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MS Series (MW/MV) and Parallel Port Settings

An issue has been identified with certain parallel port devices whereby they do not operate correctly with systems whereby the parallel port is set to ECP mode. In particular, this problem has been seen with the new Apricot MS series systems in conjunction with the Hewlett Packard HP820cxi printer.

To overcome this problem, the following steps should be followed.

1. Reboot the system and enter the BIOS setup program (by pressing F2 at boot when prompted)
2. Select Advanced from the menu displayed across the top of the screen (use cursor keys)
3. From the Advanced menu, cursor down to Peripheral Configuration and press Enter
4. From the Peripheral Configuration menu, cursor-down to Parallel Port (which should be displayed as [PnP OS]) and press Enter
5. Select [Enabled] and press Enter
6. Cursor-down to Mode (which should be displayed as [ECP]) and press Enter
7. Dependant on the parallel port device and its requirements, select either EPP or Bi-directional and press Enter
8. Finally, Press F10 (save settings and exit) then select [Yes] and press return to re-boot the PC.

Note that this issue is not specific to Mitsubishi computers, and is documented in a technical note (reference Q139204) from Microsoft.

PSS ID Number: Q139204
Article last modified on 03-21-1996
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The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 95
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SYMPTOMS
========

When you are using a parallel port that is configured for extended
capabilities port (ECP) mode, you may be unable to print to a printer
that is connected to the port, or to use a connection made with Direct
Cable Connection that uses the port. The print job may seem to be printed
correctly, or the data may seem to be transferred correctly, but some of
the data sent to the port may be damaged.

This problem is known to occur with ECP ports that use an SMC chip set.

CAUSE
=====

This problem can occur if the ECP port is not properly initialized. Many
ECP ports with the SMC chip set are not properly initialized when the
computer is started.

RESOLUTION
==========

To resolve this problem, use any one of the following methods:
Configure the parallel port so that it is not in ECP mode.

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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1996.

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