem, which is far more money than a printer costs.  Also, while the listing of this MF4450 has been deleted in your legacy products, the server URL for the actual driver files finds them.  Please keep these files for those who eschew e-waste, so we don't have to download possibly infected versions from sites of ill repute.  I wrote a "thank you email" in 2018.  Arigatou, arigatou gozaimasu.

[Yoshi_o]

Just a note on these for anyone who gets a MF4450 or similar model.  Sales ended around 2010, but toner is still out there.  Its a great printer.  The OE installer worked for Win7/8.1  Microsoft broke function for Windows 10.  After 2 years Canon created the USB patch, which brute force overwrites 3 files (i think) that regains function for the printer.  It is suggested this only affected scanning, but it seemed more involved.  It did not affect anything else on the PC. Fast forward to Win11 being shoved on people. It seems the patch still works, but I haven't updated yet.  The scanner will work, but you may find it easier to operate it from the printer, rather than through MS dialog software.  I made this note years ago: "The PATCH broke the CANON "Toolbox" software that does OCR and scans.
The "Presto PageManager" software that connects to that, seems to work,
but it currently doesn't print/scan correctly as it uses the Toolbox.
I did download a newer version of Toolbox with the patch, but didn't want
to install it until I fully tested. Obviously, the old Toolbox worked with
older drivers so its broken now, while everything else (normal print and scan)
now is working, so I am up to fix it next." 

tl;dr 

Minor bugs probably were already there since 2016.  But it scans and prints just fine.