Aspire

1. Reboot using Ctrl-Alt-Esc.

2. Use the arrow keys to highlight System Security and press Enter.

3. Find On Board Communication Ports and then use the arrow keys to highlight Operation Mode.

4. Use the left/right arrow keys to set the operation mode to Extended Capabilities Port.

5. Press Esc and select Yes when asked to save the settings.

Presario 7100

1. Turn on (or reboot) your system.

2. Press DEL to enter the system setup program.

3. Select Advanced System Settings.

4. Select Integrated Peripherals.

5. Select LPT Extended Mode.

6. Press the Space Bar to select ECP.

7. Press F10 and select YES to Save and EXIT.

Dell's web page has instructions for each one of their computers. As a generic example, try this:

1. Turn on (or reboot) your system.

2. When prompted, press DEL immediately to enter the system setup program.

3. Press Alt-P to get to Screen 2.

4. Use Tab to move to Parallel Mode.

5. Use the arrow keys to set Parallel Mode to ECP. (If your computer doesn't have ECP, set the mode to PS/2 to get bi-directional functioning.)

6. Press Esc to exit the system configuration.

To tell what kind of BIOS you have, reboot your computer and watch the screen carefully. If one of the first words you see is Phoenix, Award, or AMI (in the upper left corner of your screen) that is the type of BIOS you have.

with Phoenix BIOS

1. If you are in Windows, exit to DOS.

2. Press Ctrl+Alt+Esc. If this doesn't work, follow these steps.

3. Leave the computer turned on and use the key to lock the keyboard.

4. Press the Reset button on the front of the computer. A message will display asking you to unlock the keyboard.

5. Unlock the keyboard and press F2.

with AMI or Award BIOS

1. Press the Reset button on the front of the computer. Watch the screen. After the memory count is complete, a message appears about pressing Delete to enter the setup program.

2. Press Delete. After a few moments a menu appears on the screen.

3. Move the highlight bar to RUN CMOS SETUP and press Enter. If you are prompted to choose Standard or Extended setup, choose Standard.

Press the Reset button on the front of the computer, then press Ctrl+Alt+Esc immediately when the memory count begins. EISA bus computers usually require a separate diskette or CD-ROM to permanently change the system configuration.

If Ctrl+Alt+Esc doesn't work, try Ctrl+Alt+S.

HP Vectra

1. Reboot your computer.

2. When the bottom of the Hewlett-Packard System Hardware Test screen displays, press F2.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight Parallel Port Mode.

4. Use F7 and F8 to switch settings. Set to

Bi-directional ECP, if available

Bi-directional, if necessary

HP Pavillion

1. From Windows, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, and then click Yes.

2. At the HP Blue screen, press F1 to enter CMOS.

3. Use the arrow keys to highlight the appropriate setting.

4. Press F10 to Save and Exit, and then press Enter.

1. Reboot using one of these three methods

a) Press Ctrl-Alt-Del.

b) From Windows, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart, and then click Yes.

c) Turn off computer, wait 30 seconds and then turn it back on.

2. When you see the Blue IBM screen and memory counting, press F1 to enter the configuration utility.

3. Once you're in the configuration utility, you will see many choices.

a) Use the up and down arrow keys to highlight Parallel Port Mode.

b) Use the left and right arrow keys to switch choices until Extended Capabilities Port (ECP) mode is highlighted, then press Enter.

1. Reboot using Ctrl-Alt-Del or the Reset button.

2. During the POST test (memory count), press F2.

1. Reboot your computer.

2. Press F1 or F2 (depends on your computer) before you hear the beep as the system boots up.