Prints test page okay BUT.......

Thanks for offering to help, Hal. I never restart in DOS mode....
takes too long and doesn't leave me with running programs. I
open a DOS window by Start>>Run>>command, then CD from Windows to
root directory. Printer is on a USB cable at all times. Please note that
printer prints test page from Lexmark Solution Center nicely.

Right now I'm having trouble reproducing it, but when I am in this
DOS prompt mode, and type edit bigapl.txt to open the batch file,
and then do the File>>Print and ask for the whole page, it just
hangs, with the message at bottom of window "Waiting for printer
to respond", which it never does.....

I now see that it acts the same way in XP, so I think I have to
regroup and get my story narrowed down. I can tell you this, though:
it prints that file nicely if I copy it into Notepad and print it from
there.

Sorry to have started you on something that I can't reproduce. I'll
appreciate your interim advice, while I get my act in order.

Bill Lurie

Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> Are you opening a DOS window or restarting in DOS mode? Is the printer
> connected to a parallel port, or is it USB. Could you post the whole error
> message, please? One thing to note is that you don't need the ">" in the
> copy command, rather it should be "copy filename LPT1".
>
> Hal


--
William B. Lurie

I thought it might be a USB printer; what you need to do in both operating
systems is to "Capture" the printer port. In Windows 98, you do this from
the "Details" tab on the printer property sheet with the "Capture" button;
what it does is map the printer to an LPT port so DOS and DOS programs can
have access to it. With Windows XP, the process is a bit different and,
fortunately, here is a web page with detailed instructions:

http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/printfromdos.htm
Printing from DOS with Windows 2000 or XP

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- hhh.DeleteThis@kvoa.com
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

<billurie.DeleteThis@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:%23aAs1wlxGHA.2300@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Thanks for offering to help, Hal. I never restart in DOS mode....
> takes too long and doesn't leave me with running programs. I
> open a DOS window by Start>>Run>>command, then CD from Windows to
> root directory. Printer is on a USB cable at all times. Please note that
> printer prints test page from Lexmark Solution Center nicely.
>
> Right now I'm having trouble reproducing it, but when I am in this
> DOS prompt mode, and type edit bigapl.txt to open the batch file,
> and then do the File>>Print and ask for the whole page, it just
> hangs, with the message at bottom of window "Waiting for printer
> to respond", which it never does.....
>
> I now see that it acts the same way in XP, so I think I have to
> regroup and get my story narrowed down. I can tell you this, though:
> it prints that file nicely if I copy it into Notepad and print it from
> there.
>
> Sorry to have started you on something that I can't reproduce. I'll
> appreciate your interim advice, while I get my act in order.
>
> Bill Lurie
>
> Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> > Are you opening a DOS window or restarting in DOS mode? Is the printer
> > connected to a parallel port, or is it USB. Could you post the whole
error
> > message, please? One thing to note is that you don't need the ">" in
the
> > copy command, rather it should be "copy filename LPT1".
> >
> > Hal
>
>
> --
> William B. Lurie

Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> I thought it might be a USB printer; what you need to do in both operating
> systems is to "Capture" the printer port. In Windows 98, you do this from
> the "Details" tab on the printer property sheet with the "Capture" button;
> what it does is map the printer to an LPT port so DOS and DOS programs can
> have access to it. With Windows XP, the process is a bit different and,
> fortunately, here is a web page with detailed instructions:
>
> http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/printfromdos.htm
> Printing from DOS with Windows 2000 or XP
>
> Hal
Hal, it's the 98 I care more about, and you led me to
the right place, but I don't know what to put there.
I tried changing the USB002 (virtual port to USB) to
LPT1 and it didn't like that. When I tried printing,
it told me I had to stick with USB. Where it shows LPT1,
the drop-down lets me choose LPT1 theu LPT7. Your
explanation, above, led me to the right place, but could
you tell me the steps, and what to change in the windows
there, so that I'll capture what needs to be captured.

The XP instructions of Sanders' are another matter. Even
with his glossary, eventually I'll need another dictionary
or better instructions, but the XP matter is distinctly
lower priority.

Thanks for helping.

Bill Lurie

Just to remind you, Hal, that you have pointed at *exactly*
what the problem is, with 98 and my USB-demanding Lexmark
printer.......if you would be so kind as to expand those
instructions just a bit. Thank you.
Bill Lurie

Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> I thought it might be a USB printer; what you need to do in both operating
> systems is to "Capture" the printer port. In Windows 98, you do this from
> the "Details" tab on the printer property sheet with the "Capture" button;
> what it does is map the printer to an LPT port so DOS and DOS programs can
> have access to it.
>
> Hal

I'm not exactly sure how to do this, however, it should be one of two ways.
In both cases, you'll use the "Capture Printer Port" button. The first
thing to try is to use the path listed in the "Print to the following path"
window of the "Details" tab. In the Capture box, use the LPT port of your
choice in the "Device" window and the path shown on the Details tab as the
path. If this doesn't work, the next thing to try would be the Windows XP
method. Here, you would share the printer (right click the printer, click
"Sharing", give it a name, click OK) and then use the share path (which
would be \\computername\sharename) in the path window in the capture dialog
box.

I'm not sure either method will work. Windows 98 doesn't have much USB
support, so I don't know if either "Path" is useable.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- hhh RemoveThis @kvoa.com
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

<billurie RemoveThis @nospam.org> wrote in message news:44ECEFF2.7010902@nospam.org...
> Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> > I thought it might be a USB printer; what you need to do in both
operating
> > systems is to "Capture" the printer port. In Windows 98, you do this
from
> > the "Details" tab on the printer property sheet with the "Capture"
button;
> > what it does is map the printer to an LPT port so DOS and DOS programs
can
> > have access to it. With Windows XP, the process is a bit different and,
> > fortunately, here is a web page with detailed instructions:
> >
> > http://members.shaw.ca/bsanders/printfromdos.htm
> > Printing from DOS with Windows 2000 or XP
> >
> > Hal
> Hal, it's the 98 I care more about, and you led me to
> the right place, but I don't know what to put there.
> I tried changing the USB002 (virtual port to USB) to
> LPT1 and it didn't like that. When I tried printing,
> it told me I had to stick with USB. Where it shows LPT1,
> the drop-down lets me choose LPT1 theu LPT7. Your
> explanation, above, led me to the right place, but could
> you tell me the steps, and what to change in the windows
> there, so that I'll capture what needs to be captured.
>
> The XP instructions of Sanders' are another matter. Even
> with his glossary, eventually I'll need another dictionary
> or better instructions, but the XP matter is distinctly
> lower priority.
>
> Thanks for helping.
>
> Bill Lurie

Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I] wrote:
> I'm not exactly sure how to do this, however, it should be one of two ways.
> In both cases, you'll use the "Capture Printer Port" button. The first
> thing to try is to use the path listed in the "Print to the following path"
> window of the "Details" tab. In the Capture box, use the LPT port of your
> choice in the "Device" window and the path shown on the Details tab as the
> path. If this doesn't work, the next thing to try would be the Windows XP
> method. Here, you would share the printer (right click the printer, click
> "Sharing", give it a name, click OK) and then use the share path (which
> would be \\computername\sharename) in the path window in the capture dialog
> box.
>
> I'm not sure either method will work. Windows 98 doesn't have much USB
> support, so I don't know if either "Path" is useable.
>
> Hal
Hal, I want to emphasize that I am very grateful for your help.
But as seems to happen to me all too often, the detailed help
furnished doesn't fit what I see when I go there, or the advice
given uses terms that leave me still in the dark.

In the case we have here, I tried Method 1 first. My window doesn't
show "Print to the following path", it says "Print to the following
port". So I used that. It gave me four choices: USB002, COM1, LPT1, and
FILE. Nothing I put there led to a successful choice at the "Capture"
step, any choice of LPT1 thru LPT9 led to an error window with a
big red 'X', saying "Network not supporting function" I would have loved
to Capture LPT1 to USB002 (or vice versa) but I couldn't make it happen

So I tried your "Windows XP method". I right clicked the printer, but
of the choices that opened up, "Sharing" was not one of them, so I
was blocked there. If you can get me past that hurdle, you might tell me
where to find my 'computername'.....I tried opening up everything in
"My Computer" but don't recall seeing a name. Sharename is easy, since
you said "Give it a name".

So I'm at a standstill in both methods, and I hate to keep bothering
you. Is it possible that my 98, which is real original, right from
its installation CD with no improvements, needs some updates
or service packs? I could download these and save them in my XP OS,
because in 98 I do not go on line.

Incidentally, I'd be happy to work with you off this group if you feel
it is not of widespread enough interest for the newsgroup. In a way
that's more efficient.

Bill L.