Problems with Network Printing

Hello,

I am having a problem printing in Windows XP workstations from an older DOS
database program. The database is for a local tire company. It holds
inventory and orders and does invoices and reports. The program runs from
one system that is the primary server. The server is running XP also
because the support technicians for the software say that it runs to slow
from a server OS platform for them to support it. One Okidata ML320 Turbo
printer is connected to the parallel port on the server as LPT1. This is
then shared and the workstation use NET USE to connect to this printer as
LPT1 locally. This printer has not had a problem, but it is only used with
blank fanfold paper for reports and such.

The problem printer is connected to a workstation that has another Okidata
ML320 Turbo connected to the parallel port that is configured in Windows as
LPT2. Again this is shared and the other workstations and the server
connect to this printer using NET USE so that it is connected locally as
LPT2. This printer runs invoice paper and is used only for that. The
parallel port is configured in BIOS using IO 378 and IRQ 7, it is also set
as a standard parallel port, ECP and EPP are not enabled. The driver in
Windows XP for the parallel port now has a drop down selection for LPT and
LPT2 is selected. The sepparate LPT printers are done this way beacuse of
the way that the DOS program access the printers. The server is left on all
the time for a backup to perform after hours the other workstations are shut
down every night. They are connecting through a wireless 802.11g router.

The problem does not happen every time, but occasionally when they boot the
systems in the morning the workstation printer will not print. What happens
is the print spool on the workstation begins backing up jobs. One odd thing
that I noticed when this happens is a phantom job that keeps appearing and
disappearing. This phantom job appears to be a copy of the first print job
in the que. The phantom job appears then says printing and after a few
seconds disappears then reappears a few seconds later and the circle starts
over. If the computer is shut down or restarted with the spool backed up
all jobs are dumped to the printer as Windows exits and the jobs print.
This is any job not just DOS print jobs. The local workstation can not
print to the printer either.

The way we are clearing this problem is to either shut down the computer and
allow the jobs to dump to the printer or we cancel all jobs and clear the
spool then shut down the computer. When this is done normal printing
generally resumes. If the computer is only restarted instead of shut down
the problem is not fixed. Tech support for the DOS program has no idea what
is going on, they say they have never seen this before.

I am also at a loss as to what is going on unless the XP setting for LPT2 is
not always going into effect. One thing I have not tried and I will do this
next week, is to put another PCI parallel port into the workstation so that
XP is forced to see both LPT1 and LPT2 locally. I am hoping someone has
seen this problem before or knows what may be causing the trouble.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Jon