For what it is worth, I have had some success getting balky
DOS programs to print under Windows95. I have had trouble
with some programs even if you "capture" a "printer port" in
the Windows95 printer setup. When you set up a printer in
Windows95, it asks you if you ever print from dos programs,
and if so gives you an opportunity to capture an LPT: port
for this purpose. Unfortunately, in my experience, Windows
tries to be "smart" about it and will still screw around
with your output. (If you haven't done this already, give
that a try before messing with the below. Just make sure
that you capture an LPT port *OTHER* than the one that the
printer is on, e.g. don't use LPT1:, use LPT3 or LPT4.)

However, I've found that if you have the NetBIOS code do
the mapping instead of the Windows code, it can work more
reliably. Thus, for example, suppose you have a printer
on your Windows95 machine named "Leroy". (I like to give
my printers nice names... :-) Then you would:

  1. Make sure that you have Windows Networking installed.
     You probably already do if you have a network set up
     at all. It is easiest if you have a network card on
     your machine, but you can also do it on a dial-up
     interface (don't share your files out to the Internet,
     though). I know NT has a loopback interface, but I
     don't know if 95 does. You'll need to set the control
     to "share my printers" enabled.

  2. In the Printer control panel, set the properties on
     Leroy to share it out onto the network.

  3. Suppose that your machine's hostname is "Jezebel" (as
     my Win95 machine is). At a DOS prompt, before going into
     your DOS program, execute the command:

        NET USE LPT3: \\JEZEBEL\LEROY

     assuming that LPT3: is available.

  4. Have your DOS program print to LPT3.

In many cases, I've found that this works... it will often
fool both the DOS program and the Windows 95 program.

There are some cases where all hope is lost, however.

About Linux, I use it for just about everything I can, and
find it very pleasurable to use, but then I've been using
Unix for fifteen years. But I use MPLAB because I'm
too much of a beginner with PICs, so I use Windows for that.

--Bob

On Tue, Mar 30, 1999 at 04:08:02PM -0500, Wagner Lipnharski wrote:
> That's it. I won't answer Bill's phone calls anymore. I had it.
> How do I install Linux?  I know that there are plenty of CADS
> for Unix already... :)  I never saw DOS crash by itself, except
> during some assembler programming loops. Windows... forget it...
> I heard that Unix is very hard to crash, perhaps this is the
> reason why most Internet servers/providers run under Unix?
> How is the world of tools for PIC programming in Unix/Linux?
>
> Andy Kunz wrote:
> > >this is what I am, right? a dumb stupid clown!  I believe that Mr. Bill
> > >Gates said all Windows3.x software would run in Win95, isn't that true?
> >
> > Billy the kid lied to you.  Things that don't support logical printers
> > properly won't work.  Sounds like your CAD package was done by that sort of
> > programmer, which is also why it can't see the printer list.

--
============================================================
Bob Drzyzgula                             It's not a problem
bob@drzyzgula.org                until something bad happens
============================================================