[Leaplist] The Continuing Saga of the Haunted Hardware

[Robin (Bartow FL)]

----- Original Message -----
From: Bruce Metcalf bruce.metcalf at figzu.com
To: This is the Leap Main List leaplist at leap-cf.org
Sent: 1/18/08 9:21 PM
Subject: [Leaplist] The Continuing Saga of the Haunted Hardware

> Hi gang,
> 
> As we discussed Thursday at the meeting-after-the-meeting, I have 
> several systems that refuse to communicate with parallel port printers.
> 
> The systems are a variety of Intel and AMD; 600MHz to 1GHz; OS include 
> Win2kPro and Kubuntu 7.10; and three different models of HP printers, 
> 720, 820C, and 1000C. And no, I'm not using the same parallel cable.
> 
> When installing printers, all goes well until the "print test page" 
> option is chosen. The jobs go into the print queue, but never arrive at 
> the printer.
> 
> On advice from yesterday, I tried booting the systems from a DOS floppy. 
> I figure v.3.3 is old enough to be too stupid to fail.
> 
> It failed.
> 
> BIOS settings have the parallel port enabled, standard interrupt address 
> and IRQ, and I've tried all the different modes (normal, EPP, ECP+EPP, 
> bidirectional, etc.)
> 
> As usual, I am at my wit's end as to where to go from here.
> 
> Any and all ideas will be given a trial and my thanks.
> 
> Bruce Metcalf
> 


Issue is across several...
 mainboards
 operating systems
 printers
 cables

If your mainboard/s has ESCD... reset it.
If IRQ sharing is enabled... stop it.
Power your printer up first, then cold boot PC to a live CD.
Study the BIOS hardware detection and OS hardware detection.

Last, take digital photos of your BIOS setting screens and then reset BIOS to OEM factory defaults. Cold boot printer and then PC as before.