Re: Fax Printing

Yes, you do have an appropriate fax modem installed and Device Manager is
happy with it. You may have Security Database corruption, a common problem
experienced by many who attempt to re-install the Fax service after applying
SP2; I've seen several reports that lead me to think the same thing might
happen after SP3 is installed, but the jury is still out on that. In these
cases there is no error message during the installation (distinguishing this
from the very common problem where the installation routine states it cannot
find the necessary files). The installation appears to proceed without
error, but when it is over there is no fax printer listed in Printers &
Faxes and any attempt to send a fax results in the error message "Fax
server information cannot be retrieved. The Fax Wizard will now close." This
problem appears to occur because the security data base is corrupted as
documented here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/884018/EN-US/
You cannot add a Windows component in Windows XP

This article describes a hotfix users can obtain that might fix the problem
and states that Microsoft does NOT recommend simply running the Esentutl.exe
utility (also referred to in the article, it can repair/rebuild the corrupt
file) to recover from security database corruption.

You can either:

1. Get the hotfix mentioned in the KB article and install it. Microsoft
waives any charges for support calls to get supported hotfixes
listed in Knowledge Base articles.

2. Try this procedure using the Esentutl.exe utility mentioned in the KB
article to fix the bad database file:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00270202
HP and Compaq Notebook PCs: Unable to Install Windows XP Fax Software

I can report that the Esentutl utility has corrected the problem in a number
of cases, HOWEVER, note that Microsoft recommends against using the utility
and would prefer you try the hotfix.

As to your last paragraph, No, you cannot set your PSC as the "Fax Printer".
The Fax Printer is your phone modem, period. Anything you print to the Fax
Printer from any application gets rendered into a bitmap graphic and sent
down the phone line through your BCM V.92.56K Modem to a fax machine
somewhere. Microsoft would have been better off calling it the "Fax
Machine" instead of labeling it "Fax Printer", it would eliminate this
confusion.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- hhh@xxxxxxxx
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Live at Hot Licks - www.badnewsbluesband.com

"Magsmom" <Magsmom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:B7CB296E-383A-4353-89B3-94D21138F05D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I can't remember for sure, but I think I may have used this computer to
send
faxes before, with a different printer.
According to my Device Manager, I have a BCM V.92.56K Modem and it is
working properly. No other description was given so I googled BCM and
never
really found anything to say specifically whether or not it is a "fax"
modem.
However, I did find a posting by someone who said they had previously
used
this modem to send faxes and then suddenly, it would not work anymore to
send
faxes. This person was using XP and I am wondering if possibly either SP2
or
SP3 may have messed something up.

I understand that I cannot print a fax until my fax console has received
it,
but the fact that my fax console "File" menu items are all grayed out and
I
have the message "No Fax Printer Installed" in the status bar, would lead
me
to believe that it is not possible for me to send or receive faxes until
that
issue is resolved.

Also, the Fax Console "Help" files have the following instructions for
sending a windows document as a fax:

"Send a fax from a Windows application. You can send a fax from a Windows
application by opening or creating a document in the application, and then
printing it to a fax printer. The Send Fax Wizard then opens to help you
send
the fax, with a cover page if required. "

That sounds to me as if I should be able to open my document and then
click
on print and select the "Fax Printer" but I can't find out how to
configure
my PSC as the fax printer.


"Lem" wrote:

Magsmom wrote:
Thank you Hal.
I think I understand your post. It appears that although the regular
phone
modems that used to handle faxes in the past, are no longer sufficient
to use
with Windows XP. So much for progress!

When I open my fax console, all options for sending and receiving
faxes are
grayed out and un-available and the status bar has the message "No Fax
printer installed", so I assume that I must not have an analog fax
modem on
my system. Therefore, I would have to purchase and install this fax
modem
before I can utilitze the XP fax services. Would this "Fax" modem be
available from most computer stores Micro Center or Comp USA?


Not quite.

If you've ever sent a fax with *this computer* (not your current
printer), then the chances are that you *do* have a fax modem.

The easiest way to resolve this issue is to open Device Manager (e.g.,
right click "My Computer" select "Properties" then "Hardware" then click
the "Device Manager" button) and go down the list until you see
"Modems." Then click on the + to open this category. If the entry
there isn't self-explanatory (mine, for example, says "Zoom V.92 PCI
Voice FaxModem") then either Google the make/model or post it here.

As for buying a new fax modem -- if you really need one -- yes, most
computer stores should carry these (most CompUSA stored have closed,
however).

Just keep in mind that you use your HP PSC 1350 *printer* to print the
fax after your *fax modem* has actually received it.

The term "fax printer" is misleading because, as Hal explained,
selecting the "fax printer" to "print" a document does not in fact
result in any printing, but sends the document to the fax modem to be
transmitted over the phone line.
--
Lem -- MS-MVP

To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computer
http://history.nasa.gov/afj/compessay.htm



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