If you have an actual parallel port on your laptop, check these things:- Go to the Windows Control Panel.
Start by checking within Windows to see if it finds any problem with the
hardware or with any device driver associated with it. - Click System icon➪System Properties➪Hardware➪Device Manager.
- Expand the + mark next to Ports (COM & LPT) and then double-click
Printer Port Properties.
The name of the port may be slightly different depending on its design,
and a handful of machines may have more than one port, marked as
LPT1 and LPT2.- Check the Device status report.
What you hope to see is, “This device is working properly.”- Click the Troubleshooting button, which walks you through several
test steps. - Click the Driver tab and check the device driver’s health.
You may be asked to uninstall and reinstall the printer port driver.
If Windows reports that the hardware is working properly, make sure that
the cause of the problem is not the software application you are using.- Go to Control Panel➪Printers.
On some systems you choose Control Panel➪Printers and Faxes instead.- You should see an icon for the printer you want to use; click to high-
light it and then right-click. - Click Properties➪General.
There you see a Print Test Page button. - Make sure your printer is plugged in and turned on, and then click
the Test button.
Watch for any warning lights or messages on the printer. If the printer
comes to life and prints a test page, you have established several things:
- The parallel port is working properly.
- The cable is okay.
- The printer is functioning.
So what else could be wrong? I’d suspect a problem with the software
application.
250 Part IV: Failing to Communicate