Multiple BOB's and parallel ports, and different driver card issues

Could you expand on reset? I noticed this in the original old working hal file:
setp parport.0.reset-time 5000
net xstep => parport.0.pin-02-out
setp parport.0.pin-02-out-reset 1
net xdir => parport.0.pin-03-out

Is this something I might try inserting in the newer hal file? What exactly does it do?
Also in that old file, steplen=1, and stepspace=0,

I see "steplen" and "stepspace" for each axis in the latest hal file....and both are set to 1. What would be a suggested value to start with?

OK....I tried duplicating the reset lines in the new hal file. The move commands in AXIS are smoother, but still there are a few step loss's. AND I still see the port not found errors, along with the real time delay...and a following error on the A axis (the Gecko driver)

Also, the Z and A axes both now seem to move a fixed amount and stop...even though "continuous" is specified.

Moving to gmoccapy, the real time error message and the port not found errors pop up immediately in opening the gui. Also, changing "ldrt_parport cfg="0xe010 out 0xd010 out" to cfg = "0 out 1 out" caused an immediate error when loading the GUI.

It sure looks like something is killing the parallel port interface from within the GUI's...any thoughts on this?

Another update:
I remarked out all references to the second parallel port and the XYZA ports run very smoothly at fastest speeds, BUT the Z axis moves INCREMNTALLY rather than continuously.

Restoring the support lines for the second port also restored the lost step problems. The only lines used now on the second port are for the spindle brake and coolant, but I had planned to bring in all the limit switches on this port.

GAAAAH. this is getting frustrating.

Ok that seems like both pci cards are using the same IRQ, so in the BIOS there is a setting pertaining to resource or IRQ asigment that has to be set to manual and edited to have diferent IRQ for those PCI cards.
You should also disable everything that you do not need to have more room to play with, there is a very limited number of IRQ so most stuff has to share them.

I think your are right....LSPCI -V (image attached) says both ports are on IRQ-11. Being totally ignorant of the working of the Debian OS (unlike CPM running on an 8080--which probably dates me), could you point me in the right direction to change the IRQ pointers?

MANY THANKS TO ALL for the help so far~

At work so no access to PC till late afternoon or evening. I have to check on 2 or 3 of them as they have different BIOS versions.
Or could you post pictures of your bios, it might remind me.