From: NSpamPlease_rodney1@bellsouth.net   
      
   Dick,   
      
   I think it has to do with HAL  (Hardware Abstraction Layer).   
      
   Beginning with Windows NT, the OS Kernel didn't allow DOS applications to   
   communicate directly with the hardware... like Com and LPT ports...  The HAL   
   intercepted these calls and managed them.  The problem is that DOS   
   applications do not use HAL and they want to talk directly to the hardware   
   instead.   
      
   So, while your Windows applications can print to LPT1 and that might even be   
   a printer located on your USB port.... the HAL is what is actually managing   
   it.   
      
    In order to use a DOS application to print to the USB port, you will need   
   to "Capture" the USB device and assign it to LPT1 or LPT2, etc.... Now, your   
   DOS application can print to it.   
      
   Since XP does not give you an easy option to "Capture" a port through popup   
   dialogs, you will have to do it manually by shelling out to a command prompt   
   and using the NET USE statements...   
      
   I might be all wrong here but this is how I have understood it.  If I'm   
   leading you down the wrong path, hopefully someone here will correct my   
   mistakes before they go on to become the gospel.   
      
      
      
   --   
   ...   
       `·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸¸.·´¯`·->  rodney   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)