Printing problems..........
 

Since I got the new Dell running, I'm unable to print to the Epson with the parallel printer interface.

The full story:

The Dell has no parallel interface on the motherboard.

So, I get a USB to parallel cable with a driver and it installs perfectly fine. I can print from Windows to the Epson.

However, I cannot print from DOS. Speaking with Epson shows that I need a true parallel interface card on the computer. Fine.

Purchase the interface card and install it. Verify that the port is LPT-1 and reinstall the Epson with the port being LPT-1.

Each time printing is attempted: "The document failed to print".

Two possibilities:

1) The Epson absolutely needs IRQ-7 and the XP is not providing that????

2) The installed driver for the USB to parallel cable is redirecting the output to the USB port???

I'm in way over my head with this one...........and, apparently..........so are the hardware vendors..........nobody wants to touch it.

Anybody with some serious experience with this??

Parallel interface printers are relics of the past.

If your using the new version of DOS on the new Dell, it's probably incompatible with the old Epson hardware. None of my old DOS software will work on my new Dell.

I dont think DOS is properly addressing the card.

What program are you using based out of dos?


Are you using command prompt in Windows XP?

Are you running DOS in a shell or stand alone?

Try DOS2USB

At the moment, I'd like to first get the machine to print from Windows. It won't even do that.

I have not tried the command prompt in Windows XP. Can you give the the proper line command?

Jeff, DOS is just the DOS shell within Windows XP. I'm not running a separate DOS program.

Why are you messing around with DOS and a parallel printer? Not worth the hasse in this day and age.

- Peter.

Wild as guess proprietary software.

download DOS2USB

Can you explain in more detail on how this is going to work?

I have a few old DOS programs that I still print from.

The printer is a large format printer that prints 13" x 19". It's not worth it for me to drop a grand on a new one.

I agree on the hassle factor............

I had similar issues with the medical database software, the best software was DOS based and printing was a nightmare at times but that was with winders 98 eventually I installed Virtual PC and ran the DOS program as a stand alone to avoid intermittent problems.

http://www.dos2usb.com/

even though you are going usb to parallel you are still printing to USB, obvioulsly USB is pre-dos. There are numerous fact sheets on the web about it, you are not alone. I'd hate to say it but there is a lot of trial and error.

I checked it out. If I can get the printer to work on the parallel card from windows, it will certainly work.

It might even work right now since the machine can print from Windows using the new USB to parallel cable and driver.

Before the DOS2USB I had to reconfigure the USB port, I don't recall how I did it but I remember it being a major PIA.

Did you use it with a parallel interface or with a USB interface on the computer?