Legacy DOS application cannot communicate with USB or Network printer
This started out being a problem communicating with a USB printer, but I also have the same problem with a network printer as well. I have a legacy DOS (compiled Visual Basic for DOS) application that I want to run under Win7. It was originally designed to send output to LPT1 for printing pin-feed labels and output to LPT2 for reports. In Win XP I have no problem doing so to USB attached printers or network printers by using the "net use" command to capture the printers to LPT1 & LPT2. However, when I try the same scenario with Win7, I can send output to a USB printer on virtual USB port 1 by capturing it to LPT1. But despite capturing a USB attached Brother laser printer on USB virtual port 2 to LPT2, I cannot print to it...my application indicates that the printer is "off line". I get the same results if I capture a networked HP ink jet printer to LPT2. Does anyone have any idea what is going on in Win7 and a possible solution? Thanks, Don
June 24th, 2010 9:35pm

If you have any physical LPT port, please disable it in BIOS. Then the issue should be resolved.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 9th, 2010 11:56am

Arthur, Thank you for your suggestion, but the PC I am using does not have any physical LPT parallel ports...only USB ports. I have no problem printing to an Okidata ML-320 dot-matrix printer captured to LPT1, however, even if I capture my Brother laser printer to LPT1, I still get a "printer off line" error with the application. It is as if Windows 7 is not providing the same printer status feedback from either the USB laser printer or the networked inkjet printer in the same manner as it does for the Okidata dot-matrix printer. Don
July 10th, 2010 6:27pm

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