Re: printer error messages

["Patricia M. Godfrey" priscamg@xxxxxxxx]

Harry Binswanger wrote:
> > Now, let's review:
> > 1. The printer is connected to the USB port on your PC?
>
> My wife's or mine.
Yes, but you cannot have one all-purpose configuration for BOTH.
Get one working right, then fix the other. And each situation
should be mapped (in Net Use) to a different LPt, which should
then be separately referenced in the PP table. For example:

net use lpt2 \\krumpet\canonHP
net use lpt3 \\Lita\myCanon

(NB, give them different sharenames in Windows as well as
different LPT assignments in Net Use.)

In PP
lpt2 c:\xy\hp4-plus.prn Canon HP on Krumpet
lpt3 c:\xy\hp4-plus.prn	Canon HP on Lita
> > 4. The effective driver (under Windows) is an HP PCL one?
> Don't know what that means, but I can print from Notepad (and all win
> programs) to the printer, whichever of our two laptops it's connected to.

What it means is that the printer "speaks" HP PCL. I'm assuming
it does, since you did have it working before. Notepad is totally
irrelevant; it's a Windows app and can print to ANY Windows
printer. Xy has to have a printer that understands PCL,
Postscript (or Epson ESC/P, but they're antiques). So look at the
printer docs (they're probably in a PDF or HTM file in its
directory somewhere) to find out what languages it uses or other
types of printer it emulates.
> I'm cabled in, she's wireless. Again, all this is moot because it's only
> Xy (and DOS, judging results of Type foo.bar > LPT2) that doesn't work.


Yes, but for Net Use to work there has to be a rudimentary
Network. Look, Net Use is an end run around Microsoft. Xy and DOS
do not know from nothing about USB: it didn't exist in their
days. But networking did, as did the ability to print to a
printer connected to another PC on the network, by means of the
sharing function. (Recall that in 9x it ONLY works if, in fact,
the printer is connected to another PC: you cannot "map" a local
printer--connected to the un-understood USB port--to a local
lpt.) So for you to tell the opsys that LPT2 is really this
shared USB printer on the USB port, there has to be some
semblance of a network. And that means at least a NIC and a cable
in the NIC. (As I said before, I'm not sure about the powered up
switch etc.)

Now the wireless might be the spanner in the works. I know
NOTHING about wireless networking. Anyone else able to print to a
network printer connected to a wirelessly networked PC?
> > Hmm, I'm wondering about that ".2" in your printer's name?
> No, that's not it. It didn't use to have a .2 and it still didn't work.
> And on Krumpet, it's named CanonKrumpet. Oh, maybe I should enclose that
> in quotes with NET USE, since it's longer than 8+3. Nope, that does
> nichts also.

I don't think you need quotes unless there's a space. But try to
keep them under 8 letters, at least to get rid of red herrings.
> Since I can't print from Windows but not from DOS (not just Xy), the
> problem has to be with, or near, NET USE.
What other DOS apps do you have? Edit.com (still here in Vista.
c:\windows\system32) is a real DOS app: won't print to anything
but lpt1, and the printer has to speak something traditional:
PCL, PS, or SC/P)
> Note also, that I get "Printing done" from Xy, and nothing is printing,
> so the bytes seem to be going somewhere.
Well. that's common, and indicative that Xy and Net USe are not
referring to the same thing.
> Don't lose any sleep over this: I'll be back in NYC with my old setup on
> March 1.
NO, by Heaven. I will NOT put up with this nonsensical,
unscientific "Who knows?" There has GOT to be an explanation, and
we've GOT to find ii. But I'm hampered by being stuck with Vista:
at home, I have XP home (but that PC is temporarily hors de
combat), but no USB PCL printer. The office has 2 XP Pro boxes
and 2 HP USB printers, but there's no space on the desks to hook
the printers up directly to the XP systems' USB ports (one
printer is connected to a W@K PC, the other to a 98SE; the one XP
PC has a parallel port LJ connected to it).

Doesn't anybody else use XP and print with Net Use?

--
Patricia M. Godfrey
priscamg@xxxxxxxx