Printer doesn't work anymore (Mdk problem)

[x]

I'm running Mandrake 8.2, which has worked fine until now.
I have 2 printers connected, HP with network connection and a Lexmark connected to the parallell port. Printing system is CUPS.
One day Lexmark doesn't print, running printtool and choose "add printer" I get the message:
"rmmod: module parport_probe is not loaded
modprobe: Can't locate module parport_probe"

I believe this means that my parallell port is not installed properly (no IRQ assigned either).
I have tried "alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc"
but parport_lowlevel can't be found.

What do I do now? The printer has worked, no change in configuration - oh yes, one thing:
I installed OpenOffice 1.0.
I think the problem started before this, though I'm not sure.

I ran printtool again, chose to change settings for printer Lexmark, selected lp0 (where it was already installed).
Now the printer works again - but only until I shut down the computer.

So what's wrong?
I can't find any logs or text outputs from printtool telling me what's being done, if I could the problem would be solved I think?

[pbharris]

hello,
try inserting the modules needed at boot time in an initalition - like /etc/rc.local
add the line
modprobe parport_pc at the end of this file and see what happens. You need to be user root

[x]

Did as you suggested, it didn't help.
Only thing now is I can't get printer to work at all - though all programs including printerdrake tells me it is active.
So I removed your line, no difference.
I checked the module-dir, I do have the modules (though all modules are compressed).
Tried unpacking them, not leaving original *.gz there.
Interesting: at bootup I get a message parallell port can not be installed - parport_pc.o doesn't exist. So I copy back the original modules *.gz, and run printtool.
Now printtool activates my printer!
But after reboot no printer again.

ps -e gives me one thing that might be of interrest:
2311 ? modprobe (defunct)
This process can't be killed. It is a child to devfs.

Another thing: using GIMP, when I choose "print" I get the name of my printer - but it wants to use postscript level2, not foomatic + ghostscript ? (That's what's used, and shown, by other programs.) Doesn't GIMP simply use the installed printer & driver? (The same printing problem from any application, though.)

I really wonder what has happened - the printer has worked perfectly for several months?
It's things like this that made me leave Windows, I have a strong feeling I'm gonna leave Mandrake too.. >
But I don't have the time right now - and it might be educational to get that printer working again.
(Btw: printer still works running Win98, I do believe this is a parallell port problem.)

[pbharris]

hello,
ya know at this point i would remove cups - then reinstall it with defaults. i am not sure what would have caused this.

[rick420]

Did you try removing open office? I know that at least in Drake 9 when you set up printers theres another part that sets up printing for gimp, staroffice/openoffice, etc.

I would do like pbharris said, run rpmdrake, remove cups and all the printing stuff, and try to reinstall them.....Really weird that it just stopped working...