Getting printer driver to use bluetooth 'virtual serial port' - WiFi-Forum - Wi-Fi Discussion Forum

Bloomsburybill · #1 09-07-2005, 10:51 AM

I am struggling to set up a bluetooth printer adapter EpOX BT-PA02A connected to an Epson Stylus Photo 750. I am using Windows XP on a Dell Inspiron 9300 (with a Dell Truemobile 350 Bluetooth 2.0 card installed). The bluetooth manager in Windows XP easily locates and then connects to the BT-PA02A, allocating it COM41 as its port. However, when I open up the printer's properties, to try and change the port to COM41, this port is not listed among the serial ports available. When I try choosing 'new port' it does not offer 'serial port' as one of the types of port that I can add. Three options are offered: 1. local port; 2. TCP/IP protocol port (obviously not appropriate as I do not have a network at home); and 3. bluetooth manager. When I select bluetooth manager it opens a dialog box in which available bluetooth printers are supposed to be listed, but the BT-PA02A is not on this list, nor can it be found by pressing the 'search' button in the same dialog box. Instead, I have tried choosing 'local port' in the printer properties 'new port' option. I select 'COM41' and then this is indeed added to the list (but as a 'local port' not as a 'serial port'). However, when I click on 'configure port' to set the baud rate correctly, it says 'there is nothing to configure'. Ignoring this and pressing on with trying to print, the printer still fails to work. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?

mpierettis · #2 09-11-2005, 03:18 PM

You have to install to your computer, your printer's drivers. then make your printer "shared" and it will work.

Bloomsburybill · #3 09-13-2005, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mpierettis

You have to install to your computer, your printer's drivers. then make your printer "shared" and it will work.

Thanks very much for having a stab at this. Unfortunately your suggestion does not solve the problem. The printer is not on a network. The difficulty is getting Windows XP to recognise the bluetooth virtual serial port (e.g. COM41), so that this is listed among the serial ports that the printer can connect to within the printer's software (which, incidentally, is already available as an option within Windows XP: the printer driver originally sent with the printer probably wouldn't be compatible with XP).