This is an off-the-wall problem that I'd appreciate some with. This may not be the right forum . . . if not, does anyone know a better forum or place to go for advice?

Here's the situation:

I have for some time been running several DOS programs under XP SP2 on my two desktop PC's. Also ran them on a Dell Latitude under Windows 2000.

These DOS programs use the parallel port to communicate with some electronic test equipment. The programs have been around for a while and the author is still around. However, I do not have access to the source code (and wouldn't know what to do with it if I did).

Windows XP doesn't let software allow direct access to the PC's I/O ports, so I use free software called USERPORT to open the memory range used by the parallel port so the DOS programs can access it.

Here's the problem: I recently tried this arrangement with two laptops -- a Dell Latitude and an IBM Thinkpad. In both cases I found that the laptop keyboard was disabled, i.e., I was unable to use the keyboard to respond to the DOS program prompts. Evidently there is something about USERPORT that disables the keyboard . Disabling USERPORT restores keyboard functionality for the DOS programs but renders them useless inasmuch as they are unable to access the parallel port. Talk about a Catch-22!!

Is there a work around for this? A way to open up the parallel port and keeping the keyboard working?

Or a more appropriate place to ask this question?

Or any advice at all?

Thanks.

Steve

Hi there and welcome to PCHF

Have you tried the compatability mode? Find the shortcut for the dos program > right click > compatability tab > try a compatability for Windows 95 first off....

Thanks and good idea but no soap. Tried all of the compatibility modes.

USERPORT seems to be the gotcha . . . if it's running it seems to somehow disable the laptop keyboard. It also disables an external USB keyboard.

Any other thoughts out there?

Thanks.

Steve

Did you try booting to dos via a bootdisk (from our afilliate www.bootdisk.com) and running the programs in that environment?

You could also give Dosbox a try:

http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

And i found this , maybe it is an good alternative for Userport:

http://www.direct-io.com/index.htm?h...kb/q600003.htm

I had already tried directio but no success.

From what I could glean on other web sites, dosbox is primarily for games and not suited for my application.

I will investigate the bootdisk idea, that may be an out for me.

My thanks to everyone for the ideas and advice.

Steve