I FIGURED IT OUT - WITHOUT EXITING OUT OF S MODE:
I could not connect my Canon Pixma printer to my Windows laptop, as I kept getting the "drivers unavailable" message. Downloaded drivers from Canon, but Windows would not let me run them in S mode. The internet was no help. Canon support also could not advise. After MUCH frustration and trying every angle possible, I finally got something to work. For Windows 11:
- Connect your printer to your home wifi network. Make sure you get the notification from your printer that it has connected successfully.
- Find your printer's IP address - it will look something like "123.456.7.8". I can't tell you how to find this info, as every brand/model is different, but Google should help.
- Open printers & scanners in your settings.
- Select "Add Device"
- Let it search for a few seconds, then when your printer doesn't pop up, click "Add a new device manually"
- On the next page, select "Add printer using IP address or hostname"
- Click the dropdown menu labeled "device type", select "autodetect"
- Input your IP address in the boxes for both "IP address" and "Portname" - so your IP address will be in both boxes. *MAKE SURE the box is checked for "Query the printer and automatically select the driver to use".
- Click next. In a few seconds it should be connected. Print a test page to be sure.
I actually screamed and jumped up and down in celebration when I heard the rollers pulling down that paper to test print. Hallelujah! If this doesn't work for you, unfortunately I have no other advice. What a weird setup this is. S Mode sucks. Please let me know if this helps any of you. Good luck!