XP LPT Switching

[homer15]

has anyone heard about the parallel ports switching in XP? i know that probably doesn't make any sense...
my friend upgraded his computer from Windows ME to XP, and everything went smooth except for the printer wouldn't print. so naturally, he called me (because he knows i won't charge him for help). i was looking at the setup, everything was fine, but the computer was not communicating with the printer. just on a hunch, i thought i would try another printer port (the printer was set for lpt1, so i switched to lpt2). once i switched the port, a bubble appeared that said "new hardware detected" and it installed new drivers for the printer. so it was printing fine. about 3 hours later he went to print something (and i was there), but the printer wouldn't budge. i checked the settings: it was still set to lpt2, but there was no communication again. i switched to lpt1, and the bubble popped up again and the computer installed new drivers again. i told him i didn't have any idea why the lpt ports would switch, and his computer was probably possessed by something. has anyone heard about the lpt ports switching back and forth?

[doctorgonzo]

What does Device Manager say? I think you can change port assignments there, which could be happening. There could also be a device conflict with one of the ports.

[homer15]

actually, that is where i changed the port setting. that is why it detected new hardware on a new lpt port. and there aren't any peripheral conflicts. all he has is a printer, and he only has one parallel port. shouldn't the other two ports ( there are three lpt ports all together) stay dormant or something?

[homer15]

i'm trying to bring this thread back to life... does anyone have any idea about what the problem could be?