I have a new Dell PC, running XP Home, with only USB ports. I want to
use my old Brother HL-1230 laser printer as well as my new all-in-one
inkjet, but it only has a parallel port. I have an adaptor cable, but
as soon as I attach the parallel connector end to the printer the
printer turns itself off (ie it's plugged in and switched on, but all
the status lights go out). I have tried various things to get this to
work, carried out steps in different orders, installed removed and
reinstalled drivers, tried to follow the installation instructions
supplied by Brother etc, but although Windows can see the printer, it
won't print. Is it going to be possible to get this to work?

If the adapter doesn't work, you could purchase an expansion card that
provides a parallel port:

http://sewelldirect.com/ParallelPCICard.asp