HOW TO DETERMINE WHETHER PARALLEL PORT IS WORKING

[DEAN V. DANNEWITZ]

I need to find out how to verify whether my parallel port
is functioning right. I have a printer that has suddenly
decided not to function, and I have tried all the tests
and reinstallation, etc. that I can think of. I had my
hard drive wiped and XP reinstalled and since then I
cannot get the printer to work. It is not the printer
and I doubt it is the software because it worked before.
I suspect that something happened to the parallel port
while it was in the shop. I do not have anything else
available to test the port.

 

[Norm]

Dean, if you look in Device Manager, do you see an printer port under Port
(Com & LPT)?

 

[Malke]

You may need to re-install your printer. Go into the Control Panel,
click on the printers icon, and see if it is listed. If not, click on
ADD and re-install it.

It is extremely unlikely that anything happened to your parallel port
"in the shop". Unless you took your computer into the shop specifically
to have a printer installed (and that would also be very unlikely),
there would be no reason for the shop to even touch your parallel port.
The way to test your parallel port is with a loopback plug and the
proper diagnostic software. If you don't have this, then call the
computer repair shop (not a CompUSA or BestBuy type of store).

Malke