probably a dumb question...

[cash2]

more hardware than software...

a couple of years ago, i was given an old mac powerbook (real old... the word internet does not appear in the owner's manual) and an apple laser writer. the laser writer looks very similar to the old HP laserjet 4l

i only use the mac to write the odd letter, and my old compaq w/ wind98 for everything else. now i've got no printer so i'm wondering if there's any way to get the apple laser writer functioning w/ a pc.

fwiw
apple printer all mac type connections
my pc has hp laserjet drivers installed

tia to any who respond

cash

[Myhorse1_X]

Cash;

I believe that the Mac uses a series connection for its printer and the Windows used a paralell port. You might try and get a series/parallel converter for the printer.

Better than that, look at Tigerdirect.com and look at some of their printer prices. I believe you can get an inkjet printer for less than $40.00. The series/paralell converter might be the same price. I have seen the Lexmark printer for $39.95, but check their website. Also WalMart and Office Depot often times have good buys for printers with rebates that gets the price very reasonable. Of course the manufacturers sell the printers at cost and make their money on the ink cartridges but find a local person that refills the cartridges to save money.

MyHorse1

[andicap]

I presume you meant "serial" rather than "series" connection???

[BillW]

Originally posted by cash2
more hardware than software...

a couple of years ago, i was given an old mac powerbook (real old... the word internet does not appear in the owner's manual) and an apple laser writer. the laser writer looks very similar to the old HP laserjet 4l

i only use the mac to write the odd letter, and my old compaq w/ wind98 for everything else. now i've got no printer so i'm wondering if there's any way to get the apple laser writer functioning w/ a pc.

fwiw
apple printer all mac type connections
my pc has hp laserjet drivers installed

tia to any who respond

cash

cash2,

Nice printer, a little old but they are troopers (if you can't tell, I'm a laser printer fan :))

Here is the Apple manuals that are available:

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=50128

Hopefully your model is there. They do discuss cabling and hooking up to different computers.

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Macdiarmadillo]

Hope the manuals did the trick. If there isn't an Apple laserwriter driver in Win98, you might try the generic Postscript printer driver. I thought the Laserwriters had a parallel port and a (standard) null-modem cable would be used, if I recall correctly.

The oldest Laserwriters have no memory to speak of and PCs in DOS days required a little program called "xon xoff" that would send one page at a time to the printer. Otherwise you'd get the first page printed only or nothing at all.