A brief essay describing how to configure parallel ports

There are three hexadecimal addresses commonly used for parallel ports: 03BC, 0378, 0278 (hex). These are absolute addresses, fixed in memory.

They can be distinguished from them “logical” addresses accessed by users and many programs: LPT 1, LPT 2, LPT 3,…. These logical addresses can be interpreted as “1st Line Printer, 2nd Line Printer, 3rd Line Printer,…”

Consequently, one cannot have a “2nd Line Printer,” without having a “1st Line Printer.” - ie: You can’t get a LPT 2, unless you already have a LPT 1.

At boot-time, the system’s BIOS automatically checks the three FIXED HEXADECIMAL ADDRESSES mentioned above, and arbitrarily assigns the LOGICAL ADDRESS of LPT 1, LPT 2, LPT 3, if parallel port(s) are found at any of those addresses.

The FIXED HEXADECIMAL ADDRESSES are checked in descending order, ie 03BC is checked first, 0378 is checked second, and 0278 is check third.

If port(s) is/are installed at the following addresses:

FIXED HEXADECIMAL ADDRESSES

0278h only

0378h only

03BCh only

0378h, 0278h

03BCh, 0278h

03BCh, 0378h

03BCh, 0378h, 0278h

LOGICAL ASSIGNMENT

LPT 1

LPT 1

LPT 1

LPT 1, LPT 2 respectively

LPT 1, LPT 2 respectively

LPT 1, LPT 2 respectively

LPT 1, LPT 2, LPT 3 respectively

Since logical addressing is arbitrary, particular operating systems will deal with the addressing schemes in different manners. For instance, some versions of UNIX will assign logical addresses LPT 0, LPT 1, LPT 2.

DOS/Windows 3.1x will usually conform to the outline above.

Win-95, Win NT will usually conform to the outline above, BUT if a parallel port of a higher FIXED HEXADECIMAL ADDRESS is added to an existing system, Windows might assign the new port the next logical address, rather than re-assign established logical addresses. - Eg Jane has a computer with Windows 95 installed and a built-in parallel port residing at 0378 hex. She buys a LAVA Parallel Bi-Directional card at the local computer shop, configures it for 03BC hex, and slips it into her system. When she runs the Windows-95 Add New Hardware Wizard, it automatically detects the LAVA port configured as 03BC hex and assigns it the logical address LPT 2.

However, since the assignments are arbitrary, Windows might not perform as expected. It is always best to adjust any settings (via DEVICE MANAGER) to conform with the table, above.

LAVA does not provide drivers or support for UNIX. SCO UNIX has a command called mkdev serial that can install the port in UNIX. Consult the documentation for your version of UNIX to see if this is the correct command for you and the appropriate switches.

LAVA PCI cards do not install in Win2000 using a setup utility. They install when New Hardware is found at boot up of Windows. Windows searches your hard and floppy drives for an .inf file that includes the setup information for our card. This is a plain text file that contains the setup information for our card. Sometimes, it does not find this file so it is necessary to have our card reinstall.

The following procedure will reinstall our card:

1) Right Click on My Computer from the desktop and enter Properties and then Device Manager. Enter the section called Other Devices or Unknown Devices.

2) Remove the reference to either PCI card or PCI Serial Controller or PCI parallel controller by right-clicking on it and entering Uninstall.

3) Shut down your computer normally and ensure that our card is seated properly in the PCI slot.

4) Upon entering Windows, when New Hardware is found direct it to the LAVA Win2000 .inf file.

5) Let Windows search for our installation file and reinstall our card correctly.

WINDOWS 2000 FEATURES

In Windows 95/98/Me we provide a utility for redirecting the COM port assignment that Windows assigns our ports. This utility is not necessary in later versions of Windows. The following is the procedure to redirect our port in Windows 2000.

1) Go to Device Manager by right-clicking on My Computer from the Desktop and entering Properties.

2) Open up Ports (COM & LPT) by clicking the + sign to the left.

3) Double-click the port you wish to redirect and enter the Port Settings Tab.

4) Click the Advanced Button.

5) In the Window that appears you can redirect the port assignment.

SPECIAL WINDOWS 2000 FEATURE

Parallel Port LPT assignments can be redirected. Currently the choice for redirection is LPT1 LPT2 or LPT3.

CLEANING UP OUR INF FILE

If you are updating the .inf file from a previous version of this file it is necessary to remove the old version. You must go to the Windows\inf folder. If you don’t see the inf folder then your folder options are set to hide that folder. To see that folder go to View|Folder Options|View

In there make sure that the show all files option is set. Our .inf file is found under the name oemX.inf, where X is some integer. You must edit using notepad.exe each oemX.inf file and look for a reference to LAVA. If there is a reference to LAVA then remove that file. Also, remove the associated oemX.pnf that is located here as well.

Question:

I have upgraded my system to a newer version of Windows. I left my LAVA card in the system during the upgrade. Now in Device Manager my card is showing up in Other Devices as PCI Parallel Card or PCI Serial Card. The peripheral attached to it (modem, printer, Zip drive) won’t work. What do I do now?

Answer:

During the installation of the upgrade, Windows was looking for the drivers on the Windows upgrade CD. The card’s drivers are not located on the CD so the installation routine couldn’t install the card properly. The following procedure will reinstall the card properly:

1) Go to Device Manager by right-clicking on My Computer from the Desktop and entering Properties. Then click the Device Manager tab.

2) In Device Manager remove the PCI Parallel Card or PCI Serial Card with the exclamation (!) mark by clicking it and hitting delete on the keyboard.

3) Close all open windows and reboot the system by using Start|Restart.

4) Upon booting into Windows the New Hardware Found wizard will appear. Direct this wizard to the LAVA Installation disk, following the procedure described in the LAVA Installation manual for installing the card in Windows.

Question:

I have upgraded my system to Windows system to Windows ME (Millenium Edition). I left my LAVA card in the system during the upgrade. Now in Device Manager my card is showing up in Other Devices as PCI Parallel Card or PCI Serial card. The peripheral attached to it (modem, printer, zip drive) won’t work. What do I do now?

Answer:

During the installation of the upgrade, Windows was looking for the drivers on the Windows ME upgrade CD. Our drivers are not located on the CD so it couldn’t install it properly. The following procedure will have our card reinstall properly:

1) Go to Device Manager by Right Clicking on My Computer from the Desktop and entering Properties. Then click the Device Manager tab.

2) In Device Manager remove the PCI Parallel Card or PCI Serial Card with the exclamation (!) mark by clicking it and hitting delete on the keyboard.

3) Close all open Windows and reboot the system by using Start - Shutdown.

4) Upon the boot into Windows you will see the New Hardware found wizard. Direct this wizard to our disk, following the procedure illustrated in the LAVA Installation manual for installing the card in Windows 95/98.

Some printer port devices only look for Interrupt requests that are edge driven. PCI cards are level driven. It is possible that your scanner is looking for interrupt requests that edge driven. Unfortunately, we cannot change how the scanner detects the mode. If it does not detect our EPP mode you obtain updated drivers and installation utilities from the scanner manufacturer.

Some scanners that use Shuttle technology have the capability of the disabling the interrupt detection completely. These scanners install a device under SCSI controllers in Device Manager. The name varies depending on scanner manufacturer. Many times it has a reference to Shuttle. In this device you can change settings in the Settings tab under Adapter settings.

Under Windows 95

/w95 /di

Under Windows 98

/di

Standard Microsoft Basic Configurations for Communications Ports

COM BASIC CONF RESOURCE

COM1 0 03F8-03FF: IRQ 4

1 03F8-03FF: Any IRQ

COM2 2 02F8-02FF: IRQ3

3 02F8-02FF: Any IRQ

COM3 4 03E8-03EF: IRQ4

5 03E8-03EF: Any IRQ

COM4 6 02E8-02EF: IRQ3

7 02E8-02EF: Any IRQ

COMX 8 Any I/O range: Any IRQ

Standard Microsoft Basic Configurations for Parallel Ports

Printer Port

BASIC CONF RESOURCE

0 03BC-03BE

0378-037A

0278-027A

NO IRQ

1 03BC-03BE

0378-037A

0278-027A

Any IRQ

2 ANY I/O Range

No IRQ

3 Any I/O Range

Any IRQ

4 Any I/O Range

Any IRQ

Any DMA

ECP Printer Port

BASIC CONF RESOURCE

0 03BC-03BE

0378-037A

0278-027A

NO IRQ

1 03BC-03BE

0378-037A

0278-027A

Any IRQ

2 03BC-03BE

0378-037A

0278-027A

Any IRQ

Any DMA

3 ANY I/O Range

No IRQ

4 Any I/O Range

Any IRQ

Any DMA

Question:

I have installed my LAVA card that has jumpers into my operating system correctly. However, when I try to use the card the OS reports that the card is not functioning properly. What should I do?

Answer:

The answer to this question applies to all LAVA cards that have IRQ jumper settings. To correct this situation it is necessary to make some BIOS setting changes. The following description applies to an Award BIOS version 4.51 PG. Consult your motherboard manual to find equivalent setting changes and how to enter your BIOS setup.

Enter PNP CONFIGURATION SETUP.

Change RESOURCES CONTROLLED BY from AUTO to MANUAL.

Scroll down to the IRQ(s) assigned to our card and change that IRQ from PCI/ISA PnP to Legacy ISA.

Note: LAVA PCI cards do not use a setup utility to install in Windows 95/98/Me/2000. They install when New Hardware is found at boot up of Windows. Windows searches your hard and floppy drives for an .inf file that includes the setup information for our card. Sometimes, it does not find this file so it is necessary to reinstall the card.

The following procedure will reinstall the card:

1) Right-click on My Computer from the desktop and enter Properties and then Device Manager. Enter the section called Other Devices or Unknown Devices.

2) Remove the reference to either PCI card or PCI Serial Controller.

3) Shut down your computer normally and ensure that the card is seated properly in the PCI slot.

4) Upon re-entering Windows and when New Hardware is found, place the LAVA Installation and Utilities disk into the drive.

5) Let Windows search for our installation file to reinstall our card correctly.

Also:

In Windows 95 B OSR2 a patch must be run in order for PCI devices to function properly. In Device Manager check if there is an Other Devices Section. In there you might see a PCI bridge device and a Universal Serial Bus controller both with question marks (?). If this is the case then you must run the Windows patch that comes on a floppy or CD ROM with the motherboard while our card is NOT in the system. The file is usually called piix4.exe or something similar. Consult the readme files on the disk to find out what the file is exactly named in your case.

Also:

If your card is a generic version of a LAVA card, it will require drivers written specifically for that card. Consult Technical Support to obtain generic drivers.

If reinstalling the card doesn’t work, check the following:

A) Ensure that the card is seated in the slot properly.

B) See that the slot that the card is in has no problem. Try the card in a different slot ensuring that it is properly seated in the slot.

C) Some computers give errors with our card if the card is placed in a dedicated PCI slot if there are shared PCI / ISA slots in that computer. Try the card in one of the shared PCI ISA slots.

D) Ensure that the card itself has no problems. If it does, replace it through the reseller of your card. If they are not willing to replace it then we can.

Introduction

This document discusses the appearance of the Update Device Wizard or the New Hardware Found windows. If one of the two following problems occur, then you need to complete the “Update Device Wizard” to prevent it from re-appearing:

The Update Device Wizard or New Hardware Found window appears with the HP license agreement, when installing an HP DeskJet printer driver through the Add Printer icon in Windows 95 or 98.

OR

The Update Device Wizard, New Hardware Found or Add New Hardware Wizard window appears every time Windows 95 or 98 is started and prompts you to install the HP DeskJet printer.

Instructions

To prevent the Windows Plug and Play feature (Update Device Wizard, New Hardware Found, or Add New Hardware Wizard) from opening each time that the computer is restarted, use the following steps.

Update Device Wizard

To complete the Update Device Wizard, do the following:

1.If there are any disks in the floppy drive or the CD-ROM drive, remove them.

2.Click Next when the Update Device window appears.

3.Click Finish to the message indicating a new driver could not be found. The Update Device window will not appear again for this printer.

4.If the HP DeskJet printer driver is being installed, click Agree to License to continue with the HP printer driver installation.

New Hardware Found

To prevent the New Hardware Found window from appearing, do the following:

In the Windows 95/98/Me Plug and Play screen, select “Do not install a printer driver and Windows will not prompt you again.” Then select OK. This will stop the Plug and Play feature from opening each time that the computer is restarted.

If the previous steps do not work:

Contact the computer manufacturer to ensure that the computer’s BIOS (CMOS) port settings are configured to a bidirectional mode such as ECP, EPP, or BIDI.

The LPT port settings in the computer’s CMOS and in the Windows Device Manager need to be compatible. If the LPT port in the Windows Device Manager is configured for a bidirectional mode (for example, ECP Printer Port LPT1), the computer’s CMOS setting for the LPT port must also be configured for a bidirectional mode. Otherwise, Window’s Plug and Play will try to reinstall the HP DeskJet printer driver every time Windows is booted.

INSTRUCTIONS ON SETTING BIOS FOR JUMPERED CARDS

Question:

I have installed my LAVA card that has jumpers into my
operating system correctly. However, when I try to use
the card the OS reports that the card is not functioning
properly. What should I do?

Answer:

The answer to this question applies to all LAVA cards
that have IRQ jumper settings. To correct this situation
it is necessary to make some BIOS setting changes. The
following description applies to an Award BIOS
version 4.51 PG. Consult your motherboard manual to find
equivalent setting changes and how to enter your BIOS setup.

Enter PNP CONFIGURATION SETUP.

Change RESOURCES CONTROLLED BY from AUTO to MANUAL.

Scroll down to the IRQ(s) assigned to our card and change
that IRQ from PCI/ISA PnP to Legacy ISA.

(A) OBTAINING RESOURCE ASSIGNMENT OF PARALLEL CARD

ISA CARD

If you are installing an ISA card the resource assignments are configured by the jumpers. Consult the documentation for that card to obtain the resource assignments associated with the jumper settings.

PCI CARD

Linux reports the resource assignments of PCI cards.

The following instruction will report the resource assignment of all the PCI cards.

lspci -v

The output lists the PCI devices on the system. The following are examples of our card in that output.

LAVA Parallel PCI

00:0a.0 Parallel controller: Lava Computer mfg Inc Lava Parallel (prog-if 01 [BiDir])

Flags: slow devsel, IRQ 12

I/O ports at 6100

LAVA Dual Parallel PCI port A

00:0b.0 Parallel controller: Lava Computer mfg Inc Lava Dual Parallel port A (prog-if 01 [BiDir])

Flags: slow devsel, IRQ 12

I/O ports at 6400

LAVA Dual Parallel PCI port B

00:0b.1 Parallel controller: Lava Computer mfg Inc Lava Dual Parallel port B (prog-if 01 [BiDir])

Flags: slow devsel, IRQ 12

I/O ports at 6500

On this system there is a single LAVA Parallel-PCI at port address 0×6100 and IRQ 12, and a LAVA Dual Parallel-PCI port A at port address 0×6400 and IRQ 12 and port B at port address 0×6500 and IRQ 12.

The 0x signifies that this port address is in hexadecimal.

(B) ASSIGNING RESOURCE ASSIGNMENTS OF PARALLEL PORT TO LINUX

Linux does hold resource assignments of the parallel ports in the system. These resource assignments are held in the file as well as resource assignments of other cards such as network cards. The file is

/etc/conf.modules

The following is an example of the parallel port assignments in that file.

alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc

options parport_pc io=0×378 irq=7

where io=0×378 is the IO assignment of the first (onboard) parallel port.

where irq=7 is the IRQ assignments of the first parallel port.

Initially, the LAVA resource assignments will not be in this file. It is necessary to manually edit this file to add the resource assignments obtained from step (A) above.

The following is an example the dual parallel PCI’s resource assignments added to this file.

alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc

options parport_pc io=0×378,0×6400,0×6500 irq=7,auto,auto

where io=0×378,0×6400,0×6500 are the IO assignments of the first, second and third parallel port respectively. These IO assignments are obtained from step (A) above.

The second and third parallel port being the Port A and B of the dual parallel PCI respectively.

where irq=7,auto,auto are the IRQ assignments of the first, second and third parallel port respectively. These IRQ assignments are obtained from step (A) above. The second and third parallel port being the Port A and B of the dual parallel PCI respectively or auto can be used instead.

At this point the parallel ports are enabled and are ready to be used.

Below are notes for adding the fourth + parallel port in Linux.

Linux already has support for lp0 lp1 and lp2

1) Creating the devices in /dev:

/mknod -m 666 /dev/lp3 c 6 3

-m= mode; 666 is read write for every one

/dev/lp3 = fourth lpt

c = character device

6 = Major; stands for what kind of device it is.

3 = Minor; lp #; so if lp3 then this is 3, lp4 then this is 4 etc.

2) Changing it to Daemon

chgrp daemon /dev/lp3

This enables this device we added as a daemon. A daemon is a program that runs in the background to perform critical system tasks. In our case parallel port functions.

3) Repeat these steps (1,2) for each parallel that needs to be added incrementing the lp and the Minor as each port is added.

4) Add the IO port assignments and IRQs to Linux as instructed in step (A) above.

At this point the parallel ports are enabled and are ready to be used.

Sometimes when switching the LAVA Parallel-PCI to 0278 - 027F it conflicts with some sound cards. If this occurs try using the 0288 - 028F address range.

If that does not work then it is necessary to reinstall the on-board parallel port as the 3bc port and modify the LAVA PCI parallel port as the 0378 - 037F port.

Do this as follows:

a) Go to the LAVA Parallel-PCI in Device Manager. Go to Resources and recheck Automatic Settings. Click OK and then click refresh.

b) Remove the LAVA Parallel-PCI from Device Manager and the LPT1.

c) Shut Down your computer and reboot.

d) As you are booting up enter your CMOS setup by hitting F1 or DEL or the appropriate key for your motherboard.

e) Enter the menu for configuring your on-board parallel to 3bc address.

f) Save this new setting and exit. NOTE: Consult your motherboard manual for steps d), e), and f).

g) Boot into Windows let the ports reinstall.

h) Reconfigure the LAVA Parallel-PCI to 0378-037F by going to the Resources tab. Uncheck Use Automatic Settings and then double-click Input/Output Range.

1) Boot into WINDOWS NT without the Parallel BiDirectional card installed in the computer.

2) Check for available IRQs. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Windows NT Diagnostics and enter the Resources Tab. Check for a free IRQ there. NT does not show the IRQ for parallel ports. By default the motherboard parallel port uses IRQ7, so assume IRQ7 is not free. If IRQ5 is used then remove the IRQ jumpers completely.

3) Find out which Input/Output Address the on-board parallel port is using. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Windows NT Diagnostics and enter the Resources Tab. Then Click the Devices button. Double-click the ParPort device.

This shows your existing parallel port addresses. Do not set our card to any of these addresses. Set our card to the next address. For example:

on LAVA card

LPT0=3bc

LPT1=378

LPT2=278

so if you see 378 then set the LAVA card to LPT2 to make it LPT2.

5)Shut down and put our card in the ISA slot.

6) Boot back into Windows NT and verify that our card has installed. Go to Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Windows NT Diagnostics and enter the Resources Tab. Then Click the Devices button. Double-click the ParPort device.

If you see an additional set of input/output ranges then you have successfully installed our card.

A) Setting Jumpers on LAVA Card

Enter Device Manager by RIGHT-clicking on My Computer from the desktop, going to properties and then clicking the Device Manager Tab.

I Input Output Range

Open up Ports COM and LPT by clicking on the plus to the left of it once.

Double-click the LPT1 and enter the Resources tab.

If the Input/Output Range is set to 0378-037A then set the jumper on for Input/Output Range on the LAVA Card to LPT2 (278/F). If the Input/Output Range is set to 03bc-03be then set the jumper on for Input/Output Range on the LAVA Card to LPT1 (378/F).

II Interrupt Request (IRQ)

Enter Device Manager By RIGHT-clicking on My Computer from the desktop, going to properties and then clicking the Device Manager Tab.

Double-click computer in Device Manager.

Find a number between missing in here between 0 and 15. If IRQs 5 and 7 are both being used then you must install our card without an IRQ (polled mode) so remove the IRQ jumper from the card completely.

B) Install the LAVA Parallel BIDIR card as follows.

1) Set the jumpers on our card to the correct LPT and IRQ, then put our card into an ISA slot (with the power off.)(STEP A ABOVE)

2) If you are installing the LAVA card without an IRQ (polled mode) then go to Add New HardWare from Control Panel and let it detect the card and you are finished after the system reboots your computer (skip steps); otherwise, go to Add New HardWare from the Control Panel and don’t let it detect the card.

3) In the window where it says Select the type of hardware you want to install Choose Ports (COM & LPT) and then click Next.

4) In the next window for Manufacturers choose (Standard port types) and choose Printer Port for Port Types.

5) Click Next and then Finish. When it asks to Reboot, DON’T!!!!! (Click no).

6) Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | System and enter the Device Manager tab.

7) Double-click the Printer port with the exclamation mark and enter Resources.

8) Choose Basic Configuration 1 and configure the LAVA port to the correct I/O address (by highlighting Input/Output Range and clicking Change Setting and then scrolling up to the resource you set our card to by jumpers). Configure the IRQ (by highlighting Interrupt Request and clicking Change Setting and then scrolling up to the resource you set our card to by jumpers).

9) Click Ok and Ok and let Windows restart.

10) Verify that our port has installed by going to Device Manager and clicking Ports (COM & LPT) and if you have LPT1 and LPT2 then you successfully installed our card!

To properly install an ISA parallel card, you need a free IRQ and I/O address on your computer for the LAVA card to use.

Shut down your computer

To check for free resources, shut down your computer. If the card is in your computer, remove it now. Next, restart your computer.

Set the I/O address

Once your computer has restarted without the card, go into Windows Device Manager, and select “Ports”. Choose an LPT port, select “Properties”, and write down the I/O address.

After you’ve done this for all LPT ports, set the addressing jumpers on your card to an address NOT ALREADY USED by Windows. For example, if you found that LPT1 had an address of 0378 037F, you would configure your card to use the next available address of 0278.

Set the IRQ

Next, return to Device Manager, select “View”, and choose “Resources by type”. This will give you a list of all IRQs that are currently being used by the computer. Write down all numbers from 1 to 15 that DO NOT appear in that list. Any IRQ that you have written down can be used as a free IRQ for the card you are installing.

Set IRQ jumper on the card to one of the free IRQs in your computer. Once you’ve done this, you are ready to shut down the computer, and install the card.

NOTE FOR PARALLEL-ECP/EPP CARD USERS:

Set the DMA address

In addition to determining a free IRQ and I/O address, you may need to assign a DMA address. First, find out what parallel mode your device uses. It will probably be EPP or ECP. If not specified otherwise, treat your device as an EPP device. If you are using EPP mode, set the jumpers for DMA addressing to ‘none’.

If you are configuring your card as an ECP port, you must determine what DMA addresses you have free in your system. Return to Device Manager, select “View”, and choose “Resources by type”. Now select “DMA” to find available DMA resources.

Restart your computer

Once the card is installed in the computer, reboot your system. After the Operating System is fully loaded, go to Control Panel, and select “Printers and Other Hardware”. In that Window you should see an option to “Add Hardware”. Windows will then search for hardware, and ask you if the hardware is currently connected to the computer. Select “Yes, I have already connected the hardware”. You will then see a Window where you are prompted to select the type of device you have installed. Select “Add a New Hardware Device”, which should appear as the last entry on the list.

Windows will then prompt you to either automatically or manually install the device. At this point select “Install the hardware that I manually select from a list”. You should then be able to select “Ports”, then choose “Standard” and “Printer port”.

Prior to finishing the installation, select “View or Change Resources for this Hardware (Advanced)”. This option will allow you to configure Windows to recognize the resources you have selected for your card. Once you select this option, the “Add New Hardware Property” window should appear. Now select “Set Configuration Manually.” Under “Settings Based On”, choose”Basic Configuration 0001″. This option will allow you to specify the settings for your card. You should now be able to double-click the I/O range and the IRQ and enter the resources to reflect how you set the jumpers on your card.

Once this is done, select Finish, and restart your computer.

Check your settings

Once your computer has restarted, you should go back to Device Manager, and ensure that the resources the computer has given to the card match what you specified earlier. At this point, you may find your port has defaulted to become something other than what you specified. If you wish to change this setting, double-click the port listing and go to the “Port-Settings” tab. Make the following two changes here:

1. Change the “Filter Resource Method” from “Never use an Interrupt” to “Use any Interrupt Assigned to the Port”.

2. Change the LPT number to what you desire. Once these changes are made, you should be able to use your ISA printer port.

Backpack Type: Backpack CD-RW Drive

Backpack Software Version: Any software

Operating System: Windows 95/98/Me/2000

Other Related Hardware: LAVA PCI Parallel Port add-on card

Issue Details:

Backpack Not Found or Read Errors when connected to a LAVA PCI parallel port add-on card.

Resolution:

Limitations of the EPP Capabilities of the LAVA PCI parallel port card require that it be used in EPP-byte mode. To achieve this with Backpack Plug and Play software for Windows, access the Backpack Finder utility in Control Panel and under the “Finder Settings” tab, uncheck the EPP (DWORD) and EPP (WORD) options. After making the change, unplug the Backpack data cable or eject the Backpack PC Card, then plug it back in. Backpack’s “Data Transfer Mode” (under the Devices tab) should appear as EPP (BYTE).

I have installed my LAVA card that has jumpers into my Operating System correctly. However, when I try to use the card the OS reports that the card is not functioning properly. What should I do?

Answer:

The answer to this question applies to all LAVA cards that have IRQ jumper settings. To correct this situation it is necessary to make some BIOS setting changes. The following description applies to an Award BIOS version 4.51 PG. Consult your motherboard manual to find equivalent setting changes and how to enter your BIOS setup.

Enter PNP CONFIGURATION SETUP.

Change RESOURCES CONTROLLED BY from AUTO to MANUAL.

Scroll down to the IRQ(s) assigned to our card and change that IRQ from PCI/ISA PnP to Legacy ISA.