Old dot matrix printer not showing up

So, I’m trying to hook up an old dot matrix printer (Epson LQ-570 +) to my PC.

I installed a Parallel port card. Everything seems fine there, as I can see the PCIe entry under multi-function controllers in Device Manager along with the new ports.

The problem is, once I actually plug the printer in, nothing happens. It's like the computer doesn't even know it exists.

Is it possible this thing is just too ancient to work? Their website doesn't offer any driver downloads for anything newer than Windows 98, and they claim support is built directly into Windows (after that, there's nothing). Since I don't have Windows XP, I can't even attempt to run it in compatibility mode.

I did find some mentions online suggesting it might be compatible with Windows 8, but I wouldn't bet the house on that being reliable.

Even if there's a compatibility issue, shouldn't the system at least recognize it as an unknown or non-functional device in the Device Manager?

If I’m reading you right, you tried letting the system auto-detect the printer. Maybe try a different route—just install it "manually."

Go to the Control Panel
Control Panel open Devices and Printers
Click Add Printer
Add Local Printer
Pick the port (LPT1)
Tell it which driver to use—you might want to try the 590 model if you don't have the Epson LQ-570 + handy
The rest of the steps are pretty much whatever—just hit Next
When you're done, try printing a test page to see if it actually works

bluemason3 said:So, I’m trying to hook up an old dot matrix printer (Epson LQ-570 +) to my PC.

I installed a Parallel port card. Everything seems fine there, as I can see the PCIe entry under multi-function controllers in Device Manager along with the new ports.

The problem is, once I actually plug the printer in, nothing happens. It's like the computer doesn't even know it exists.

Is it possible this thing is just too ancient to work? Their website doesn't offer any driver downloads for anything newer than Windows 98, and they claim support is built directly into Windows (after that, there's nothing). Since I don't have Windows XP, I can't even attempt to run it in compatibility mode.

I did find some mentions online suggesting it might be compatible with Windows 8, but I wouldn't bet the house on that being reliable.

Even if there's a compatibility issue, shouldn't the system at least recognize it as an unknown or non-functional device in the Device Manager?

No. You have to install it manually—use a USB to serial cable option.

Why bother with a USB to serial adapter if I've already installed a PCIe card with a serial port? 🤔

When I try adding a printer, it runs an automatic search first. If it comes up empty, it gives me the option to look for shared or network printers, but I don't see anything else—no way to manually select a port or anything like that. 🤔

Which Windows version are you running?

edit: I’m guessing it’s Windows 8
https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Fo...previewgeneral—you'll just need to open the Parallel port instead of an IP port

I’m not entirely sure where to input the port. I’m assuming it goes under Network Name or IP Port?

How can I verify which one it's actually using?

In my Device Manager, I see:
PCIe to Serial (COM1)
PCIe to Serial (COM8)
PCIe to Parallel (LPT1)

I tried installing the 590 on COM1—doing it through the driver setup rather than the Control Panel—but no luck. It just isn't working.😳

bluemason3 said:So, I’m trying to hook up an old dot matrix printer (Epson LQ-570 +) to my PC.

I installed a Parallel port card. Everything seems fine there, as I can see the PCIe entry under multi-function controllers in Device Manager along with the new ports.

The problem is, once I actually plug the printer in, nothing happens. It's like the computer doesn't even know it exists.

Is it possible this thing is just too ancient to work? Their website doesn't offer any driver downloads for anything newer than Windows 98, and they claim support is built directly into Windows (after that, there's nothing). Since I don't have Windows XP, I can't even attempt to run it in compatibility mode.

I did find some mentions online suggesting it might be compatible with Windows 8, but I wouldn't bet the house on that being reliable.

Even if there's a compatibility issue, shouldn't the system at least recognize it as an unknown or non-functional device in the Device Manager?

Well, you mentioned you put the printer on a Parallel port, so that would be LPT1.

edit:

At 00:30, he selects the ports and chooses LPT1. What does your drop-down list of ports look like?

🤦 I mixed up Parallel and serial 😬

Did it actually work?

👍, it didn't show up right away, but once I refreshed the device list, there it was. It just printed a test page, so everything's working fine now 😍

Thanks guys 🙂

I’m not sure which program you’re using or what exactly you're trying to print, but you might run into some issues with special characters—like those accented letters we use in America.

Glad to hear you got it sorted out.

bluemason3 said:Why bother with a USB to serial adapter if I've already installed a PCIe card with a serial port? 🤔

My bad, there's also an LPT to USB cable out there.Like this.You'll end up with a semi-automatic installation for that kind of printer.

E, it handles printing American characters without any issues, at least when I'm using Word 👍