How to Fix “Update Required” on Your HP 8210 Printer with a USB Stick

If your HP 8210 printer displays the error message, “A problem has occurred with one of the printer’s critical system files. A printer update will be installed to fix the problem,” don’t worry. You can fix it yourself with a USB stick and a few simple steps.

Follow this easy guide to update your printer’s firmware and get it running again.

What You’ll Need:

• A USB stick formatted to FAT32
• Access to a computer with internet
• 7-Zip (free file archiver): [Get 7-Zip here](https://www.7-zip.org)
• Rufus (tool to format USB drives): [Download Rufus here](https://rufus.ie/en/)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Download the Firmware:

• Go to the official HP website and find the firmware update for the HP 8210 printer (or similar model in this series).
• Download the firmware file to your computer.

2. Extract the Firmware Files:

• The downloaded file will be in .exe format.
• Use 7-Zip to extract the contents of the .exe file. Right-click the file, select “Extract,” and save the files to a folder on your computer.

3. Prepare Your USB Stick:

• Insert your USB stick into your computer.
• Format it to FAT32 using Rufus:

1. 1. Open Rufus.
   2. Select the USB drive and set the file system to FAT32.
   3. Click “Start” to format the drive (this will erase all data on the stick).

4. Copy Files to the USB Stick:

• Once the USB stick is formatted, copy the extracted firmware files to the root directory of the USB stick (not inside any folder).
• Safely eject the USB stick from your computer.

5. Update the Printer:

• Turn off your HP 8210 printer.
• Insert the prepared USB stick into the USB port on the front of the printer.
• Turn the printer back on.
• The USB stick’s red light should blink, and the printer will automatically detect the files and begin the firmware update process.

6. Follow the On-Screen Steps:

• Once the update completes, the printer may prompt you to set the date and time. Simply follow the instructions on the display.

7. Test Your Printer:

• Print a test page to make sure everything is functioning as expected.

Helpful Tips:

• If your printer model is slightly different (like the HP 8218), these steps should still work, as the series shares similar firmware.
• If you’re unsure about any step, check out the helpful YouTube tutorial titled “How to fix ‘Update Required’ crash on HP OfficeJet Pro 8218.”

And that’s it! Your printer should now be fully functional.

If you found this guide helpful, share it with someone who might need it!