Article: Q66070
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.0,3.0a
Operating System(s):
Keyword(s):
Last Modified: 03-OCT-1999
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows versions 3.0, 3.0a
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SUMMARY
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When you print to LPTx.yyy, COMx.yyy (where "yyy" is any extension), or print to
a file and subsequently copy the file to a port, the print job may be
truncated.
This problem occurs primarily when you are printing graphics. To work around this
problem, you must either print to a port without an extension or copy the file
to the port with the /b (binary) parameter when you print to a file.
NOTE: This information does not apply to later versions of Windows.
MORE INFORMATION
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When you print to a port with an extension, Windows writes the output to a file
called LPTx.yyy or COMx.yyy. Since LPT and COM are reserved words for Microsoft
MS-DOS, when Windows writes to a file called LPTx.yyy or COMx.yyy, MS-DOS
redirects the output to the LPTx or COMx port.
You can achieve the same functionality manually by printing to a file (that is, a
port called FILE) and then copying the file to LPTx or COMx.
The truncation problem occurs when one of the characters in the document
formatting code or a graphic contains the ^Z (CTRL+Z) character. Because this
character is the end-of-file marker for text files, the print job ends when the
^Z character is encountered.
You can workaround this problem by copying the file to the port with the /b
parameter as in the following example:
COPY FILENAME.PRN LPT1: /b
The /b option lets the COPY command know the file is a binary file.
The LPTx.yyy port option in Windows does not invoke the /b parameter. Printing
graphics using this parameter may cause the print job to be truncated.
To print graphics when you have a hardware problem that Windows is detecting,
print to a file, then copy the file to the printer using MS-DOS with the /b
switch. The steps below outline this procedure.
1. In the Control Panel window, choose the Printers icon. Choose the
Configuration button, and select FILE: as the printer port.
2. Choose the print option within the Windows application from which you are
trying to print.
3. When you are prompted for a filename, name the file using standard MS-DOS
conventions. The file is then placed in the current WINDOWS directory. You
can also include a full path before the filename to save the file to a path
of your choice.
4. Exit Windows or run choose the MS-DOS Prompt icon.
5. Change to the WINDOWS directory, or the path specified in step 3, and type
the following:
copy /b <filename> <portx>:
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Windows versions 3.0 and 3.0a.
This problem was corrected and does not occur in later versions.
Additional query words: msdos 3.00 3.00a win30
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Keywords :
Technology : kbWin3xSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin300 kbWin300a
Version : WINDOWS:3.0,3.0a
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