Risky Parallel Port Scheme?

[Myles]

Greetings. I am interested in thoughts and advice on parallel ports. I have equipment that is controlled thru the LPT1. Under DOS, I used the biosprint function, which is now defunct in C++. I have tried using CreateFile and WriteFile in MFC, but have found Windows 98 to be very finicky about allowing the user to directly control the port - I can verify that the data has been sent to the port using CreateFile and WriteFile, but my equipment does not respond. Yet, I can go to the DOS prompt on the same machine and use the old functions and the equipment responds immediately. (But to fit in with the rest of the program, I have to do this in Windows 98) Does anyone have suggestions or experience sending integer data to the LPT1 - or ideas about where I am going wrong? Thanks in advance.