KB#00117-Opening a /dev/lpt printer alias may return an error or the print job disappears

Title:

Opening a /dev/lpt printer alias may return an error or the print job disappears

Description:

Using the following type of printer alias may result in an error 12 under some versions of DOS and Windows NT: 

alias LP /dev/lpt1 "my printer" CR... 

Under all Windows versions except Windows 3.x and 95, unexpected behavior can occur if the ALIAS contains /dev/. Unexpected behavior can include, but is not limited to: 
        print job disappears 
        part of print job print and then it disappears 
        uncontrollable formatting of fonts if job does print at all. 

Resolution:

Changing the alias line to reference just the captured lpt port instead of /dev/lpt should solve the problem. Here's an example: 

alias LP lpt1 "my printer" CR... 

For information regarding capturing a LPT port, please see KB00358.

Last Modified: 02/10/2004 Product: PRO/5 Operating System: MS Dos, Windows NTError Number: 12

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