LPT Port Interfacing

I know this has been posted many times before, but none of them have quite answered my question. The Windows Kernel and API seem to not send data to the LPT port (0x378) until some sort of signal has been sent. I think pin 13 needs to be powered (to tell the computer the printer is on) and as well as some other pins. I'm pretty sure that my programs are not to blame because when I run my programs on a computer that has a printer, the printer prints my message. So I am asking anyone with knowledge of this, how can I make Windows XP recognize that there is a device on LPT or get Plug and Play to realize something has been connected?

>> how can I make Windows XP...
On what operating systems does your code work?

Sounds like your code is DOS compatible, and not Windows NT compatible. If so, you'll have to port it.

gg

You may be interested in a library that provides raw access to the LPT port. One such beast is WinIO.

anonytmouse, thanks for that link. I have found a way to make my code work, the problem was with the wiring of the port.
BTW, can WinIO be used with NICs for TCP header creation?