LPT1 LPT2 LPT3 com ports

Unless you have a add-in card with 2 extra parallel ports, you only have LPT1.

Depending on your motherboard, you may be able to re-assign the port to LPT2 in bios settings.

And, no you cannot use the COMM ports as parallel ports.

Assuming you have a plug-in card with extra parallel ports, you need to configure the card to be LPT2 and LPT3.
This is done with either jumpers or software.
You also need to install the driver for the card.

Please add to your post your hardware details.
If you have a add-on card, what make and model is the card?

Chas

Also if your looking to add more than 1 printer to your system, newer printers today come with USB connections, I haven't used one of them yet so I'm not sure what address is assigned. I think you just define the usb printer. Another option is setting up a network with each machine running a different type of printer and sharing them, then you can define lpt2, lpt3 as being the print spools on the other networked pcs. But most likely as chas stated above it cannot find the port because you don't have an additional printer port. Good luck

Hi

Another option is to open the printer driver and tell it which port to use. There may be a field which says something along the lines of 'Print to the following port:' Set this to your desired port. Certainly, HP drivers have this option...Hope this helps

Hello Chaz
Well I dont have the extra card yet. I have extra pci slots to plug one into. Apparently my integrated printer port died, so I need another! So after installing the new card, what will I need to do again.IE: How to point to the new card (LPT2)in the bios...install the driver...change the port setting in the printer..I guess that would be it. I am not that confident of the bios setting, and the jumper or software setting thing, but I know I can do it, thats all.
I checked the printer on another computer, and it works fine. I guess dell has some utilities that can check ports for funcionality. They will send me a copy, but I did try to download it as well. Didnt have much luck in making it work though. It needed to be installed on a fat partition, which I did. (I now have a ntfs, and fat partition). Then it needs to be run from a dos command prompt at startup. I did that too via the win-2000 cd rom method. I got in to command prompt, and got to the fat partition, and gota listing of all the files in the directory, but after typing in "delldiag" nothing happened except for the message " cant find". So I have been struggling with that too.
Just thought youo might like to know.
Thanks,
Pat

Pat,

If your printer port has died, start by removeing the port from device manager.
(right click on my computer and select properties,)
Expand the ports branch.
Select the printer port and click remove.
Close the dialog boxes, and shut down.

When you re-boot, go into BIOS settings, and disable the on-board printer port.

Now, you can use LPT1 for your add-in card printer port.
Some cards use jumpers, others use software.

As far as your printer driver, there should be a configuration page under printer properties where you select the port the printer is connected to.

Chas

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