Printers

[Patricia M Godfrey pmgodfrey@xxxxxxxx]

I sent this post two days ago, but it fell foul of the UPENN server's
highly sensitive filters; it thought it was one of those "messages
addressed to the server." Anyway, I'm trying to detail some problems and
solutions for using the DeskJet 5650 on older PCs and with XyWrite.

We got this printer for the office, intending to hook it up to the
bookeeper's K6-2 through its USB port, and to the ancient Compaq P1 that
I use to maintain the subscription database (and print the renewal
notices through XyWrite, Win and DOS). (Both are running 98 release 1.)
The Compaq lacks a USB port, but the docs said IEEE parallel or USB. It
connected nicely to the USB port on the K6-2, asking if it was to be
connected to the parallel port or the USB one. When I tried to hook it up
to the parallel port on the Compaq, the installation routine complained
that there was no USB port. I assumed it wasn't sensing the printer
through the parallel port for lack of an IEEE cable and got one. Still
refused to install. I was just about to call HP and given them a tirade
about misleading advertising when I got a brainstorm. Searched the
install CD for the driver files. Found them in compressed form (i.e., all
file extensions ended in an underscore). Got EXPAND.EXE off the Windows
install CD (don't know WHY it hadn't been installed to C:), and expanded
said files to a folder on C: Ran the Add Printer Wizard, and when it got
to Have Disk, pointed it to that folder. Printer installed without a
whimper.

I can print to it from the XyWrite 4 DOS HP2-P, 4L, and 4Plus drivers; am
still playing with the fonts and symbol sets (I can get diacritics, but
dashes and smart quotes are proving elusive, esp. as I cannot find my
Printer Bible). Furthermore, since the printer is hooked up to the two
PCs, we can print to it from both (I wouldn't try both at once), and
needn't have the server on. (How he did it I'll never know, but the Tech
Guy managed to make a purely Win9x network client-server, in the sense
that if PC Number 1 isn't on, none of the other PCs can see or talk to
each other.)

But I am really furious with HP: first they tell you it will print from a
parallel port, then they tell you--erroneously--that you have to have a
USB port to install it, even if you want to use a parallel connection.
Not a word anyplace in the docs that I could find about the workaround.
(Hmm, should I post that someplace else? Nah, who else is likely to be
without a USB port?)

Patricia