Parallel ports nonexistent

[Alan Eugene Davis <adavis@saipan.com>]

I am setting up two essentially identical machines using a three CD
Debian 2.2 set from Linux Central, about two months old.  Parallel
printing won't work on either machine.  

Today I compiled a 2.2.19 kernel with lp and parport (three different
settings) all compiled in (not modules).  One other parport module was
mysteriously installed.  The kernel gives a message at boot time, that
an interrupt 7 was detected, suggesting  that I write to procfs to set
up the port. 

This has never before happaned on any of the several Debian boxen I
have set up.  Printing has been trivial, with the exception that the
kernel configuration is easy to overlook.  

On the other machine, I am still in the same boat.  The printer is
never detected at boot (no printer murmurs as there usually are on
boot.)   

More particulars: HP DJ 870
                  ASUS B5A motherboard
                  

Is my hardware hosed?   I changed cables, with no change in behavior. 

Thanks for any suggestions.

Alan Davis
Marianas High School and N. Marianas College, 
Saipan, N. Mariana Islands

-- 
adavis@saipan.com                                      1-670-235-6580
    Alan E. Davis,  PMB 30, Box 10006, Saipan, MP 96950-8906, CNMI

 I have steadily endeavored to keep my mind free, so as to give up any
 hypothesis, however much beloved -- and I cannot resist forming one on
 every subject -- as soon as facts are shown to be opposed to it.  
                                  -- Charles Darwin (1809-1882)