Installed Mandrake 7.1 a few days ago, and when I went to
print out a business letter, printing failed, but in the
oddest manner.
The file in question is in my /home/rfg/text directory. It
is called (example), testfile1.txt. I do the following:
prompt $ cat testfile1.txt | lpr
It prints just fine.
A similar file, testfile2.txt will fail to print. I get
the following message printed at the extreme top of the paper
that comes out of the Epson 800N printer:
No way to print this type of input file: fsave (linux)
virus (2570-11-10)
The very last characters, 1-10) actually show up on a second
line.
The only difference between the two files is that testfile2.txt
has a series of carriage returns to start with. I did that so
my text will start below the printed letterhead on my business
letter.
The problem is reproducible; ie, any file, or filename, with
6, 7 or more <cr> at the top of the file will fail to print in
that manner. I also tried to start the file with a single
unobtrusive period at the top, followed by 13 <cr>'s, and
it still failed to print.
This seems to be a bug in LPR, or the input filter for my
printer. Here is a copy of my /etc/printcap file:
##PRINTTOOL3## REMOTE uniprint NAxNA letter {} U_EpsonStylusColor
stcany {}
lp:\
:sd=/var/spool/lpd/lp:\
:mx#0:\
:sh:\
:rm=epson.nook.net:\
:rp=:\
:if=/var/spool/lpd/lp/filter:
**orange[/etc]#
Of course, the cat command (without piping to the printer) shows
up correctly on the screen. I am also able to print pages, email,
etc from Netscape and other applications. Only the piping to lpr
of a text file fails. I never had this problem with RedHat 5.2 or
Mandrake 5.x or 6.x. I have not seen any updates for lpr.
I also took a look at the files with a hex editor, and they seem
perfectly normal. Not for one minute do I believe this is a
linux virus; it seems to me that someone coded this into lpr or
the input filter as a joke. Nevertheless.....
--
Ramon Gandia ============= Sysadmin ============== Nook Net
http://www.nook.net [EMAIL PROTECTED]
285 West First Avenue tel. 907-443-7575
P.O. Box 970 fax. 907-443-2487
Nome, Alaska 99762-0970 ==== Alaska Toll Free. 888-443-7525
