Parallel port dongle not seen on the newer XP computer

So I have this Fischer Xray Fluorescence thickness measurement device that uses Windows XP and the operating software requires this stupid dongle to allow me to enter new calibrations and a few other features.

Earlier this year we replaced the old P4 system that was built around 2002 and dying a slow death with a Dell that we had spare and actually still had a parallel port built in it. I spent a day updating the thing (when was the last time you installed XP SP-1 updates??) and copying over the software and calibrations with a PC mover program. I thought everything was kosher.

Today I tried to enter a new calibration & realized it isn't seeing the dongle after all (first time I've had to enter a new cal, some weird application). I can't seem to figure out how to get it to see it. It won't even let me change much under ControlPanel/System/DeviceManager. Anything I tried like enable legacy plugnplay or changing interupts doesn't stick. When I go back to see it's back to the old settings.

Google isn't being much help. Any old computer geeks out there besides me? (The old PC won't fire up anymore either, apparently it's dead, Jim.)

Is XP seeing the parallel port?

In some really dusty corners of my memory, something is saying that parallel ports occasionally came in two flavours - uni- and bidirectional - and that there is a chance you need to change it to bidirectional for the dongle.

So you're saying you can see it in Device Manager but the application for this thing doesn't recognize it, right?

Sounds like you're not using an administrative account, you'll need to use one to get this working. I also think you should try to reinstall the application, the "pc mover program" might not have got everything needed to make the dongle work, like the drivers for example.

Did you verify the port was enabled and configured properly in the BIOS? You may need to specify an IRQ for it instead of allowing it to plug & pray.

If so then try removing the device from Device Manager, reboot and see if it will reinstall properly.

turboswede wrote: Did you verify the port was enabled and configured properly in the BIOS? You may need to specify an IRQ for it instead of allowing it to plug & pray. If so then try removing the device from Device Manager, reboot and see if it will reinstall properly.

+1 on checking the bios settings.

Yes, many times the port is disabled on the motherboard in the BIOS from the factory to free up internal resources.

check that first, then work your way into the OS.

It was easier than that. I had forgotten there was a separate program to install that enabled the damn thing.

In my defense, it was 1)hidden on the CD for the XRF's software, 2)10+ years ago, 3)we bought this thing used without any help, and 4)the "instruction manual" (I use that term loosely) is badly translated German and reads like stereo instructions, all the while not telling me ANYTHING about the dongle itself. At all.

So thanks for the help, carry on fellow computer geeks.