parallel port

[catb18]

parallel port driver service failed to start due to the following error:

The service cannot be started either because it ia disabled or it has no enabled devices associated with it.

 

[MilesAhead]

Does your machine even have a parallel port?

 

[catb18]

too be honest i don,t know if it has a parallel port,i went into event viewer to check on something else because i,m having that many problems and came across it.

 

[Dwarf]

On the back of your system, do you have a port looking like this? It's the LPT1 Printer Port.

 

[MilesAhead]

Most of the newer machines use USB ports instead for printer. Is your Vista SP1 SP2 or before any service pack?

 

[catb18]

can,t see no parallel port mine pc is vista sp2

 

[MilesAhead]

I asked because to use a network printer before SP1 you had to make a fake parallel port. Looks like something is scrambled. Do you have a restore point before the problem started?

edit: found it. Take a look at this page on MS site. But before you do anything it's a good idea to make a restore point.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/935497

If you are uneasy about editing the registry you might try to get "super user" type to help you out. It's also a good idea to have image backup system in case you make it so the computer won't boot from the HD. It boots a CD then copies your system back from an image.

If you follow the directions though, you should be okay. A restore point will bail you out most of the time.

 

[catb18]

i am a bit uneasy about editing the registry myself,i don,t no wether it,s of any relevance but i had a frieend look at my pc about 6 weeks ago,all i wanted was for him to uninstall a couple of programs but he,s done a lot more and i don,t know what he spent 6 hours on it now it,s one problem after another,i thought i would be better of restoring it back to factory settings but i don,t know where to start and if i need to reinstall windows.

 

[MilesAhead]

If you are at that point then maybe it's nothing to lose. If you do lay the whole system back on to original condition make sure you save any files you need to keep.

If the person ran some kind of registry cleaner/optimizer then you might never unscramble all the headaches. It may be better to bite the bullet and just do the restore.

I didn't notice in the thread if you mentioned the machine type but if it's something hard to lug to a computer repair center you might check prices having a tech come in and do it for you. I have no idea what they would charge these days. To do the restore it's probably by the hour.

But look at it this way. If you're going to wipe the disc and totally restore it, then you don't have to worry so much about editing the Registry. If it won't start up then you were going to do a total restore anyway. It's a chance to learn to mess around in the Registry. Everyone learns by doing. It's not like you are risking a perfectly working system by trying it. Who knows? You might fix it and get confidence doing your own tweaks.

 

[wheelsmith]

its possible that you do the have port onboard but not have the extension socket connected, some boards even have only the solder joints marked but still have the port option enabled in bios. check the bios and see if this option is enabled, if it is disable save and reboot.

 

[MilesAhead]

I believe that's what the MS KB article is about. It's only changing one reg key. Should be simple enough if the OP is careful.

 

[Katokato]

registry isnt that scary. just dont change anything you dont know and you willl be fine. i go into my registry all the time and heck sometimes (most of the time) i dont even make a system restore point.

 

[MilesAhead]

Everything is scary if you haven't done it before. Plus it's hyped up. Like when I learned 8086 assembly language there were always these warnings "if you make a mistake, unpredictable results may follow" like the universe will disintegrate or something. The machine locks up and you have to cycle the power. But the vague warning is oh so scary!!