Win95/USB/Printer Port

[Cervantes]

Hi;
I've got a PC with Win95 B and the USB Updates installed. I added the usb chipset drivers, and it recognized and added the USB devices into Device Manager. I'm reasonably sure the ports are now active, because when I plug in a usb device, the Add Hardware wizard comes up. Only problem is that even when I point it at the INF files for the device I'm plugging in, it doesn't recognize that a usable file is there.

More to the problem, the USB install did not add a USB printer port (such that when you go to printer properties, device, you can change the port to use from LPT to COM1, etc. There is no USB001 listed in there). Does anyone know how to manually add the USB printer port?

Background: Have Vectra VEi8 with Win95 OSR2.1. Trying to bodge together a way to print to Dymo 300 series label printer. Installed USB supplements, installed dymo software (ver 4). However, ver 4 doesn't have usb support built into the installer, and ver 5 doesn't run on less than win98. So, I installed Ver 4 with the hopes that I could then go to the printer properties and change the port from LPT to USB... but it hasn't added the USB port. ::-( It would make me look extra-nifty if I could get this working, so I'd greatly appreciate any advice.

OR if anyone knows an adapter to connect a USB printer to a com or lpt port. That would be extra-nifty too. The Dymo has it's own power adapter, so it isn't a problem that it wouldn't be getting usb bus power.

Thanks in advance!
Cerv

 

[ski]

Perhaps something here may help:

http://www.usbman.com/Win95 USB Guide.htm

Also, there is no adapter available for connecting a USB printer to either a parallel or serial port.

 

[Cervantes]

Thanks ski
That's the site I used to get it going in the first place... so obviously it must be good Unfortunately, it hasn't led me (so far) to any solution as to how to add the printer port.

 

[ski]

Even though Win 95 B is touted as supporting USB, it can fall on its face when trying to do so.
Also, adding a PCI USB card is futile as no Win 95 version supports this.
You may have to 'upgrade' to at least Win 98 to achieve your goal. Win 98 upgrade CD's are available on ebay.

 

[TekTippy4U]

Cervantes;
You've got ot see this;

http://www.mdgx.com/web.htm#OSR2

TT4U

Notification:
These are just my thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions.
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