Background:

Ever since I built my PII computer last winter I have
been having a problem with my printer that is
driving me crazy.  (It is not the printer, it is the
computer; I am not sure if it is software or
hardware.)

It will always print an extra sheet at the start, which
contains control characters for the printer.

Then, inside the document that I am printing, at certain
spots (always the same - not random) it will print an
extra character or overprint a line.  (About once per
page.)  The Windows (95sr2 and 98) courier tt
prints the wrong characters (as if the 128 bit is set).

I have tried all sorts of things so that I know it is a problem
internal to my computer, not the cables or printer.  It may
be a problem with my parallel port (MB is a Tyan 1692s).

Latest info:

Anyway, I recently found out that if I go into cmos and set
the parallel port to standard (or whatever) instead of
ECP, then everything seems to work ok (so far!).  So
now at least I can print.  (Although I do not know the
consequences of my action other than slowing down
printing, perhaps, which I can deal with.)

One additional piece of info.  My computer **may**
have trashed a printer port hardware "key" for a
software program that I tried to work, but could not
get to work (since the key, which previously worked
on another machine, did not work).  (My client blames
my machine, since the key worked for him!)

Does anyone know what my problem is???  Is it bad
hardware, or some W98 (or 95)
setting set incorrectly, or just that ECP does not always
work???

System:  W98 (or 95sr2 previously); PII 300; Tyan 1692s;
HP 4.

TIA

Dean Kukral