11th January 2002

Given the near infinite amount of peripherals in the field today, it's a wonder Windows works at all. More choice can lend itself to more problems. Trying to run Windows 98 on a 386 isn't going to happen, though using a dot matrix printer in Windows XP is (in theory) feasible. As long as the drivers are rock solid and compatible, you'll be okay. There's an XP switch you might wanna flip for older devices (such as a parallel port Zip drive daisychained to your printer). Tap WIN+Pause, flip to the Hardware tab, and press the Device Manager button. Cascade the Ports (COM & LPT) option and double-click your Printer Port (which is most likely LPT1). Under the Port Settings tab, you'll find an option to "Enable legacy Plug and Play detection." Place a checkmark in the field and you'll be golden. Lockergnomie Al Strachan had to pay Microsoft a handful of cash to discover this. He passed this wisdom along to the rest of us for free.