Thinkpads Forum

My 390e has the old style printer cable pin connection, and the instruction manual I have only refers to that style of connection. But the machine is equiped with a USB connection. I want to buy a small printer for the 390e, but they're all equiped with USB type connections. Clearly, I am not terribly computer knowledgable....can I simply plug in a USB printer, load the software, and print?

vincent wrote:can I simply plug in a USB printer, load the software, and print?

Yes, if you use Win 2000 (or Win XP) but only a "definite maybe" if you use Win 9x. In that case you may need to download and install some updated software. Also, when you're shopping for a printer, be sure to check its manual to see what versions of Windows it supports.

Here's a good resource on how to get USB to work with Win9x:
Win 98 http://www.usbman.com/win98seusbguide.htm
Win 95 http://www.usbman.com/Win95%20USB%20Guide.htm

Hello Hausman: many thanks for the reply. I am running Windows 98SE on my computer. I did as you suggested and looked up USBMan. The first thing I discovered was that having 98SE is akin to having plauge. He offers some major patches, etc. to make corrections to the program, and that's exactly what I will do. Then I considered your "definite maybe" for while, and finally connected the pinter from my PC to my laptop, loaded the software, and bingo!, I was printing! You have no idea what a big deal this is for a non techie. Thanks again....Vincent