Microsoft Knowledge Base

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft MS-DOS operating system versions 4.x, 5.x, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, 6.22

Microsoft has available an Application Note titled "PRINTFIX.COM for MS- DOS" (PD0495) that includes a memory-resident program, PRINTFIX, that disables the extended error checking that Microsoft MS-DOS versions 4.0, 4.01, 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, and 6.22 perform on the parallel port before printing.

You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

You can obtain this Application Note from the following sources:

• Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet
• The Internet (Microsoft anonymous ftp server)
• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)
• Microsoft Product Support Services
• Microsoft Product Support Services

THE TEXT OF PD0495

  Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
                  PD0495: PRINTFIX.COM FOR MS-DOS(R)

                                                  Revision Date: 10/93
                                                       1 Disk Included

| INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT AND ANY SOFTWARE THAT MAY    |
| ACCOMPANY THIS DOCUMENT (collectively referred to as an Application|
| Note) IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER     |
| EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED     |
| WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR      |
| PURPOSE. The user assumes the entire risk as to the accuracy and   |
| the use of this Application Note. This Application Note may be     |
| copied and distributed subject to the following conditions:  1) All|
| text must be copied without modification and all pages must be     |
| included;  2) If software is included, all files on the disk(s)    |
| must be copied without modification (the MS-DOS utility diskcopy is|
| appropriate for this purpose);  3) All components of this          |
| Application Note must be distributed together;  and  4) This       |
| Application Note may not be distributed for profit.                |
|                                                                    |
| Copyright (C) 1991-1993 Microsoft Corporation.  All Rights Reserved|
| Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows is a    |
| trademark of Microsoft Corporation.                                |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------|

Introduction

The disk included with this Application Note contains PRINTFIX.COM (Printfix), a memory-resident utility for computers that encounter printing errors with MS-DOS version 4.0, 4.01, 5.0, 6.0, 6.2, 6.21, or 6.22. Printfix disables the extended error checking that these versions of MS-DOS perform when printing to a parallel port. Extended error checking needs to be disabled only if your computer's hardware does not support the hardware checks MS-DOS is making. You should not install Printfix if you aren't experiencing printing errors.

To Install PRINTFIX.COM

1. Insert the enclosed PD0495 disk in your floppy disk drive.

2. At the MS-DOS command prompt, type the following and press ENTER

         copy <drive>:\printfix.com <destination>
   

   where <drive> is the floppy disk drive containing the PD0495 disk and <destination> is the drive and directory where your MS-DOS files are located. For example, if your MS-DOS files are located in the DOS directory on drive C and the PD0495 disk is in drive A, type the following command:

         copy a:\printfix.com c:\dos\printfix.com
   

3. Because Printfix remains memory resident, you only need to load it once each time you restart your computer. It is probably best to load Printfix from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. To do this, use a file editor such as MS-DOS Editor to add the following line to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

         c:\dos\printfix.com
   

       NOTE: If you start a shell program, such as MS-DOS Shell, from
       your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you should place the line that loads
       Printfix before the line that starts your shell program.
   

TO OBTAIN THIS APPLICATION NOTE

You can find PD0495.EXE, a self-extracting file, on the following services:

• Microsoft's World Wide Web Site on the Internet

        On the www.microsoft.com home page, click the Support icon.
        Click Knowledge Base, and select the product.
        Enter kbfile PD0495.EXE, and click GO!
        Open the article, and click the button to download the file.
  

• Internet (anonymous FTP)

        ftp ftp.microsoft.com
        Change to the Softlib/Mslfiles folder.
        Get PD0495.EXE
  

• Microsoft Download Service (MSDL)

        Dial (425) 936-6735 to connect to MSDL
        Download PD0495.EXE
  

   ARTICLE-ID: Q119591
   TITLE     : How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online
               Services