Subject: Re: Redirect Parallel port output
From: [email-masked] (Osma Ahvenlampi)
Date: 08 Mar 1994 08:21:32 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.programmer,comp.sys.amiga.applications,comp.sys.amiga.hardware,comp.sys.amiga.misc

In article <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Roger Uzun) writes:

>Is there a way to get AmigaDOS 3.X to use a device other than
>parallel.device for the parallel printer port?

The following is taken from the GVP ioExtender review by J.P.Hillenburg
([email-masked]), originally in comp.sys.amiga.reviews:

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NEW INFORMATION [UPDATE:]

        Since writing the ioExtender review, I have corrected the problems
with selecting a proper printer.device.  I have found out that Commodore did
provide a means for doing this, but there is no direct way to do it.  I
accomplished it by hex-editing the file ENV:Sys/printer.prefs.

        Also note that the following is totally applicable to other parallel
devices.

0) Copy your file ENVARC:Sys/printer.prefs to a safe place, so you can
   restore it if something goes wrong.

1) Find a decent hex editor, preferably FileX.  Make sure that the text
   column is 16 characters wide.  (It doesn't have to be, but makes things
   much easier for our purposes.)

2) Look for the word 'PUNT' in the text column. Place your cursor on the P,
   and then go down exactly two rows.  You can then type the name of your
   parallel device, without the .device. (e.g. "gvppar")

        [MODERATOR'S NOTE:  "Go down two rows" in this case means "move
        forward 32 characters," since each row contains 16 characters in
        Joseph's example.  This information may help you if you are using
        a hex editor other than FileX.  - Dan]

3) Once you have tested printing to make sure it works, run SYS:Prefs/Printer
   and SAVE the preferences.  This will copy it to ENVARC:, and at the same
   time, verifying your changes.

        Here is a hex listing of my printer.prefs file:

0000: 464F524D 0000009A 50524546 50524844    FORM....PREFPRHD     
0010: 00000006 00000000 00005054 58540000    ..........PTXT..     
0020: 00400000 00000000 00000000 00000000    .@..............     
0030: 00004570 736F6E58 00000000 00000000    ..EpsonX........     
0040: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000    ................     
0050: 00000000 00020042 00000000 0005004B    .......B.......K     
0060: 00005055 4E540000 00380000 00000000    ..PUNT...8......     
0070: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000    ................     
0080: 00006776 70706172 00000000 00000000    ..gvppar........     
0090: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000    ................     
00A0: 0000                                   ..                   

        Here is my modified printer.prefs file uuencoded, for those too lazy
to do the above themselves:

--
Joseph Hillenburg (xterm), NPS Technologies, Bloomington, Indiana
UUCP: [email-masked]      \ /  Long live the Hornet
My BBS: The Wrong Number BBS, w/BMS  +----o0o----+
+1 812 332 7379 (V.32bis)

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--
Osma Ahvenlampi - [email-masked] - finger or mail for PGP key
WWW homepage: http://www.tky.hut.fi/.publish/oahvenla