HOW TO: Add LPT Ports in Windows 2000

By default, there are three LPT ports available in Windows 2000. These ports are LPT1, LPT2, and LPT3. This article describes how to add additional ports (up to LPT9). After you add additional LPT ports, they appear as available printer ports in the Add Printer Wizard.

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

Adding additional LPT Ports

1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Click the following registry key. The current LPT ports are displayed in the right pane:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Ports
3. On the Edit menu, click Add Value.
4. Add a new value with the following attributes:
   Value Name: LPT#:
   Data Type: REG_SZ
   String: <blank>
   NOTE: When you create the new value name, replace "#" in the "LPT#:" value name with the number of the LPT port you want to add.
   
   
5. Quit Registry Editor.
6. Stop and restart the Spooler service by typing net stop spooler and then net start spooler at a command prompt.

For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: