On Thu, 21 May 2020 23:39:45 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

On Thursday, 21 May 2020 21:20:45 UTC+1, Dave W wrote:
On Thu, 21 May 2020 05:25:06 -0700 (PDT), tabbypurr wrote:
On Wednesday, 20 May 2020 23:04:44 UTC+1, Dave W wrote:

I didn't notice the Windows Update for more printers, so thanks for
mentioning it. I've tried it now but my printer isn't on the list.
Neither is the AGFA printer that would be accepted by my Canon.

I've run many printers on any old driver from the same era & type, and when poss same brand.


NT
Care to share how?

When I ran windows I stuck with 98, which may make a large difference. Just select model from list when it asks what printer you have. I'm hoping someone knows how to do that in 8.1, perhaps with some little 3rd party app. If there's no way to I don't know if you could run virtual 98 & send the data to that. Very clunky I know. Or you could get all sensible & try linux I can tell this linux machine my printer is anything - solves the great majority of print driver problems.


NT

Windows 98 is the last operating system that allows direct access to
the pins of hardware ports. At one of my employments I made use of
this to drive test equipment, and they put a big notice on the PC "Not
to be updated" to XP.

I wrote my gps printer program to suit Windows 98, and that's what I
still use at home. On modern windows, even a virtual Win98 machine
can't drive the ports directly - all communication has to go through
the modern Windows host.

I have succeeded in using DOSbox to get the serial input from my gps
via COM2: created by a USB to serial converter. To drive my printer I
need to access LPT1:, but USB to parallel converters don't provide
that port. They just use Windows USB printer facility.

As I implied, only Win98 has my old printer in its list. There are no
drivers for it on modern machines. There are drivers for an old Agfa
printer that would be acceptable to my Canon, but the computer won't
connect it unless my printer replies that it's Agfa. My printer can't
reply anything anyway, as I said in my original posting.
--
Dave W