Re: Serial -> Parallel connection?

You can't do much with the serial port on the laptop, apart from connecting an external dialup modem.
So maybe you could look for a laptop with a better hardware configuration.

I don't doubt the HP Laserjet 5P will work with the parallel/USB conversion but never tried it myself.

I'm using 5 computers in a small network, using a Draytek Vigor 2600We ADSL Router/Wireless LAN.
All computers, four desktops and a laptop, run Windows 98SE.
One desktop can in addition run Windows XP Home from an extra harddisk instead.
Two computers are connected wireless 802 11b, one of them is a 5 year old Toshiba laptop running Windows 98SE.

I have an HP Laserjet 4100N connected to the parallel port of a desktop running Windows 98SE as a local printer and use this one to print from the other computers in the network.

Indeed there are networkadapters you can connect to USB, I have some of them in my collection.
But using a regular NIC connected to PCI is just as simple.

Tony Stanford wrote:

Many thanks for the helpful reply. I thought it was a stupid question because USB is a serial device, while parallel gives eight bits on 8 separate lines. Does the device you suggest 'collect' 8 serial bits and then transmit down 8 lines, so to speak?

Does anyone know if HP's 5P parallel driver will actually recognise a USB/parallel converter? HP's drivers usually fail to install if they don't recognise the appropriate port.

I haven't yet taken delivery of the laptop. It's a Dell running Windows XP. It has an Intel ProWireless 802 11b/g mini PCI card in it. Now, I have an old desktop machine running Wndows 98 which does have a parallel port. Is there a dongle I can get to hang on its USB port to network to the Dell, thus allowing me to print to the HP via the network.

I don't know much about this kind of thing, and wonder if I would need XP on the desktop to do that.

Many thanks for the advice.

Tony

On Sun, 14 Aug 2005,13:44:28, Eric P. wrote

Maybe something like USB to Parallel Cable shown here
http://www.sweex.nl/product.asp?pid=301



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