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Using DOSBox for DOS Form Filling Program - Need To Print To LPT1

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First post, by bk1

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I am using an old dos based form filling program. We just upgraded this computer (a much needed upgrade) to Windows 7 64bit.

I figured out how to get the program working using DOSBox. The only problem now is printing. There aren't many settings in the program for picking printers etc. You can tell it which port and that's about it. So, I told it LPT1 which is the port that I have my panasonic impact printer on. It will not print though.

I can print to it from within Windows though.

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!!

Reply 4 of 23, by bk1

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I have installed the Megabuild. I then installed portalk v2.2.

I am obviously doing something wrong though as I cannot get it to work.

In my searching the answer is usually use the mega build etc but I am looking for some instructions on getting it working as well.

Reply 6 of 23, by bk1

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I read through the help file and it seems like I did everything right, including running allowio one time.

I have printer=true and parallel1:reallpt in my config file.

One thing I do notice is that when I run my program, the DoSBox status window has the following entries towards the very end:
You do not have the rights to enumerate services.
Error: could not open PortTalk driver

So, I am guessing that is what is causing me problems. What do I do to fix that?

Reply 10 of 23, by bk1

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That worked!!! Thank you!!

Everything I had read was talking about using porttalk so it looks like that was what I was missing.

I have another question though. This program can do a search to find prior forms etc. This works but it is SUPER slow. The slower computer that this is supposed to be replacing can do a search in 5sec but it takes my Dosbox about 10min or so to do the same search.

Any ideas how I can speed that up?

Thanks.

Reply 12 of 23, by bk1

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Man, if you don't want to help me, fine.....just ignore my request. You continually post nothing but garbage.

I HAVE read through the various manuals and help files. You do realize that it's not like there is one help file or manual that has all the answers, right?

I have already tried the following that I found by reading through help files:
1)Switch core=dynamic
2)Increasing frameskip
3)Increasing cpu cycles
4)Disabling sound as I don't need it for my application

I know I'm missing something, just not sure what?

Reply 15 of 23, by bk1

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Dell Optiplex 780
Intel Core2 E7500
Windows 7 Pro 64bit
4GB RAM

Using Dosbox Mega Build 5

Below are my status windows and config file:
statuswindow.th.jpg

Config File:
# This is the configurationfile for DOSBox 0.73MB5.
# Lines starting with a # are commentlines.
# They are used to (briefly) document the effect of each option.

[sdl]
# fullscreen: Start dosbox directly in fullscreen.
# fulldouble: Use double buffering in fullscreen.
# fullresolution: What resolution to use for fullscreen: original or fixed size (e.g. 1024x768).
# windowresolution: Scale the window to this size IF the output device supports hardware scaling.
# output: What video system to use for output.
# Possible values: surface, overlay, opengl, openglnb, ddraw.
# autolock: Mouse will automatically lock, if you click on the screen.
# sensitivity: Mouse sensitivity.
# waitonerror: Wait before closing the console if dosbox has an error.
# priority: Priority levels for dosbox. Second entry behind the comma is for when dosbox is not focused/minimized. (pause is only valid for the second entry)
# Possible values: lowest, lower, normal, higher, highest, pause.
# mapperfile: File used to load/save the key/event mappings from.
# usescancodes: Avoid usage of symkeys, might not work on all operating systems.

fullscreen=true
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=800x600
windowresolution=original
output=surface
autolock=true
sensitivity=100
waitonerror=true
priority=higher,normal
mapperfile=mapper.txt
usescancodes=true

[dosbox]
# language: Select another language file.
# machine: The type of machine tries to emulate.
# Possible values: hercules, cga, tandy, pcjr, ega, vgaonly, svga_s3, svga_et3000, svga_et4000, svga_paradise, vesa_nolfb, vesa_oldvbe.
# vmemsize: Amount of video memory in megabytes.
# The maximum resolution and color depth the svga_s3 will be able to display
# is determined by this value.
# 0: 512k (800x600 at 256 colors)
# 1: 1024x768 at 256 colors or 800x600 at 64k colors
# 2: 1600x1200 at 256 colors or 1024x768 at 64k colors or 640x480 at 16M colors
# 4: 1600x1200 at 64k colors or 1024x768 at 16M colors
# 8: up to 1600x1200 at 16M colors
# For build engine games, use more memory than in the list above so it can
# use triple buffering and thus won't flicker.
#
# captures: Directory where things like wave, midi, screenshot get captured.
# memsize: Amount of memory DOSBox has in megabytes.
# This value is best left at its default to avoid problems with some games,
# though few games might require a higher value.
# There is generally no speed advantage when raising this value.

language=
machine=svga_s3
vmemsize=4
captures=capture
memsize=16

[render]
# frameskip: How many frames DOSBox skips before drawing one.
# aspect: Do aspect correction, if your output method doesn't support scaling this can slow things down!.
# linewise: Draw the display line by line. Needed for certain special graphics effects in games and demos. Can be changed at runtime but will be put in effect at the next mode switch.
# multiscan: Set this value to true to allow zooming gfx effects used in demos. It will disable several options such as scalers though.
# scaler: Scaler used to enlarge/enhance low resolution modes. If 'forced' is appended,the scaler will be used even if the result might not be desired.
# Possible values: none, normal2x, normal3x, advmame2x, advmame3x, advinterp2x, advinterp3x, hq2x, hq3x, 2xsai, super2xsai, supereagle, tv2x, tv3x, rgb2x, rgb3x, scan2x, scan3x.

frameskip=0
aspect=false
linewise=false
multiscan=false
scaler=normal2x

[cpu]
# core: CPU Core used in emulation. auto will switch to dynamic if available and appropriate.
# Possible values: auto, dynamic, normal, simple.
# cputype: CPU Type used in emulation. auto is the fastest choice.
# Possible values: auto, 386, 386_slow, 486_slow, pentium_slow, 386_prefetch.
# cycles: Amount of instructions DOSBox tries to emulate each millisecond. Setting this value too high results in sound dropouts and lags. Cycles can be set in 3 ways:
# 'auto' tries to guess what a game needs.
# It usually works, but can fail for certain games.
# 'fixed #number' will set a fixed amount of cycles. This is what you usually need if 'auto' fails.
# (Example: fixed 4000)
# 'max' will allocate as much cycles as your computer is able to handle
#
# Possible values: auto, fixed, max.
# cycleup: Amount of cycles to increase/decrease with keycombo.
# cycledown: Setting it lower than 100 will be a percentage.

core=dynamic
cputype=auto
cycles=auto
cycleup=500
cycledown=20

[mixer]
# nosound: Enable silent mode, sound is still emulated though.
# rate: Mixer sample rate, setting any device's rate higher than this will probably lower their sound quality.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# blocksize: Mixer block size, larger blocks might help sound stuttering but sound will also be more lagged.
# Possible values: 2048, 4096, 8192, 1024, 512, 256.
# prebuffer: How many milliseconds of data to keep on top of the blocksize.

nosound=true
rate=22050
blocksize=2048
prebuffer=10

[midi]
# mpu401: Type of MPU-401 to emulate.
# Possible values: intelligent, uart, none.
# mididevice: Device that will receive the MIDI data from MPU-401.
# Possible values: default, win32, alsa, oss, coreaudio, coremidi, none.
# midiconfig: Special configuration options for the device driver. This is usually the id of the device you want to use. See README for details.

mpu401=intelligent
mididevice=default
midiconfig=

[sblaster]
# sbtype: Type of sblaster to emulate.
# Possible values: sb1, sb2, sbpro1, sbpro2, sb16, none.
# sbbase: The IO address of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 220, 240, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# irq: The IRQ number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 7, 5, 3, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# dma: The DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# hdma: The High DMA number of the soundblaster.
# Possible values: 1, 5, 0, 3, 6, 7.
# sbmixer: Allow the soundblaster mixer to modify the DOSBox mixer.
# oplmode: Type of OPL emulation. On 'auto' the mode is determined by sblaster type. All OPL modes are Adlib-compatible, except for 'cms'.
# Possible values: auto, cms, opl2, dualopl2, opl3, none, hardware.
# oplemu: Provider for the OPL emulation. compat or old might provide better quality (see oplrate as well).
# Possible values: default, compat, fast, old.
# oplrate: Sample rate of OPL music emulation. Use 49716 for highest quality (set the mixer rate accordingly).
# Possible values: 22050, 49716, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000.
# hardwarebase: base address of the real hardware soundblaster:
# 210,220,230,240,250,260,280

sbtype=none
sbbase=220
irq=7
dma=1
hdma=5
sbmixer=true
oplmode=auto
oplemu=default
oplrate=22050
hardwarebase=220

[gus]
# gus: Enable the Gravis Ultrasound emulation.
# gusrate: Sample rate of Ultrasound emulation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# gusbase: The IO base address of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 240, 220, 260, 280, 2a0, 2c0, 2e0, 300.
# gusirq: The IRQ number of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 5, 3, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12.
# gusdma: The DMA channel of the Gravis Ultrasound.
# Possible values: 3, 0, 1, 5, 6, 7.
# ultradir: Path to Ultrasound directory. In this directory
# there should be a MIDI directory that contains
# the patch files for GUS playback. Patch sets used
# with Timidity should work fine.

gus=false
gusrate=22050
gusbase=240
gusirq=5
gusdma=3
ultradir=C:\ULTRASND

[speaker]
# pcspeaker: Enable PC-Speaker emulation.
# pcrate: Sample rate of the PC-Speaker sound generation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# tandy: Enable Tandy Sound System emulation. For 'auto', emulation is present only if machine is set to 'tandy'.
# Possible values: auto, on, off.
# tandyrate: Sample rate of the Tandy 3-Voice generation.
# Possible values: 22050, 44100, 48000, 32000, 16000, 11025, 8000, 49716.
# disney: Enable Disney Sound Source emulation. (Covox Voice Master and Speech Thing compatible).

pcspeaker=true
pcrate=22050
tandy=auto
tandyrate=22050
disney=false

[joystick]
# joysticktype: Type of joystick to emulate: auto (default), none,
# 2axis (supports two joysticks),
# 4axis (supports one joystick, first joystick used),
# 4axis_2 (supports one joystick, second joystick used),
# fcs (Thrustmaster), ch (CH Flightstick).
# none disables joystick emulation.
# auto chooses emulation depending on real joystick(s).
# Possible values: auto, 2axis, 4axis, 4axis_2, fcs, ch, none.
# timed: enable timed intervals for axis. (false is old style behaviour).
# autofire: continuously fires as long as you keep the button pressed.
# swap34: swap the 3rd and the 4th axis. can be useful for certain joysticks.
# buttonwrap: enable button wrapping at the number of emulated buttons.

joysticktype=none
timed=true
autofire=false
swap34=false
buttonwrap=true

[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
# Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
# parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq.
# for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
# (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
# for modem: listenport (optional).
# for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
# transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
# Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
# Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.

serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

[printer]
# printer: Enable printer emulation.
# dpi: Resolution of printer (default 360).
# width: Width of paper in 1/10 inch (default 85 = 8.5'').
# height: Height of paper in 1/10 inch (default 110 = 11.0'').
# printoutput: Output method for finished pages:
# png : Creates PNG images (default)
# ps : Creates Postscript
# bmp : Creates BMP images (very huge files, not recommend)
# printer : Send to an actual printer (Print dialog will appear)
# multipage: Adds all pages to one Postscript file or printer job until CTRL-F2 is pressed.
# docpath: The path where the output files are stored.
# timeout: (in milliseconds) if nonzero: the time the page will
# be ejected automatically after when no more data
# arrives at the printer.

printer=true
dpi=360
width=85
height=110
printoutput=png
multipage=false
docpath=.
timeout=0

[parallel]
# parallel1: parallel1-3 -- set type of device connected to lpt port.
# Can be:
# reallpt (direct parallel port passthrough using Porttalk),
# file (records data to a file or passes it to a device),
# printer (virtual dot-matrix printer, see [printer] section)
# Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
# parameter:value.
# for reallpt:
# Windows: realbase (the base address of your real parallel port).
# Standard ports are 378, 278 and 3BC. The first two can be ECP ports.
# PCI add-on cards may use nonstandard ports, look them up in the device manager.
# Default: 378
# You have to install the PortTalk driver from
# http://www.beyondlogic.org/porttalk/porttalk.htm first.
# Linux: realport (the parallel port device i.e. /dev/parport0).
# for file:
# dev:<devname> (i.e. dev:lpt1) to forward data to a device,
# or append:<file> appends data to the specified file.
# Without the above parameters data is written to files in the capture dir.
# Additional parameters: timeout:<milliseconds> = how long to wait before
# closing the file on inactivity (default:500), addFF to add a formfeed when closing,
# addLF to add a linefeed if the app doesn't, cp:<codepage number> to perform
# codepage translation, i.e. cp:437
# for printer:
# printer still has it's own configuration section above.
# parallel2: see parallel1
# parallel3: see parallel1

parallel1=file dev:LPT1
parallel2=disabled
parallel3=disabled

[dos]
# xms: Enable XMS support.
# ems: Enable EMS support.
# umb: Enable UMB support.
# keyboardlayout: Language code of the keyboard layout (or none).
# files: Number of file handles available to DOS programs. (equivalent to "files=" in config.sys)

xms=true
ems=true
umb=true
keyboardlayout=auto
files=127

[ipx]
# ipx: Enable ipx over UDP/IP emulation.

ipx=false

[ne2000]
# ne2000: Enable Ethernet passthrough. Requires [Win]Pcap.
# nicbase: The base address of the NE2000 board.
# nicirq: The interrupt it uses. Note serial2 uses IRQ3 as default.
# macaddr: The physical address the emulator will use on your network.
# If you have multiple DOSBoxes running on your network,
# this has to be changed for each. AC:DE:48 is an address range reserved for
# private use, so modify the last three number blocks.
# I.e. AC:DE:48:88:99:AB.
# realnic: Specifies which of your network interfaces is used.
# Write 'list' here to see the list of devices in the
# Status Window. Then make your choice and put either the
# interface number (2 or something) or a part of your adapters
# name, e.g. VIA here.

ne2000=false
nicbase=300
nicirq=3
macaddr=AC:DE:48:88:99:AA
realnic=list

[autoexec]
# Lines in this section will be run at startup.
c:\porttalk\AllowIo.exe
mount c c:\dosboxdir
c:
cd nebsv4
nebs.exe

[/img]

Reply 19 of 23, by bk1

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robertmo: You asked me to post my config etc and telling me once again to read the manual and suggesting I upgrade the processor is all you have to add??????? Wow!!!!!

I am positive that if this computer can run Windows 7 as well as it does that processing power should NOT be an issue. We all know that Windows 7 isn't exactly light on resources.

Maybe I will just try VMWare with Windows XP then unless someone else has any ideas.