Trying to access a Parallel Port using DOSBox Megabuild running Win Vista or 7

[juliomac]

Hello everybody,

    I'm in trouble trtying to run and old but important medical device for me.

What I need: - To run an old DOS based program that controls small lights of a hardware that use parallel connection. This program also uses sound in coordination with lights.

What I have: - A modern Sony Vaio with no parallel connection. Nevertheless it has a Express Card slot and I have a Quatech Express Card PCI-to-Parallel adapter that creates a real LPT port in Windows (not a virtual one like Usb adapters).

What I'm doing right now: I'm running my old DOS program using "DOSBox" and "DOSBox Megabuild" with success regarding the sound. Just DOSBox Megabuild has parallel support but it needs a "Port Talk" program installed that does not work in Vista or Windows 7 (just in XP or NT).

What I must do next: Make my LPT port available to my program. I believe that there are 3 ways to do that: 1 - Make DOSBox running in Vista or Windows 7 support Parallel Port by itself; 2 - Make a program like "Port Talk" that allow DOSBox Megabuild access LPT port but that I can install in Vista or Win 7 instead of just XP or NT4. 3 - Some other way that I'm not realizing.

I'm sure that there is a solution nearby.

Could someone help me?

Best regards,

    Júlio Machado

Skype: julio.machado

[Jan Axelson]

If you know or can find out how to program the port to control the lights, you could interface the parallel-port connections to I/O pins on a USB development board and write new software to control the board.

Or dedicate a PC to DOS.

Jan

[juliomac]

Hi Jan,
   
    I have this program taht already work and is very sensitive to timimg as lights and soud must work with perfect coordination. The people (software experts) that I consulted before, all of them, agree that to make anew program would be a very expensive and time consuming task.

    To dedicate a computer to DOS is a solution just if 1-Quatech (parallel-express-card-pci to parallel adapter) makes a driver to Dos AND 2-modern sound cards work, even just in stereo mode (thats all I need), as a sbpro compatible way.

    Which one would be an easier or possible way? My first deadline to solve this problem is this friday. If I don't get a solution in time, I still be in need of it.

    Thanks of an almost desperate man,

Julio Machado

Skype: julio.machado

   

[Jan Axelson]

If you know it works in WinXP with DOSBox, use a WinXP PC instead of DOS. You could dedicate a partition to XP on any PC with enough drive space.

Jan

[GlennP]

Umm I don't know if this valid but...  I would like to know if there is a way of using a driver (such as inpout32.dll or the newer inpout64.dll) to get access to the parallel port (motherboard mounted are getting rare on faster more upto date PC!) in Windows7. Also are PCI mounted cards reliable as my one experience with them (using inpout32.dll) was that they were a touch slower and prone to crashing under XP.  Also can I ask is DOSBox capable of running older DOS based drivers?

Glenn 

[Jan Axelson]

See this forum for inpout32 help:

http://forums.highrez.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=7

I don't have DOSBox experience so can't help with that.

Jan

[GlennP]

Just had a look USB not supported 

Glenn

[tomica]

Hey juliomac,

did you solve your problem?
I'm in very similar situation, with DOS software for old but expensive equipment, with Quatech Express card to parallel port, but with Windows XP. However, I wonder how this all story ends? I'm currently also considering FreeDOS on another partition, but I'm not sure if it also needs some driver for this kind of parallel port.

What about DOSBox under Win XP SP2? What has to be done so that it recognizes parallel port via Express card? How this all thing with PortTalk works? Any procedure or link for it?

I'm in a planning phase now, so unable to try all of this right now. I would appreciate any help.
Thanks