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Question & Answer
Classification: FAQ_CLASSIFICATION
Date: FAQ_DATE
How do I debug problems with my parallel port under NT?
Q:
I can't get XSLOAD to configure my XS95 Board using WinNT. Here's the BIOS configuration info for my parallel port:
- Parallel Port Address: LPT1,378h
- Parallel Port Mode: compatible
- Parallel Port IRQ: IRQ7
I couldn't find the SPP mode you suggest in the documentation, but the help comment for the "compatible" mode reads: "Compatible mode is the AT-spec output only mode. Extended mode sets the port to the extended capabilities mode." There are a couple of other modes available (as I recall, they were EPP, ECP and something else).
I tried various permutations of the following drivers disabled/enabled. There seem to be five device drivers related to the parallel port:
- BasJdrv
- DriverLINX
- Parallel
- Parport
- ParVdm
The first is mentioned in the Xilinx Answers Database under: http://www.xilinx.com/techdocs/2757.htm. I think that explains my original problem with a disabled printer driver, but not these problems I'm having now.
Can you tell me is the PORT95NT software is supposed to do anything other than install the DriverLINX device driver? I tried running the PortIO.exe program that was also installed and it seems to default to the 0x0300 address, not the 0x0378 address that the parallel port is set to. Is that meaningfull?
A:
Your parallel port seems to be set to values that should work with XSLOAD and XSPORT.
Port95nt just installs the DriverLINX driver for NT. Don't worry about portio.exe. It's just a test program for driving the parallel port.
Do the XS95 LED segments glow dimmly during the downloading process? Do they stop glowing dimmly after the downloading is done?
Can you check the outputs from the printer port with a logic probe? For example, if you execute the command "XSPORT 1", then you should see a logic 1 on pin 46 of the XS95 Board. Then if you execute the command "XSPORT 0" you should see a logic 0 on pin 46. If this works, it at least means the software for accessing the parallel port is working OK. These commands will work even if the XS95 Board is not configured.