parallel port with windows 7

[hsm]

Dear Forum,

This is my first post and apologies if it's in the wrong place.

I was hoping to get some help with the following issue: -

I need to connect an old x-ray digital scanner to a new DELL windows 7 PC. The scanner was connected to a Windows XP machine via the parallel port, which works fine. The new Windows machine didn't have a port but I have added a PCI-E card.

Unfortunately, I can't get the PC to 'communicate' with the scanner. The card has installed the drivers properly and I tried to look for a setting to enable in the BIOS but couldn't see one.

The company that sold me the scanner say I have to pay over a thousand pounds to upgrade the electronics inside, to allow it to work with Windows 7! Obviously, I would like to avoid this!

Please can anyone offer any advice on how I could get this to work?

Kind regards,

NikM

 

[COLGeek]

To be clear, it sounds like you have successfully installed the actual parallel port adapter and its drivers. Is that correct?

If so, what port resources (IRQ, I/O Range) are allocated to the parallel port? You can find this info in Control Panel/Device Manager/Ports, select the desired parallel port and look at the resources tab.

Also, what is the make/model of the actual device you are trying to use? Do you have actual Windows 7 drivers for it?

 

[Tom Tancredi]

You can't AVOID the cost. It wasn't made for Windows 7, it WON"T WORK per the maker on Windows 7 machine then, period. There is no work around when the person whom makes it tells you the only way they got it to work was ..... and costs... too bad, that is the answer.

As for the XP machine, PC hardware is ONLY warrantied for 3 years, after 3 years of standard use (8 hours a day, 5 days a week only) the hardware is too unpredictable (worn out) that they can NOT guarantee it won't just 'die' suddenly (I switched it on this morning and it doesn't work but it worked last night). Business System Replacements (like ANY physical stuff you have; scaples, bathroom sink, parking lot) wears out and needs to be replaced at a 'standard time frame' to MINIMIZE business impact (aka doesn't turn on and you got patients waiting). Either you PLAN to PAY for the replacement at that time frame OR you incur extra costs because you 'waited too long' (WHAT do you mean no one is available to fix my broken water pipe on XY Holiday weekend! My business will get flooded! WHAT you want Thousands of Pounds for a Emergency call! I would like to avoid this!).

You need to ask yourself, how much is this Digital Scanner worth to your business, does the "thousand pounds to upgrade" OR maybe find a REPLACEMENT (that works with Windows 8 and will work with Window 10 which was just released) competitor model make you MORE money having it or will it COST you more money having it? Then make your business decision, whether you like it or not, too bad, this is what being in business means, making the decisions, even hard ones.

 

[hsm]

To be clear, it sounds like you have successfully installed the actual parallel port adapter and its drivers. Is that correct?

If so, what port resources (IRQ, I/O Range) are allocated to the parallel port? You can find this info in Control Panel/Device Manager/Ports, select the desired parallel port and look at the resources tab.

Also, what is the make/model of the actual device you are trying to use? Do you have actual Windows 7 drivers for it?

Thanks for the quick reply!

I can confirm that the port adapter has installed properly - when I checked device manager there were no conflicts. It's a StarTech card and I have the Windows 7 drivers for it. The machine I am trying to connect to is a Durr Vistascan Combi x-ray scanner.

The fact that you can still buy parallel port cards (with windows 7 drivers) implied that it should be technically possible to connect the scanner, and I had read about people successfully using old printers this way etc. I therefore don't it's reasonable to try and get this to work and avoid paying over a thousand pounds because the hardware manufacturer didn't building USB compatability (the machine's not that old!!).

I have had to plug the scanner back into the old XP machine to use it again, but I will post the port resources once I can re-connect the new machine.

Thanks,

NikM

 

[Tom Tancredi]

No that error is the generic "OUCH" answer when it can't give you a specific problem. NO just because a Parallel card CAN be made for a Windows 7 machines does NOT mean that automatically ANYTHING plugged in will magically be made to work WITH Windows 7. The Parallel CARD is nothing more then a INTERFACE (think a Foreign language Translator) between your PC and a Parallel connection (English to a Translator to speak to Polish) nothing more.

After the 'connection' is made between devices (PC and XRay Scanner via the parallel) Windows still needs to 'speak' the same language with the XRay to both understand what Windows/Xray is saying (Polish translates to English "Iron Chicken Coughs Fish" and points to his Elbow when your talking about Cancer in his kidney - does that make 'sense' in 'English'? Same for Windows trying to talk to the Xray through the parallel port). The maker solution is apparently hardware and software replacement, manhours for installation, upgrades, and support costs. So if you dont' like it, get a different maker's products, otherwise THIS maker is telling you they need to make drastic changes to make this work with a 'modern' computer.

 

[COLGeek]

Here is the issue...Without drivers that will work with Windows 7 you are not going to be able to use the device. It is more than just getting the parallel port to work. Your PC has to know how to communicate with the desired device (that is manged via the device drivers).

It may be possible to use the device via XP mode from the Win 7 Dell. What version of Windows 7 are you using?