Re: setting up the fax

Carrie wrote:

I looked (once again) in the Lexmark instruction and all it has is "sending
a fax"

1 Open the Lexmark X1100 Series All-In-One Center (learn how to do this).
...
6 Click Next to begin scanning your document and to choose a destination.

From the online manual:

6 Follow the instructions on the computer screen.

Oh yeah, like that's informative. The online setup *** never mentions
hooking a phone line to this device. Only when you get into the
troubleshooting section of the online user guide does it mention that a
phone line must be connected to do faxing.

Unless the "instructions" say otherwise, it doesn't appear the X1100
lets you received faxes. In that case, and easier than trying to get
the modem driver found and installed, setup the Fax Console in Windows
XP, and then configure it to receive faxes (after which you need to
disable its receive function so you can begin using your phone line
again), I'd go with creating an account at eFax or K7 to receive faxes
by e-mail. Once you create the account, give that phone number to the
fax sender. They send a fax, you get it by e-mail. You probably
already have your e-mail program setup to receive e-mails.

Even if, as you claim, the pre-built computer didn't come with Windows
XP installation CDs, the computer maker must provide you with a copy of
the OS to have a legitimate copy of it. It may be in a hidden
partition. Read the manual for that computer. It probably has
instructions on how to burn the restoration image in a hidden partition
on the hard disk onto recordable CDs. You then have the restore CDs in
case your hard disk fails; otherwise, you'll be spending $20, or more,
to have the computer maker ship you out replacement CDs while you wait
for them before you can restore your computer back to its factory setup
state.

"didn't get it from Dell". Sure sounds like you have a Dell but which
one you never mentioned. If the means by which you acquired this piece
of, um, hardware meant no manual was included, read the one that is
online at their site. I can't go look because, so far, you are the only
one that knows which model you have. Once you get the model number off
the sticker, go to their web site to find the online manual. Read it to
find the instructions on how to burn the restore CDs. If the "not Dell"
method of how you got this computer meant that the hard disk had been
repartitioned to wipe out the hidden partition, you don't have a copy of
the OS at all. That means when it crashes due to OS corruption,
malware, or hard disk failure that you will have nothing to reinstall
Windows XP. If you do manage to follow their instructions on creating
restore CDs, look on them for driver files. The restore CDs may only
contain an image of what gets put onto the hard disk for that particular
model so individual files may not be available from that image. It
depends on how Dell provided the OS on the restore CDs. Might be a
sector image that you cannot read. Might be some bastardized file
format that only their restore program knows how to read. It is very
likely not equivalent to a generic OEM version from Microsoft. Dell
loves to customize.

If you do manage to burn the restore CDs following Dell's instructions,
you may end up using it to restore your computer back to its factory
setup state. However, that means losing everything on that hard disk,
including your data files, so back them up somewhere else. If the
voice/data/fax modem was part of the hardware config when you bought
that model, the restore image should include drivers to support it. Do
the restore is like doing major surgery. If the voice/data/fax modem
was added afterward (i.e., not a pre-set Dell configuration) then you
need to find out what brand and model of modem got added by the "didn't
get it from Dell" person that transferred the computer to you, and then
go to that maker's web site to get their driver.

With all that to do, I think using eFax or K7 to create an account and
give that phone number to your waiting daughter or whomever she needs to
give that fax number is the fastest and easiest route to go. With eFax,
you'll need to install their software so you can read the fax that is
attached to the e-mail. Their file format is smaller by a third than
recieiving faxes contained with .tif files. eFax is also pretty
reliable. K7 doesn't require any software installs because they assume
your have software, like Windows Picture and Fax Viewer included in
Windows, that will read standard (but larger) .tif files. I haven't
used K7 long enough to know how reliable they are.

Faxzero: Send a fax using a web browser. Free. No hardware setup, not
tied to a particular computer. Doesn't tie up your phone line. No
login required and do not need to setup an account unless you want to
send big faxes or more than 2 per day.

eFax or K7: Receive a fax using e-mail. Free (for receiving faxes). No
hardware setup, not tied to a particular computer. eFax requires
software install (but I don't leave it running because I only need it to
read fax files, not for sending faxes). Doesn't tie up your phone line.
Wherever you can get e-mail, you can receive a fax.

You don't even have to go through all this. It is your daughter that
wants to get the fax. So go have her create the eFax or K7 account and
have her give that fax number to whomever it is that she wants to
receive the fax. She'll get the fax via e-mail. You don't have to do
anything for HER to get the fax. Let her handle her own e-mails where
the faxes will arrive.
.

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