At 08:22 PM 4/28/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
>Has anyone ever successfully used two "pass through" devices on one parallel
>port without a switch--in other words through one and then through the
>second and then to the printer (eg-Lpt1 to a parallel Zip Drive to a
>parallel scanner, and then to the printer).  Is it even possible?  Any
>thoughts greatly appreciated--I have a client with a  machine where the
>addition of another printer port and a switch is not an option.
>
I'm not a big fan of parallel-port pass-through devices.  I've never been
very successful at getting them to work right and it limits your ability to
use more than one device at a time ... like printing at the same time you
use your Zip drive.  I have three parallel ports in my home PC to support a
tape drive (formerly a Zip drive which now is on another PC), a scanner and
a printer.  Most parallel-port devices will not work with a switch - I know
my scanner manual says not to do it.  You did not say why another parallel
port is not an option.  There are parallel-port cards which support two
ports from one slot and you can share an IRQ among parallel ports ... all
mine are on IRQ7.  Perhaps you could switch to a SCSI scanner and/or Zip
drive (although that would be expensive)?