Printing from 1980s DOS Program

[Richard409]

Up until early last year I could happily print reports from a family history, 1980s era, shareware program, but no longer.  Now I keep getting the message "Could not start DOSPrinter to handle print job".

The program itself runs perfectively using vDOS, but the printing software, variously DOS2USB and DOSPRN, no longer does.  I've applied every possible Windows program compatibility setting to these programs, without success.

Ideally, I'd prefer to to be able to send the reports to file/PDF, but I'd also be happy to print the reports and then scan them.  I know I should use more modern family history software but that would be well-nigh impossible without the ability to extract reports from this 1980s program.  I'd be very grateful for any advice.  I would be happy to buy any software, provided there's a reasonable pre-purchase trial period.   

[Repairatrooper]

One thing to try would be to use a network connected printer, share it out and then use the netuse command to assign that shared printer as LPT1.

[JosSchaars1]

You mention three external print processors: DOSPrinter, DOS2USB and DOSPRN.
Why not just use the internal one of vDos?
Remove or rem-out all LPTx= and COMx= lines in config.txt.

Probably there's only one: LPT1 = "DOSPrinter.exe" ...

[Richard409]

Many thanks to Repairartrooper and JosSchaars1 for your advice.  Although I’ve lived with Microsoft for 40 years, it’s never been as an IT admin person, and I still feel sometimes I’m repairing a by-plane while in the air.  Hence, I might have implemented your advice incorrectly.

To cut a long story short, my network printer setting for me as “user” remains as IP.4 Standard TCP/IP Port, while for me as “administrator” it is now LPT1.  When as administrator I open the DOS Family History program and try to print from it I get a different message than when I’m a user:  i.e., “vdos – Warning… Could not save printdata”.  I feel I’ve made progress, but it seems I need to take a few more steps.  Any further advice?

[JosSchaars1]

It’s the first time that warning is ever reported. The printing process starts with saving the print data to two files in the vDos directory: #LPT1.ASC and #LPT1.TXT. The files however couldn’t be created. The vDos directory will be read-only, or you don’t have permission to create files in there. Resolve that, or add this line to the config.txt file:

lpt1 = PRIVATE

Creating the two files is then skipped. Doesn’t hurt since they are not essential to vDos.

[Richard409]

Thanks for that, I've followed your advice and can get a hopeful-looking Printer Test Page.  However, my issue now, in printermanagement mode, is how do I stop the port setting LPT1 from always defaulting to "IP4_5c9a15 Standard TCP/IP Port"?

[JosSchaars1]

If you mean the Windows Printer Selection dialog default, and you want another printer preselected: Write down the Windows printer name you select and change the line:

lpt1 = PRIVATE

to:

lpt1 = PRIVATE SEL: "Windows printer name"

Printing options are described in the vDos Printing.pdf document.

[Richard409]

To cut a very long story short, while I still can’t print a report direct from the DOS program, I’ve discovered by accident that pressing “print” does in fact save a copy of the report as a text file.  This is much preferred to printing out a 100+ page report and then scanning each page! 

However, this text document’s formatting is not exactly reader friendly so can you recommend any software that enables the conversion of a text file to something more editable?

I also attach a print screen of the DOS Program Printer setup but know nothing about ASCII codes and how changing the numbers might be an alternative way of improving the formatting, which should be in landscape.  

[JosSchaars1]

The screenshot of the DOS Program Printer setup is too small and not readable.
As said, without the PRIVATE option vDos will create a #LPT1.ASC (ASCII data) and #LPT1.TXT (Windows Unicode data). Both can be edited.
If you still have the “Warning… Could not save printdata” error, eventually do a fresh install of vDos.