Re: printer problems {again}

[Harry Binswanger hb@xxxxxxxx]

Leslie,
From the below, it is clear you don't have a XyWrite problem. It's a
problem with something in your computer set-up. I forget, when you run
Windows 3.1 can you print a file from Notepad? I'd suspect not.
In any case, you now have a very simple solution. When you want to print
out, use a different computer (I think you said you have another one).
Xy will produce a file ready to be printed on the printer you have,
assuming you can hook that up to another computer. In Xy, Instead of using
TY, use TYF. If you want (or are doing more than one file), you can specify
a name for the file it produces, e.g.,

TYF MYFILE MYFILE.PRN

Of course, you substitute for "MYFILE" the actual name of your file.
Then you can print, on that printer (the one that is now connected to
XyWrite), MYFILE.PRN, by hooking that printer to the parallel port of the
other computer. Then, in the other printer, you can't print MYFILE.PRN from
Notepad, or from DOS:

copy myfile.prn lpt1
Now, all this assumes you have a 2nd computer and that the printer in
question can be plugged into it and will work. If any of these assumptions
are false, can you get to a Kinko's? If so, put the MYFILE.PRN onto a floppy:

TYF MYFILE A:MYFILE.PRN

You say you have a 10-year HP Laserjet 4L. That should be fine at Kinko's.
There are other solutions, once you have MYFILE.PRN on a floppy. Any
computer set up to print to an HP Laserjet of any vintage should be able to
print it out fine.
Just to be sure everything is in order, look in Xy at your STARTUP.INT file
and see what .prn file you have loaded. You should see a line like:

BC ldprn hpx.prnXC
where the "x" after the "hp" is my way of indicating it will be hp
something or other. It might say LOAD instead of LDPRN. And it might have
no XC, just a line ending character.
Also, in Xy, do a DIR to see if you have the file: LJ4.BIN. This file is
required in order to use a 4J, I believe.
But probably all this is in order. And once you have MYFILE.PRN on a
floppy, you really are in business (thought cumbersomely) in terms of
printing it out on most any computer.
Carl,
     I tried what you suggested (I think): I quit xywrite, got C:\> in
(what I assume is) DOS (i.e., the screen is black but for the C:\> that
comes on automatically.
     Then, I tried two ways of doing what you suggested:
     C:\>COPY A:\filename LPTI
      and I got:
      "1 file(s) copied"
      Nothing printed out. Note: my filename did not include .TXT (or
any three letters) after it because the files I usually print out have
nothing after their names.

Then, I noticed that in my C: directory, I had one file called PRINT.TMP
(which seems to be created every time I try to make a printout; that is,
every time since the printing out stopped working). Whether I erase
PRINT.TMP or not makes no difference as to my ability to print out. But just
for the hell of it I tried this:

C:\>COPY C:\xy\print.tmp LPTI

This time, it read: "Path not found"

Either way, no print out. When I try again to print out in editor, I
continue to get "printer error" in command field.

----- Original Message -----
From: 
To: 
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 1:36 PM
Subject: Re: printer problems {again}


> Have you verified whether you can print from the DOS prompt? Quit
XyWrite, and at the DOS prompt, enter the following command:
>
> COPY [filename] LPT1
>
> For "[filename]", substitute the complete path to the document you want to
print. For example, if the doc is named mydoc.txt on drive A:, enter (at
the DOS prompt):
>
> COPY A:\MYDOC.TXT LPT1
>
> If it's on drive C: in directory \xy, enter (at the DOS prompt):
>
> COPY C:\XY\MYDOC.TXT LPT1
>
> What happens? Quote error messages, etc.
>
> --
> Carl Distefano
> cld@xxxxxxxx
>
>


Harry Binswanger
hb@xxxxxxxx