Did you tried changing the ports to new ones, you might find old cards with
parallel ports either PCI or ISA. Usually those kind of problems occur when
one or more pins inside are damaged or burned (static can damage).
Hope it helps.
JPG
"Jon Jones" wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I am having a problem printing in Windows XP workstations from an older DOS
> database program. The database is for a local tire company. It holds
> inventory and orders and does invoices and reports. The program runs from
> one system that is the primary server. The server is running XP also
> because the support technicians for the software say that it runs to slow
> from a server OS platform for them to support it. One Okidata ML320 Turbo
> printer is connected to the parallel port on the server as LPT1. This is
> then shared and the workstation use NET USE to connect to this printer as
> LPT1 locally. This printer has not had a problem, but it is only used with
> blank fanfold paper for reports and such.
>
> The problem printer is connected to a workstation that has another Okidata
> ML320 Turbo connected to the parallel port that is configured in Windows as
> LPT2. Again this is shared and the other workstations and the server
> connect to this printer using NET USE so that it is connected locally as
> LPT2. This printer runs invoice paper and is used only for that. The
> parallel port is configured in BIOS using IO 378 and IRQ 7, it is also set
> as a standard parallel port, ECP and EPP are not enabled. The driver in
> Windows XP for the parallel port now has a drop down selection for LPT and
> LPT2 is selected. The sepparate LPT printers are done this way beacuse of
> the way that the DOS program access the printers. The server is left on all
> the time for a backup to perform after hours the other workstations are shut
> down every night. They are connecting through a wireless 802.11g router.
> We are using WPA2 for network security.
>
> The problem does not happen every time, but occasionally when they boot the
> systems in the morning the workstation printer will not print. What happens
> is the print spool on the workstation begins backing up jobs. One odd thing
> that I noticed when this happens is a phantom job that keeps appearing and
> disappearing. This phantom job appears to be a copy of the first print job
> in the que. The phantom job appears then says printing and after a few
> seconds disappears then reappears a few seconds later and the circle starts
> over. If the computer is shut down or restarted with the spool backed up
> all jobs are dumped to the printer as Windows exits and the jobs print.
> This is any job not just DOS print jobs. The local workstation can not
> print to the printer either.
>
> The way we are clearing this problem is to either shut down the computer and
> allow the jobs to dump to the printer or we cancel all jobs and clear the
> spool then shut down the computer. When this is done normal printing
> generally resumes. If the computer is only restarted instead of shut down
> the problem is not fixed. Tech support for the DOS program has no idea what
> is going on, they say they have never seen this before.
>
> I am also at a loss as to what is going on unless the XP setting for LPT2 is
> not always going into effect. One thing I have not tried and I will do this
> next week, is to put another PCI parallel port into the workstation so that
> XP is forced to see both LPT1 and LPT2 locally. I am hoping someone has
> seen this problem before or knows what may be causing the trouble.
>
> Any help will be greatly appreciated.
>
> Thank you,
> Jon
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