parellel port issues

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i'm currently running windows XP on a gigabyte GA-72X motherboard and I'm having problems detecting any form of hardware connecting to the parellel port, i've tried both a printer and scanner. Originally I had win2k installed and the port worked fine then.

I have checked both the printer and scanner on a windows 2000 work box and they both work fine.

Now thinking that it might be a bad parellel port i purchased an extra PCI parellel controller card, installed it and plugged both the printer and scanner into it, and yet nothing, when trying to install either the printer or scanner software windows reports that no printer nor scanner hardware has been detected.

can anyone suggest any ideas as to why nothing is being detected, as this is most frustrating

[LooseChippings]

Right Click My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device Manager > Ports (COM & LPT)

Have you got any LPT Ports showing?

Have you got any yellow or red ! showing against any devices?

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nope, windows has correctly installed the drivers for the parellel port, and theres no conflict.

I have also tried changing the parellel settings in the BIOS to Normal, ECP, EPP and ECP + EPP but yet with little effect.

[LooseChippings]

How do you know the drivers have loaded correctly when you haven't got any parallel ports showing?

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there are 3 ECP ports showing, LPT1, LPT2 and LPT3

[LooseChippings]

Have you tried a different cable?

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i don't have another cable to test it with, but i mention in my first post that i've tried it on a windows 2000 computer and it works fine, so i'm assuming it nots the cable

[LooseChippings]

Have you tried just the printer without the scanner?

What make and model are your printer and scanner?

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Yep I have tried each piece of hardware indervisually.

The scanner is a Canon N640P
The printer is a Canon FAX-L350