I did follow the links and they talk about the origin of the parallel port and IBM in the 80's and the specs of the port. ALL things that i have researched already. the codes are very similar to the ones that I used to make this project work on the old system. THEY AREN'T recent enough to help me. this is the problem. I have done MONTHS of research on this and you're link proves my point. Most people don't need to use the parallel port and so there is little information that is NEW on it. My main question is NOT how to access it or how it work or what the voltages are or any of that. I have already tested the port and found that NOW on the new computers I have access to it boots up with power to the port and I believe that is interferring with the programs attempt to access it. I believe that either the bios or XP has taken over control of the port and I am asking if anyone knows a NEW function or any NEW information on THIS or on how to return control of the port OFF so that I can access it again. I am not new to this, though I am maybe learning things now that you guys have known for years, our area doesn't have access to top technology and most people here don't even run XP YET.. so I am ahead of the curve for my area, but behind for yours. I don't need a primer on the parallel port, but on what could be different in XP or with the new hardware that might be stopping me from direct access to it. I have made a program that scans the com ports looking for the correct port address of the parallel port and found it to usually be 888/378 on most of the systems I have tried it on here, but on my newer systems with XP it compiles, but gives a runtime error and running it direct from windows it locks up the system. So obviously something is fighting with my program. I need some guidance in where to look for WHAT that might be. is the problem with XP or with my NEWer hardware. I would assume XP, but when I boot with LINUX the port powers on too, but I can access the ports with linux on two newer laptops, but not the desktops or another laptop, so that leads me to think that it's something to do with hardware (bios maybe) and maybe the laptops that work have older hardware or different firmware (since sometimes laptops are behind in new technology on the motherboards). Get what I am saying?? I don't need help with the basics so if you DON'T have any information that is RELEVENT or can't help than don't waste time calling me stupid or lazy when you don't even understand that I have gotten this far with LOT'S of research. GOOGLEs searchs aren't always the newest up to date information either and through many days of searchs and many different ways of wording it I still haven't found anything relevent except a few higher tech message boards, like this one, where I have been hoping someone might understand my situation and point me to a site that is NEW and explains the difference in accessing ports in XP on New hardware. I appreciate the link and followed it, must be my connection wasn't good the first few times because it didn't work the first few times, that's why I asked what it was about, but it's old news and no help. if there were previous examples on this board about programming parallel ports on XP on this board then I am sorry that I didn't see them. I did see old ones on accessing the ports that I already know that's why I specified my exact problem