From: Nate on 04/12/1999
In short, the answer is to NOT run your DOS program while another program is printing. Or don't have the DOS program print 'till you are done with the other print job. I assume your program prints when it's started, from the description you gave.Here's the long explaination:
Only one program can access the PRINTER PORT ("LPT1") at a time, the port is "LPT1" on most systems, and a DOS program accesses "LPT1" directly, printing directly to your printer, thus tying up the port.
When you print from windows, the DRIVER (not the port directly) is accessed, and thus the driver can "spool" the data (save the data to disk if it's busy with another job), and send it to the printer when the other program is done. Thus, the DRIVER is accessing the "LPT1" port, and managing the print jobs.
The DRIVER program can't access the LPT1 port if a DOS program has it, or probably even tell if a DOS program has it open (it should, but this is MS we are talking about here), so that may be the reason for your crash.
: The program with the automatic print command is DOS, the program I was in the middle of printing is Windows.
: : What program are you running? Is it a really old program? Most windows programs that print can run and print at the same time with no problems.
: : Your printer driver seems new enough.
: : I need more info.
: : : Computer is homemade PC with windows 95
: : : Printer is HP deskjet 672C
: : : Problem:While in the middle of printing a document and running another program which sends out an automatic print comand, the printer hung up(stopped printing). in order to get the paper out of the printer I had to turn off and back on the printer.
: : : The mouse arrow would move but nothing would activate when klicking the button. Shut off the computer manualy and turned back on. Opened the program I was running when the printer quit, but it would run but not print, noticed "printer tools" was at the bottom of the screen(next to Windows start), restarted using the computer restart comand. Ran the automatic program OK.
: : : The obvious answer is to not start that program while the printer is operating. Is there a way other than the obvious answer to keep that conflict of programs from happening in the future?
