Troubleshooting Plotter Problems in Windows

ID: Q137863

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 95
  • Microsoft Windows 98

SUMMARY

This article describes troubleshooting steps that may help you to resolve plotting problems in Windows 95/98.


MORE INFORMATION

Print Troubleshooter

Windows 95/98 include a Print Troubleshooter tool. To use the Print Troubleshooter tool, use the appropriate method:

Windows 95:
  1. Click Start, and then click Help.


  2. On the Contents tab, double-click the Troubleshooting topic.


  3. Double-click the If You Have Trouble Printing topic.


Windows 98:
  1. Click Start, and then click Help.


  2. On the Contents tab, click the Troubleshooting topic.


  3. Click the Windows 98 Troubleshooters topic, and then click Print.


Reset the Plotter and Run a Self-Test

  1. Try turning off the plotter. After 5 to 10 seconds, turn the plotter back on. This will clear the plotter's memory.


  2. Check the plotter's documentation for instructions on resetting the default settings and plotting a test page.


  3. Perform a self-test on the plotter. The method for performing a self-test is different for different plotters.

    If the self-test fails, contact the plotter's manufacturer for assistance.


  4. If possible, set up the plotter on your local computer. Verify that no plotter sharing devices or daisy-chained devices (such as a SCSI CD-ROM drive) are connected between the computer and plotter.


Plotting from an MS-DOS Prompt

If you cannot plot at all in Windows, try the following steps:
  1. Restart your computer. For Windows 95, when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Step-By-Step Confirmation, and then answer No to all questions. For Windows 98, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Step-By-Step Confirmation from the Startup menu.


  2. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

    edit testplot.bat



  3. Type the following lines in the new file:
    
      Mode Com1:9600,n,8,1,p
      Pause
      Echo IN:SP1:PD4000,4000;SP0: > COM1
    NOTE: If the plotter is not connected to COM1, substitute the correct port name in the lines above.


  4. Save the file and then quit Edit.


  5. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:

    testplot.bat



  6. Does the MODE command set up the port?

    For example, you should see these lines on your screen: 
    
      Resident portion of Mode loaded
      COM1: 9600,N,8,1,P
      Press any key to continue


  7. Press ENTER.

    If a diagonal line is not plotted, there may be a problem with the port, the cable, or the plotter. You may want to try using a different plotter cable or a different plotter.


Try Plotting to a Different Port

If plotting from COM1 does not work, try another communications port (such as COM2).

NOTE: If you are continuing from the steps above, restart your computer before following these steps.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Click the Plotter icon in the Printers folder.


  3. On the File menu, click Properties.


  4. Click the Details tab.


  5. In the Print To The Following Port box, click COM2 (Communications Port).


  6. Click OK.


  7. Start Notepad.


  8. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


Plotting to a File

Try plotting to a file. If a file is created, copy the file to the port.
  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Click the Plotter icon in the Printers folder.


  3. On the File menu, click Properties.


  4. Click the Details tab.


  5. In the Print To The Following Port box, click FILE: (Creates file on disk).


  6. Click OK.


  7. Start Notepad. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text. Name the output file Test.prn.


  8. If the plotter driver does not plot to the file, try the same procedure in Safe mode.


If you cannot plot to a file in Safe mode, or if the output is poor, there may be a problem with the plotter driver. Try removing the driver from the Printers folder and reinstalling the driver. See the "Remove and Reinstall the Plotter Driver" section later in this article for details. If the driver plots to a file only in Safe mode, some other software is conflicting with the driver. Try the steps in the next section.

Clean Boot the Computer

If you cannot plot at all in Windows, try a clean boot.

If no disk compression software, disk partitioning software, or other third-party driver is necessary to start your computer, follow these steps to try a clean boot:

Windows 95:
  1. Rename the Config.sys file to Config.xxx. To do so, type the following line at a command prompt:

    ren c:\config.sys config.xxx



  2. Rename the Autoexec.bat file to Autoexec.xxx. To do so, type the following line at a command prompt:

    ren c:\autoexec.bat autoexec.xxx



  3. Restart your computer.


Windows 98:

  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information.


  2. On the Tools menu, click System Configuration Utility.


  3. Click the Process Config.sys File, Process Autoexec.bat File, Process Winstart.bat File, Process System.ini File, Process Win.ini File, and Load Startup Group Items check boxes to clear them.


  4. Click OK, and then quit Microsoft System Information.


  5. Restart your computer.


Using the System Configuration Utility tool, you can isolate the specific file entry that is causing the problem. Once the specific file entry that is causing the problem is determined, you should edit the appropriate file or registry entry to remove this entry and return the System Configuration Utility to Normal Startup.

For information about clean booting Windows 98 using System Configuration Utility, please see the "Narrowing the Focus" section in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base article:
ARTICLE-ID: Q192926 Q192926
TITLE : How to Perform Clean-Boot Troubleshooting for Windows 98

Plotting from Notepad

Do not plot from WordPad or Paint. Paint prints raster data that plotters cannot use. Plotting from WordPad does not work because WordPad cannot wrap text correctly with the plotter driver. WordPad uses resolution to help determine wrapping and plotters do not have a resolution.
  1. With the plotter still connected locally, restart your computer normally.


  2. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Notepad.


  3. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


Device Manager Settings


  1. If you cannot plot from Notepad, verify that the port is set up correctly in Device Manager (for example, verify that there are no conflicts and that the port's resources are set correctly).

    NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.


  2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click "Ports (COM & LPT)," and then double-click the appropriate port for plotter.


  3. Click the Resources tab and verify that the settings are correct for the communications port. For example, the input/output range for a standard COM1 port is 03F8-03FF and its interrupt request line is 04. The input/output range for a standard COM2 port is 02F8-02FF and its interrupt request line is 03. Also, verify that the Conflicting Devices list reads "No conflicts."


Change the Plotter Driver

Plotter drivers for different models change only items such as available pens, paper sizes, and support for extended commands such as Arcs. Even if all of these settings are wrong, you should still receive some kind of output.

A newer plotter driver for use with Windows 95/98 may be available in the future from Microsoft or from the plotter's manufacturer. Contact the plotter's manufacturer for further details.

Remove and Reinstall the Plotter Driver

If the problem seems to be corrected by using a different plotter driver, remove and reinstall the plotter driver.

Remove and Reinstall the Communications Port


  1. If a conflict exists or the port's settings are incorrect, use Device Manager to remove the port.

    NOTE: To open Device Manager, use the right mouse button to click My Computer, and then click Properties on the menu that appears.


  2. Click the Device Manager tab, double-click Ports (COM & LPT), and then click the appropriate port for your plotter.


  3. Click Remove, and then restart your computer.


  4. In Control Panel, double-click the Add New Hardware icon, and then let the Add New Hardware Wizard detect the hardware in your computer.



Hard Disk Maintenance

There should be at least 3 megabytes (MB) of free space on the hard disk that contains the temporary folder.

Remove Temporary and Spool Files:
  1. Restart your computer. For Windows 95, when you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only. For Windows 98, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only from the Startup menu.


  2. Type set and press ENTER. Note the location pointed to by the TEMP variable.


  3. Change to the folder noted in step 2. For example, if TEMP is set to C:\Windows\Temp, type the following line and then press ENTER:

    cd\windows\temp



  4. Delete any temporary files in the folder. Temporary files usually have a .tmp extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER:

    del *.tmp

    NOTE: You should not delete these files from within the Windows graphical user interface (GUI) because Windows or a Windows-based program may be using one of these files.


  5. Type the following line and press ENTER to change to the spool folder:

    cd\windows\spool\printers



  6. Delete any spool files in the folder. Spool files usually have a .spl extension. To delete these files, type the following line and then press ENTER:

    del *.spl



  7. Restart your computer normally.


ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter

If the hard disk becomes fragmented or there are cross-linked files on the hard disk, you can encounter plotting problems. To check for these problems, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click ScanDisk.


  2. When ScanDisk is finished, click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

    NOTE: You can use your computer while Disk Defragmenter is running. However, your computer operates slower and the defragmentation process restarts if the contents of the drive you are defragmenting changes.


Plotting Problems Occur Only in One Program

If you plot from Microsoft Excel version 7.0 for Windows and receive an "I/O buffer overflow" error message on the plotter after about a quarter of the spreadsheet is plotted, change the flow control setting in the port's settings to Hardware from XON/XOFF.

If you can plot from all programs but one, follow these steps:
  1. What exactly is the plotting problem? Does the problem occur with one document only, or with all documents? As a test, try to plot a blank page inside the program. If this works, the program may have problems with memory.


  2. Are you using a 32-bit or 16-bit program? 32-bit programs use the registry to obtain needed information, while 16-bit programs may use .ini files. If you are having problem plotting with a 16-bit program, an .ini file may need to be modified to accommodate the program.


  3. Reinstall the program.


  4. Contact the manufacturer of the program for specific settings that might affect plotting.


Plotting Directly to Port

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Click the Plotter icon in the Printers folder.


  3. On the File menu, click Properties.


  4. Click the Details tab.


  5. Click Spool Settings.


  6. Click "Print directly to the printer".


  7. Click OK, and then click OK again.


  8. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


Changing the Flow Control

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Printers.


  2. Click the Plotter icon in the Printers folder.


  3. On the File menu, click Properties.


  4. Click the Details tab.


  5. Click Port Settings.


  6. In the Flow Control box, click XON/XOFF.


  7. Click OK, and then click OK again.


  8. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


  9. If the plotting problem persists, repeat steps 1-5.


  10. In the Flow Control box, click Hardware.


  11. Click OK, and then click OK again.


  12. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


Selecting No Flow Control:
  1. If the plotting problem still occurs, repeat steps 1-5 above.


  2. In the Flow Control box, click None.


  3. Click OK, and then click OK again.


  4. Type some text in Notepad, and then try to plot the text.


Trying Different Paper Sizes

  1. Start Notepad.


  2. Type some text in Notepad.


  3. On the File menu, click Page Setup.


  4. In the Size box, click a different paper size.


  5. Click OK.


  6. Try to plot the text.


  7. If the text is not plotted, change the paper size and try to plot again.



REFERENCES

For additional information about troubleshooting printing and plotting issues, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q128345
TITLE : Troubleshooting Printing Problems in Windows 95/98

ARTICLE-ID: Q88375 Q88375
TITLE : Testing Serial Plotter Connections

Additional query words: 98

Keywords : kbhw kbprint kbtshoot win95 win98
Version : WINDOWS:95
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo


Last Reviewed: December 2, 1999
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