Cannot Use Direct Cable Connection with IR LPT Port (193587)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 98
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

This article was previously published under Q193587
If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to connect two computers using the Direct Cable Connection tool (DCC), you may have the option to select an LPT port. If you select an LPT port and it is an infrared (IR) port, the connection does not succeed and you may receive any of the following error messages:

  • Waiting to connect via cable on LPT<n>. Is the host computer running?
  • Cannot connect to the host computer. Make sure you have Direct Cable Connection on the host computer and you have connected your cable to both computers.

CAUSE

The behavior occurs because the IR port is a unidirectional port. DCC requires that LPT ports be bidirectional.

RESOLUTION

To work around this behavior, use an IR COM port instead of an IR LPT port for IR communication between computers.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:7/13/2006
Keywords:kberrmsg kbHardware kbprb KB193587