Member Avatar for jack711

Does anyone know how to restore the LPT1 port in Windows XP/SP2? triend reboot and restore and no go.. somehow uninstalling 2 printers caused LPT1 to be deleted from the System.. in addition the printer spooler is having issues re: parrallel port

Jack

  • 3 Contributors
  • 6 Replies
  • 1K Views
  • 1 Month Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by allesok

Dani AI

Generated

Building on the thread (notes from , and the troubleshooting pointers from and ), here are concise, safe steps that commonly restore a missing LPT1 on Windows XP without downloading unknown executables.

First, reveal and remove ghost devices: open a Command Prompt, run set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1 then start devmgmt.msc. In Device Manager choose View -> Show hidden devices, expand "Ports (COM & LPT)" and uninstall any greyed-out LPT/parallel entries. Use Action -> Scan for hardware changes afterward. If the port still does not appear, run the "Add legacy hardware" wizard (Action -> Add legacy hardware -> Install the hardware that I manually select -> Ports) and install the standard/parallel port option so Windows recreates the LPT device node.

Second, address spooler and drivers: stop the Print Spooler service, empty the spool folder (%windir%\System32\spool\PRINTERS), then restart the service. Reinstall motherboard/chipset or I/O drivers (these often provide the bridge for the parallel controller). Try adding a Local Printer and selecting an existing LPT1 — the wizard can force port creation if the controller is present.

If none of the above re-creates LPT1, the problem is likely BIOS-level or hardware (disabled or failed parallel controller). Before running unverified utilities (as suggested earlier), prefer System Restore to a known-good point or reinstalling the motherboard drivers. If BIOS shows no parallel controller, consider a PCI parallel adapter or hardware service.

Recommended Answers

All 6 Replies

Member Avatar for Suspishio

Exactly what is reported in Device Manager under Ports? Is there a ! mark next to ECP Printer Port? If there is, what is reported inside the ECP Printer Port entry?

Member Avatar for jack711

Exactly what is reported in Device Manager under Ports? Is there a ! mark next to ECP Printer Port? If there is, what is reported inside the ECP Printer Port entry?

under Com & LPT ports the LPT port is missing- apparently deleted.. but not recognized upon re=boot as new or unknown

Member Avatar for Suspishio

Is this a parallel port printer or USB printer?

Please try this.

Catch the BIOS when you boot. I don't know which key it is on your computer (I press F2 as soon as the BIOS boot screen appears).

It various by BIOS but there ought to be an LPT1 setting. You could either change it or report all of what it says.

Also your USB settings. if it's a USB printer, is it attached and do other USB devices work?

Member Avatar for jack711

parrallel printer

and I do not see it in the BIOS

Member Avatar for Suspishio

There will be a Printer devices screen or section in one of the BIOS pages.

Have you got a system manual that tells you what the BIOS screens are? It's really difficult to know at a distance whether the BIOS sees the parallel port or YOU don't see it in the BIOS.

if it really isn''t in the BIOS any more then the parallel port is likely defective.

Member Avatar for allesok

Download this file and run it: . It enables LTP1 in the Registry. Restart the computer. Worked perfectly for me!
JES

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.