Hey sorry I didn't catch your name, but you wrote:)

 >There is a bit in the control register that controls the direction of the
 data lines in ECP
 >and PS2 modes. If bit 5 of the control register (base address +2) is set
 to 1, the data
 >lines are set to inputs.......

 Thankyou for your code to set the port to inputs.  However I still can't
 get the port to work!  I do have a program that monitors the data line on
 the port and this seems to work properly.  I have designed a program to
 read the base address of the port  plus the next two addresses for the
port
 on a re-boot of my PC and then  again while the 'port program' was running
 and again when the port program had ended (it turns the port to an output
 again at the end).

 Here are the results:)
  On boot up:
 Base address ( 0x378)  =  7F04
 Base +1         (0x379)   = CC7F
 Base +2         (0x37A)   = CCCC

 While the LPT program was running:)
 Base address ( 0x378)  =  7FFF
 Base +1         (0x379)   = E37F
 Base +2         (0x37A)   = E3E3

 After the LPT program:)
 Base address ( 0x378)  =  7F04
 Base +1         (0x379)   = DC7F
 Base +2         (0x37A)   = DCDC

 Now, If I run the LPT program and it exits properly (it has now set all
 bits on the port to outputs) I can run my 'C' program and read the port
 correctly but, if I just reboot my PC and try to read the port, it does
not
 work.  I have set the three registers to 7FFF for the base address, and
 E37F for Base + 1 and E3E3 for  base + 3.  My only guess now is that the
 LPT program does more than setting up these three registers.  Can anybody
 tell me exactly what is needed (step by step) to initialize the parallel
 port?

 Thanks,
 Brian.