Apple LaserWriter IIf problem under Windows

[zontar_the_thing_from_venus]

I have an Apple LaserWriter IIf from the early nineties with very
little mileage on it. It may be a little slow, but it does a great job
of printing B&W text and images very cheaply (you can still buy new,
sealed, genuine Apple toner 4-packs off of Ebay for
approximately $30 with shipping included). The printer works great
with no problems when printing from a Windows 98 SE system.
However, when I try to print images or figures from a Windows XP system
connected directly to the printer, it will start printing the first few
lines of the image / figure, and then abort with the following output:

ERROR: ioerror
OFFENDING COMMAND: --nostringval--

STACK:

It only seems to have problems with images / figures - it handles
simple Word text documents fine.

Here's another funny thing - if I initiate an image print from an XP
system, sending it to the LWIIF as a network printer connected directly
to a 98SE system, everything prints fine. Here are the different
setups and results:

Initiate print from 98SE with printer directly connected -
everything prints successfully

Initiate print from XP, sending the job to a network printer which is
directly connected to a 98SE system -
everything prints successfully

Initiate print from XP with printer directly connected -
text only prints successfully, images / figures fail

I have all the printer options configured identically between 98SE and
XP. Also, the printer is fully loaded with 32MB of memory. Any clue
as to what is causing the problem? Thanks!

 

[ato_zee]

The printer works great
with no problems when printing from a Windows 98 SE system.
However, when I try to print images or figures from a Windows XP system
connected directly to the printer, it will start printing the first few
lines of the image / figure, and then abort with the following output:

Totally agree it's a great printer, excellent print quality, and if
you can diagnose and fix at component level, cheap to maintain.

Like you, only problem is MS$ re-wrote the drivers for XP and
they don't work, I have the same problems as you. Unfortunately
it doesn't seem possible to install the Win98 drivers on an
XP platform. I suspect from the error message that it may
be a timing problem where XP sends too much data, because
it fails to respond to the flow control handshake, causing the
print buffer to overrun and generate this error message.

I tried to get some sense out of MS$ but their support in
general, and for elderly legacy printers in particular, is
pathetic. Ever tried MS support? You just keep getting
passed from one script driven zombi to the next.

Remove the printer and reinstall, reinstall XP on top of
itself, it might be the printer cable, was all they could
offer.

 

[zakezuke]

The printer works great

with no problems when printing from a Windows 98 SE system.
However, when I try to print images or figures from a Windows XP system
connected directly to the printer, it will start printing the first few
lines of the image / figure, and then abort with the following output:

ERROR: ioerror
OFFENDING COMMAND: --nostringval--

Just for laughs have you tried using another printer driver, i.e.
anything marked post script? Like the HP Laserjet III with Postscript
cartridge. I would say you could try a generic post script driver, but
I don't see it under winxp. LJ III among others are at least identical
inside save the logic board and a few options for trim.

My memory is very very vague on the Apple NT class printers. I liked
the Canon SX based printers but gave up my LWNT in favor of a HP LJ II
due to a scrached fuser and it was starting to behave as if a sensor
was gummed up. I think I had the Laserwriter II NT, whatever the base
68000 most slugish one was. IIRC there was some way that you could set
HP emulation on it, but damned if I could remember the commands. If it
does exist, one would have to talk to the printer using terminal
software as is the case with setting the serial port speed. Apple at
one point kept this on their website but has since moved everything.