Duplicate parallel port printer names

[DAW]

While trying to instal "old faithful", my HP LaserJet 1100A, I ended up with
hp1100 (copy 2), (copy 3), and so on. None of these would print and I was
about to return the SIIG parallel/serial card I had installed. Then I
remembered that the serial port came up as COM3 so I set the HP up on LPT3
instead of LPT1.

(I found that the default, and only available serial port, was COM3 and
assume Win 7 somehow reserves LPT1,2 and Com1,2 and decided to try LPT3)

I can't see the printer on the devices and printers page but can find it, or
the driver, in the device driver section.

I would like to delete all those duplicate "printers" but can't see them
anywhere. Even the basic one, the one I can use, is not on the device and
printer page.

I don't want to mess with the registry. Any ideas on how to clean up the
duplicates?

By the way, the driver is labled (MS) which means Microsoft supplied it, not
HP. I lost the scanner function but heard about that somewhere before I got
the port card so it wasn't a surprise.

One other strange thing, the non-working printers I thought I had attached
to LPT1 but didn't print, DID show on the devices and printers page. The
working printer on LPT1 doesn't show.

DAW

 

[Char Jackson]

While trying to instal "old faithful", my HP LaserJet 1100A, I ended up with
hp1100 (copy 2), (copy 3), and so on. None of these would print and I was
about to return the SIIG parallel/serial card I had installed. Then I
remembered that the serial port came up as COM3 so I set the HP up on LPT3
instead of LPT1.

I would like to delete all those duplicate "printers" but can't see them
anywhere. Even the basic one, the one I can use, is not on the device and
printer page.

I don't want to mess with the registry. Any ideas on how to clean up the
duplicates?

Do you see them if you go to Device Manager, then select "Show Hidden
Devices" under the View menu?

There are a handful of ways to bring up Device Manager. My preferred
way is to type 'devmgmt.msc' at Start - Run.

 

[DAW]

Didn't know about hidden devices. Will try that tomorrow when that machine
is back on.

Just when I start to think I might like Windows 7, something like this comes
up.

My scanner is obsolete, most of my software is obsolete, what a mess.

I only changed when the old 10-year-old machine started getting sick.

Bought a factory built HP with Win 7 and at least was able to get the data
from the ancient Hulk's 5 XP drives safely parked on the new machine,
actually they are now moved to an external backup drive, WD "My Book". I
actually salvaged the Eudora program and several years of email files and
documents. Dragon 11.5 and TurboTax came over with data and also run O.K.
Same for Palm Pilot desktop. Most everything else is not going to run.
Trying to find a flat bed scanner that will handle documents and 2 1/4"
slides and negatives. They seem to be very rare and expensive. Not able to
get my Canoscan 1230U to run, but I'm not through trying.

I may try to salvage the Hulk and get it back up on Unix-only, an operating
system I consult on.

Thanks for the tip, will respond tomorrow.
=====================

 

[DAW]

Problem Solved! After an hour on line with HP folks thet defaulted to
Microsoft, who refuses to provide support.

In any case, you don;t seem to be able to see parallel or serial port
devices on the device and printer screen.

you CAN, however, see them in the list of printers offered when you decide
to print something. At that point, you can delete or remove the duplicate
oe unwanted printers.

Not sure what actually happens, but they go away ebough to satisfy me.

Wonderful, and thanks for the suggestions. History is below:

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