I have a HP LJ1010 (USB) installed on Computer A in a Windows NT network. It has been configured to act as a shared printer. I want Computer B to be able to use this printer to print out reports generated by a DOS-based application residing in Computer B.

Previously, when I was using HP LJ4, all I had to do it to CAPTURE PRINTER PORT from Computer A to LPT1 of Computer B. However, as USB port is not shown in the capture list, I am at loss as to what to do.

Short removing the HP LJ1010 from Computer A and installing the same to Computer B (which though possible but it will entail moving tonnes of stuff around the working place), can anyone advise me as to how I can do a printer port capture with regards to USB port?

Thanks in advance.

Have you tried the "net use" command? On the remote PC, go to a command prompt and type net use /? and enter. You'll see the syntax. It goes something like this:

net use lpt1: \\computername\sharedprintername /persistent:yes

The persistent switch forces the command to issue whenever the PC starts. Good luck.

I don't think it will work either way. The only way would be to capture the output of the DOS application to a file and then use a Windows application to send it to the LJ1010. The LJ1010 printer driver is "host based". This is a fancy way of saying that it is "brain dead". The printer requires window's to create a bitmap image in your computer and send it to the printer. You HP4L could accept ASCII text output and that's way it worked. A HP-LJ1300 would work.

Thanks for the input. Really appreciate it.

I think Wizard-Fred's comment hits it right on the nail based on HP's reply to my e-mail query:-

"The HP LaserJet 1012 is a USB only printer, it cannot be connected parallel. Most DOS
applications print exclusively to an LPT1 port, the parallel port. HP does not provide a utility which can redirect data sent to the parallel port over to the USB port. This printer is not supported with DOS applications."

So.. in other words, if a printer is USB-connected, we can use it as a network shared printer as long as the applications making use of the printer to print are Windows-based? If DOS-based, there's no way a client workstation can print to the shared printer?