Printer issues

[junioradmin]

Hi,

I have a local computer set up with windows 2000 server with SP4 and on the computer i have 2 printers a label printer out of LPT1 (the only LPT port on the computer) and a laser jet printer running off a USB port. My problem is that i have a DOS program that i need to print from and it wont recognise USB printers.

So to combat this I want to be able to print to a network printer out of this DOS program.

Can i make windows 2000 server think that this network printer is LPT2 connected so that DOS program can print to LPT2?? How would i go about this??

thanks in advance.

 

[InfrArch]

DOS program is running on this server locally or it is running on client PC's that must print to your W2k print server?



Victor K
psas@canada.com
MCSE+I;MCSA;MCSE(w2k);CNE(5.1);CNE(6);CIWSP;CIWSA;Net+;CCNA

 

[dbMark]

You may have a real problem if you're trying to print to your own USB prnter. If you were printing to another computer's printer this might work, though I have not tried it for USB printers yet:

First be sure the computer has shared its printer and you know the computer name and the printer name.

Then on your computer type:

NET USE LPT2 \\cpuname\prname

where "cpuname" is the other computer name and "prname" is the printer share name.

To release it just type:

NET USE LPT2 /DELETE

Be aware that Win98,98se,Me use a different flavor of NET USE than WinNT,2000,XP. A couple of the parameters and messages differ slightly. To see yours type:

NET USE /?

 

[dbMark]

My prior post mentioned using NET USE. That is a command that can be placed in DOS batch files or, if your program allows it, run in DOS from within your program.

I chose LPT2 in my example for a couple of reasons. First, users usually like to keep their own printers available on LPT1. Also, what if you and the other person both set your LPT1 links to the other's LPT1? Probably get the print job lost in some sort of endless loop.

But if your program want LPT1 that should be okay, especially if it is set only briefly.

Also, if you use LPT2, your program should know to point there. Some programs such as dBase and FoxPro for DOS have these commands:

SET PRINTER TO LPT1 && point to LPT1
SET PRINTER TO LPT2 && point to LPT2
SET PRINTER TO && clear redirection

 

[david902]

juxt to expand on dbmark, if the drivers in dos may not work, here is what we used to do in the old days...

set up an HPIII printer to print to a file,

print your document to the print file in DOS,

***********************
Then on your computer type:

NET USE LPT2 \\cpuname\prname

where "cpuname" is the other computer name and "prname" is the printer share name.

*****************************

go to DOS, and copy <filename> LPT2 /b

if it's an HP printer it should work.

 

[junioradmin]

Thanks everyone for their resposes, I just wanted to clarify for everyone and especially GENEnG that the DOS program is running on the Win 2000 machine and i want to print to a network printer.

(I want the network printer to act like it is connected to the Win 2000 machine out of LPT2).

LPT2 does not exist physically on the Win 2000 machine.