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DOS Bulletin - January 2011


Dear NewViews User:

Welcome to the second edition of the DOS Bulletin. This edition is being sent to all NV1 users. Future bulletins will only be sent to users who have registered to receive them. If you did not register, but would like to continue receiving these bulletins, please register here.

Payroll Reminder - Online Filing of 50+ T4 Slips is Now Mandatory

In Canada, the CRA now requires more than 50 T4 slips (RL slips in Quebec) to be filed electronically. See the following links fore more details:
www.cra-arc.gc.ca
www.revenu.gouv.qc.ca

IMPORTANT NOTICE! We are considering developing a procedure that will enable NV1 users to perform XML filing. If you would be interested in purchasing this kind of procedure, we need to hear from you asap! Click here to let us know.

NV2 has provided electronic XML filing since 2008 - have you taken a look at NV2 lately to see what other benefits it has to offer?

Printing Problems

As promised in the last edition of the DOS Bulletin, this issue will focus on some of the printing problems being faced by NV1 users.

Printing from a DOS program can be a challenge given that: a) current versions of Windows offer very limited support for DOS, and b) most new printers only provide USB ports and the print options in NV1 will only accept LPT1 or LPT2 (parallel ports) or a file name for output. It is also important to note that DOS programs can only print to USB printers that support the PCL language.

If you are having difficulty printing from NV1 to a USB printer, the following are some methods you can try.

Method 1: Use the NET.EXE Command to Print to a USB Printer on a Network

You can redirect output from NV1 (and LPT1) to a USB printer connected to another computer on your network. To do this, you will need to know the name of the computer connected to the printer, as well as the share name for the printer. To find this information and redirect output from NV1, follow these steps.

  1. On the computer connected to the USB printer, go to the Windows Start Menu. Find the name of the computer by right clicking on My Computer, and then clicking on Properties. Make a note of the computer name (which must be 8 characters or less with no spaces).
  2. On that same computer, access the settings for the printer being shared. For example, in the Windows 7 Start Menu, you would select Devices and Printers, double click the printer that is being shared, then select double click on Customize your printer. Access the Sharing options and note the printer share name.
  3. On the computer that has NV1 installed, go to the Windows Start Menu. Click Start, then click Run.
  4. In the Open box, type cmd, then click OK.
  5. At the command prompt, type:
    net use lpt1 \\computer_name\printer_share_name /persistent:yes
    then press ENTER.
    NOTE: Substitute the name of the computer (as determined in step 1) for computer_name. Substitute the printer share name (as determined in step 2) for printer_share_name.
  6. To quit the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER.

Method 2: Simulate a Network Connection on a Computer Connected to a USB Printer

If NV1 is installed on a computer that is directly connected to a USB printer, you can try simulating a network connection in order to redirect the output from LPT1 to the USB printer. The steps are as follows:

  1. Go to the Windows Start Menu. Find the computer name by right clicking on My Computer, and then clicking on Properties. Make a note of the computer name (which must be 8 characters or less with no spaces).
  2. Access the settings for the printer. For example, in the Windows 7 Start Menu, you would select Devices and Printers, double click the printer to be "shared", then select double click on Customize your printer.
  3. Access the Sharing options.
  4. Specify a printer share name that is 8 characters or less, with no spaces. Make sure the Share this printer box is ticked.
  5. On your Windows desktop, click Start, then click Run.
  6. In the Open box, type cmd, then click OK.
  7. At the command prompt, type:
    net use lpt1 \\computer_name\printer_share_name /persistent:yes
    then press ENTER.
    NOTE: Substitute the name of the computer (as determined in step 1) for computer_name. Substitute the printer share name (as specified in step 4) for printer_share_name.
  8. To quit the command prompt, type exit, and then press ENTER.

WATCH YOUR INBOX FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE DOS BULLETIN, COMING SOON!

Q.W Page Associates Inc.
73 Industrial Parkway N, Unit 2
Aurora, Ontario, L4G4C4
Tel: 905-946-9460
Fax: 905-713-1407
www.qwpage.com