Hi,

Before writing this, I was searching for a similar problem, but after reading a bunch of pages I couldn't find any help. It is no easy for me to explain what is going on, considering the strange problem and my lack of English, but I will try:

I run Dbase II programs Clipper compiled (.exe) on Windows XP SP3. I wrote these programs many years ago and still using, modifying, improving, changing, etc as my commercial activity changes.
So far, I have solved all problems that have showed up... except two.

Two issues in one question:
1) - I can’t print on my new laser printer (USB)
2) – After Win 98 to XP, the dot matrix stops printing in the middle of the page, usually when the text is short, and, after few seconds (from +/- 5 to 30+ seconds) it finish the print. The shorter the page to be printed the longer is the time ‘in loop’ doing nothing. If I repeat the same print, it stops in the same line and hangs the same amount of time. If it is another text with different length, say longer, it will stop in another point and ‘loop’ for a different amount of time, less time in this case. (I can assure there are no problems with .prg codes, no file corruption, nothing)

But this is not a harmful problem (the #2), so I have accepted and I just wait those seconds, but the next problem is a new one and showed up after dealing and trying to make the laser printer work with my programs. I couldn’t make it, but soon after my programs hang, randomly at any point any time, no keyboard inputs are accepted. It can be during typing data or just during pressing ‘Enter’, it just stays there with the cursor blinking. The first times, I aborted using Task Manager, but one day, accidentally discovered that, - after 3-4 MINUTES! - it restarts working and displays the last keystrokes pressed.
Same as the printer problem, it seems to remain ‘in loop’, after that, it goes fine until next hang, on a different page or part of the program, -not always on the same line- or command. It fails under dBase (running the .prg) as well as under the compiled (.exe)

Sorry for the long explanation, I’m not the Master of the syntax… hope to have explained myself.

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

I’m writing from Italy, but my mother tongue is Spanish.

Sorry... it is dBase III Plus (not dBase II as I wrote before...)

The basic problem for all of your symptoms is that MS-DOS allowed you to write directly to a device, either LPT1: or port 0378. You should change your program to print to the printer manager, however the only way to do this is to update your Clipper compiler.
If the USB laser printer is a Windows only device, then a DOS program will not be able to use it directly; you will have to write a print file, and then use a Windows program (notepad) to print the file.
You might try xHarbour.com - eXtended xBase Compiler to see if their compiler solves the problem.

Thank you for your answer Kitaman.
Just two comments: the first problem (long pause in the middle of a print) started when I migrate from Win98 to XP. It is not a big problem, can manage it.

The second (this is indeed a problem for me!) doesn't have to see with printers, it just hangs, no matter which routine is running, it happens running the application with either .prg or compiled .exe May be the problem is not dBase... ??

The Laser is an HP P1005 (USB), how can I find out if it is only a Windows printer?

HP® Official Store — Buy HP LaserJet P1005 Printer toner and paper from HP
Notice the line that says "Print languages" near the bottom of the page...."host based" means that the computer converts the print stream from text to bitmapped, not the printer. Compare that to the P2035 printer or the P2055.
Do you have "Printer ready?" (where you test to see if the printer is online) type code in your application?

Printer ready?... No, never seen that code before .
Could you illuminate me please, thanks.

Sorry if I can't follow you as I would like to, please be patient.

Do you have code that tests to see if the printer is available before trying to print to it.

No, I don't.
To say the truth, never seen before... As far as I know, dBase III does not list that code

Kitaman, if you mean "SET PRINTER ON/OFF" commands, yes, I have them within the program.


UPDATE:
Today, the printer woke up dead... it doesn't print at all. It does with other applications, so hardware problems are discarded.

More than 15 years working with this program without any problem, now, after trying to connect the laser printer via USB (unsuccessfully) appear all this issues.
Might it have to see with drivers? lost? corrupts? Is there any way to go back and fix them? or clean and restart? Don't ask me for the original floppy, during the last years I have been working with a copy of dBase saved on CD when needed...

The worst is that I can't find the driver of my dot matrix (Citizen 200GX). A lot of water have passed under the bridge since I saw it the last time (new PC's, new copies, new Op. Syst.) Oh Gosh, I need it to work!!

Thanks for your help

I didn't know if you were writing DbaseIII compatible source code or Clipper.
There are lots of additional functions in Clipper.

OK, I checked the programs and everything seems to be OK.
I forgot to tell you that actual printing does not occur, but for the program is like it was printed, in fact, it goes normally to the next step, assuming that the page (invoice, in my case) was already printed correctly.
I turned the SET CONS ON immediately the step before SET PRINT ON and the page (invoice) is "printed" normally on the screen, which means that it is somehow ignoring the SET PRINT ON command, am I right?

Sorry Kitaman, I posted before reading yours.
I use Clipper only for compiling.

In "Printers and Faxes", right click on the printer, and in Properties->advanced, select "Print directly to the printer"

Share the printer with share name "P1005"
Start a command promtpt
C:>net use LPT1: \\mypc\P1005 (replace "mypc" with the name of your computer)
C:>copy test.txt LPT1:

Does anything useful print?

Error 67 "Can not find the net"
(Notice that error, tabs and message syntax could be different in English, I'm writing my own translation from Italian Operating System)

Please Kitaman, check me: (be patient... I'm an old man)
- I went to "Printers and Faxes", right click on the printer, and in Properties->advanced, I selected "Print directly to the printer"
Then, in same window, under "Share" tab, I tick "Share this printer" and changed the printer name from "HPLaserJ" to "P1005" (w/o quotes) as you told me, right?

- I clicked System Properties to be sure of the name of my computer (IARFISH)

- Then, at command prompt, I typed C:>net use LPT1: \\IARFISH\P1005 and Enter

Error 67
Can not find the net

Were I failed?

Can not find the name of the net