I have a pc running XP and a printer connected to LPT3 (i dont know why 3,
for I only have one LPT port). From windows I can send a print job to the
printer without problems. However when I try to send a print job from command
promt, i.e. 'PRINT filename', nothing happens and I get the error message
'Unable to iniliatize device PRN'.
I installed the LPT device recently - so may be I have to set some
parameters for command promt somewhere?
Can anybody help me?
regards
Jens
copy FILENAME.txt lpt3 /b
where FILENAME.txt is your file name and lpt3 is your printer port.
Please also note that DON'T send a binary file to the prn port because
you will only get gibberish and lots of paper waste.
If LPT3 gives you an error then just replace it with LPT.
Hope this helps.
True; but since that's the case, you don't need the /b (which says to copy BINARY
.. meaning "Don't stop copying if you encounter a Ctrl+Z character, which'd
normally mean END OF FILE")
/B is useful if you've printed to file from the print dialog box; in that case,
the output might well BE binary. As long as you're COPY /B ing it to the same
printer type as was targeted in the print dialog box, it's the only way to make
it work.
On my old pc I can print from command promt - but from the new pc, I can't.
Both pc's are running xp. The only differens is that the new pc was not born
with a LPT-port, so I had to buy such a port and install it. That is why my
guess is, that I have to configure it in some way - but which way?
Why do I want to print from command prompt? Because I have a very important
- but old - program, which makes and sends billings to a matrix printer - and
'yes' it is written in DOS. It works perfect from the old xp-computer - but
nothing happens from the new computer.
So do you know how I can configure the port or configure command promt - so
my DOS-program can send the print jobs to the new pc as well as it can to the
old pc?
regards
/Jens
"Steve Rindsberg" wrote:
> In article <eKwrkAu...@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl>, Anonymous wrote:
> > In windows you can't use a print command. This used to be a DOS command
> > but in Windows you can try this:
> >
> > copy FILENAME.txt lpt3 /b
> >
> > where FILENAME.txt is your file name and lpt3 is your printer port.
> > Please also note that DON'T send a binary file to the prn port because
> > you will only get gibberish and lots of paper waste.
>
> True; but since that's the case, you don't need the /b (which says to copy BINARY
> ... meaning "Don't stop copying if you encounter a Ctrl+Z character, which'd
So you have the same dot-matrix printer hooked up to the new parallel port on the new
PC, is that correct?
Check Device Manager to make sure that Windows properly recognizes the port and that
it's assigned to the same LPTx that you think it has been.
If so, copy /b to that port should work.
Another trick is to share the printer then
copy /b filename.ext PrinterShareName
I simply uninstalle the port LPT3 and reinstalled it as LPT1 - and now it
works.
I almost dont dare to close close down the pc and restarts it. Hopefully the
succesfully reinstallation keeps on working.
And once again - thanks for you quick answers to me, a dummy in this stuff.
best regards
Jens
PS: If you happen to visit Copenhagen one day, I own you a beer :-)
Hey, glad to hear that it worked. Can I transfer my Beer Credit to my brother? He gets
to Denmark every so often; he doesn't like beer generally but very happily makes an
exception for Danish beer.