HP LaserJet 1200 print jobs don't print in XP

I have been using the laserjet 1200 printer with my parallel port for a few years now with Windows 98. I have had no problems until I upgraded to XP. Now the printer will not print. Print jobs get clogged in the print queue with an "error - printing" message. Surely the cable is fine since I can print a test page from Windows.

I reinstalled the CD-ROM software (which curiously did not install the printer or the drivers automatically; had to do "add printer" in Windows), downloaded the drivers from HP's site, and set up the printer through the Windows "Add Printer" menu; I did all of this with the printer physically attached to the PC. I also downloaded the XP communication patch was seems to do nothing but delete the printer installed, making me have to reinstall it. (Is it supposed to do that?)

For one, I am not sure which drivers I need as hp's Web site talks about 1200 PCL6, 1200 PCL5e, 1200 PS, plus all of the corresponding driver bundles and print bundles. How do you know which one you need? I think I have tried most if not all of them to no avail.

I tried using Windows 2000 drivers and previously suggested but they did not work.

Another gentleman from this forum was kind enough to advise me to try checking the printer cable to make sure it is IEEE 1284 compliant (it is) and to try installing a Laserjet 4 printer to force the LJ 1200 to use the PCL5e driver. That unfortunately did not work. I reinstalled the LTP1 port just for laughs but that did not work.

It sounds like a spooler problem so I have tried restarting the spooler and deleting the spool files. No dice.

Every time I add the printer in Windows and try to print something, I get either the "error - printing" message or the print job just hangs in the queue; either way it does not print. What drivers do I need and what am I doing wrong?

Please help. Thanks.