Dora Li
Member
Been a lurker on this forum for a while, but figured this was worth posting since I've seen a lot of threads about the HP firmware block issue and most of the solutions people suggest are either outdated or just "buy OEM."
Quick background: I run two HP LaserJets at my home office. Been using compatible toner for years to keep costs down — OEM just isn't realistic when you're printing constantly. The problem most of you already know: HP keeps pushing firmware updates that break third-party cartridges. Earlier this year they pushed version 20250209 for the LaserJet MFP M232–M237 series, which caused Error Code 11 and a flashing toner indicator — and that was on printers using HP's *own* toner, let alone compatible.
I've tried the usual workarounds — disabling auto-updates, rolling back firmware. Both work until they don't. Rolling back is getting harder as HP makes older firmware less accessible, and disabling updates means missing legitimate security patches.
What actually changed things for me was switching to compatible cartridges that use an updated chip specifically built to pass HP's current firmware checks. I've been using myCartridge for the past 7–8 months. They label certain toner lines as "Latest Chip Version" — meaning the chip is current enough not to get flagged.
Here's what I've actually noticed after two HP firmware updates in that window:
1. Firmware survival
Both updates went through without a single "Non-HP chip detected" error. That alone made it worth switching.
2. Accurate toner level monitoring
This is the one that surprised me most. With most compatible cartridges I've used, the toner level either reads as permanently full or just shows a question mark. These actually report a real percentage on the display — which means I can actually plan when to reorder instead of guessing.
3. No chip transfer needed
Some of the older compatible toners required you to physically move the chip from your spent cartridge onto the new one before it'd work. Anyone who's done this knows how easy it is to crack the housing or snap the contacts. These come ready to go straight out of the box.
I'm not going to pretend this is a permanent solution — HP updated printer firmware again as recently as March 2026, and there's no guarantee any compatible chip stays ahead of that forever. But for now, these have held up better than anything else I've tried.
Compatibility checker is on their site if you want to match your model. Curious if anyone else here has found other brands that are keeping up with the chip updates — seems like only a handful of suppliers have managed to release chips that work after the 2025 firmware rounds, so the options are pretty limited.
Quick background: I run two HP LaserJets at my home office. Been using compatible toner for years to keep costs down — OEM just isn't realistic when you're printing constantly. The problem most of you already know: HP keeps pushing firmware updates that break third-party cartridges. Earlier this year they pushed version 20250209 for the LaserJet MFP M232–M237 series, which caused Error Code 11 and a flashing toner indicator — and that was on printers using HP's *own* toner, let alone compatible.
I've tried the usual workarounds — disabling auto-updates, rolling back firmware. Both work until they don't. Rolling back is getting harder as HP makes older firmware less accessible, and disabling updates means missing legitimate security patches.
What actually changed things for me was switching to compatible cartridges that use an updated chip specifically built to pass HP's current firmware checks. I've been using myCartridge for the past 7–8 months. They label certain toner lines as "Latest Chip Version" — meaning the chip is current enough not to get flagged.
Here's what I've actually noticed after two HP firmware updates in that window:
1. Firmware survival
Both updates went through without a single "Non-HP chip detected" error. That alone made it worth switching.
2. Accurate toner level monitoring
This is the one that surprised me most. With most compatible cartridges I've used, the toner level either reads as permanently full or just shows a question mark. These actually report a real percentage on the display — which means I can actually plan when to reorder instead of guessing.
3. No chip transfer needed
Some of the older compatible toners required you to physically move the chip from your spent cartridge onto the new one before it'd work. Anyone who's done this knows how easy it is to crack the housing or snap the contacts. These come ready to go straight out of the box.
I'm not going to pretend this is a permanent solution — HP updated printer firmware again as recently as March 2026, and there's no guarantee any compatible chip stays ahead of that forever. But for now, these have held up better than anything else I've tried.
Compatibility checker is on their site if you want to match your model. Curious if anyone else here has found other brands that are keeping up with the chip updates — seems like only a handful of suppliers have managed to release chips that work after the 2025 firmware rounds, so the options are pretty limited.
