We have several printers on a network. Some are connected to a parallel 3 port Linksys server, oneis behind a SMS router with the parallel port, One is behind a Jet Direct. With up to and including XP, everyting worked well. Now that Vista and Win 7 is the norm, the servers are not supported. They are either not recognized, the software is not supported or they set up but will not print. I just purchased a TrendNet server and it isn't supported either

So far I haven't found a print server for these new OS's that will support the parallel port. I guess the real question is how can they make the 'network ready' printers work on all the systems and not the print servers? The next question is are there any work arounds?

Upgrades are downgrades in disguise!

Len

Hi Len,


Sorry to hear about your dilemma. I know that these 'upgrades' are not all upgrade as there is
always a cost. Microsoft can not seem to do the same thing twice. Their old software supported
certain things, they should have learned from that, not ignored that. They just seem to want to
keep starting over and over again with each new Windows release, forgetting all about the reason
people were using it in the first place. They seem to work exactly the opposite to what software
development is all about.
What we really need not only as a country but as a world, is a software company that can come
out with an operating system like Windows and instead of constantly throwing the old stuff out
they would just keep improving it. People and certainly companies would love that.

The only thing i can think of at the moment is that you can try switching Windows 7 into XP
mode if you have the right edition, and i hope you do and that you can switch without a problem.
I dont know if that will actually help because i dont have Windows 7 but i have read about the
XP mode that's in the Ultimate edition i think.

Good luck with it.

Al,
Switching an OS backwards often opens new doors with problems jumping out. I went back to XP from Vista with a Sony laptop and they could/would not supply XP drivers so problems with the sound, hotkeys and others happened. Fortunately I did a drive swap before the reinstall so going back was easy.

Len

Len,
Did this "upgrade" include moving from a 32-bit to 64-bit OS? I have only anecdotal evidence, but this seems to be at the root of
problems I have. Even here at the N&V forums: Since I've begun logging in with a 64-bit machine, the 32-bit machine just will not
work - I log in and get to the "You have been successfully logged in." page, but as soon as I leave that page I'm logged off again.
Insanely frustrating, but I can go to 64-bit and zoom, here I am.

Yes, this ''upgrade'' was to a 64 bit system, but, Vista also didn't work.
You would think that setting a printer as an IP device would be ancient art, instead of a challenge.
Len

XP, Vista, and 7 all have 32-bit and 64-bit versions. I'd check which are running, then see what versions the
hardware is compatible with. Maybe an XP spooler will overcome any issues.
That's all I got.