At 06:18 21/12/01 +1100, you wrote:

Don't we still have the problem with Win95/98 very helpfully changing

the>port output not-so-periodically if you have a printer driver assigned
to the

port.    I think, from memory, you need a VXD so that your program
"captures" the port.    There was some program/component called something
like "TVich32" kicking around a while ago for this.  Another trick that
seems to work is to remove any printer associations via "My Computer".
Win95/98 seems to leave the port alone then.    Not likely to be practical
and even less likely to be popular.

I believe there is a way to work arround this. What I did in the QRS
software was :
1. 'occupy' the LPT port (printer) via the API
2. drive the printer port via the PORT commands (Delphi)
3. don't forget to 'release' the LPT port (via API) at the end
That way I avoided that the operating system was interfering, I made it
believe that the printer is printing all the time.

73, Rik  ON7YD