This was very perplexing. When I turned on the computer today and went to print something, nothing happened. I spent a good many hours today trying almost everything to solve the problem until it dawned on me to go into the BIOS to check if by some fluke the parallel ports were disabled. They were. How did this happen? Is my computer on the verge of breaking down permanently?

I doubt you are close to a meltdown

Your backup battery may be nearing the end of its life (usually a lithium cell on the mainboard). Simple exchange.

Make a note of the CMOS settings coz they will likely vanish when you replace the battery (unless you swap with the power on, not recommended).

Thanks. I thought that could be the case. Is there a way to backup the CMOS settings? Dumb question, probably.

Thanks. I thought that could be the case. Is there a way to backup the CMOS settings? Dumb question, probably.

http://www.pcguide.com/care/bu/whatBIOS-c.html

Sometimes the board will also have a capacitor across this battery. That is, if you change the battery fast (probably within 30 seconds) the settings may not get reset. Also some mainboards have a secondary flash to allow you to backup the CMOS settings. Need to look at your manual or bring up the BIOS window and see if there is an option.