WinFax PRO Support

So you’re looking for fax software for your Windows based computer? WinFax PRO is a good choice, its the leading Windows desktop software for faxing and has been for over 15 years, it has many features, outstanding management capabilities, and is very easy to learn.

Here’s a Video of some of WinFax’s features.  It was incorrectly named Norton WinFax in the video, WinFax Features Video

Before you purchase WinFax PRO software (eBay is one source), I’d recommend you read the following guide, so you know what you are buying.

Some WinFax History

WinFax was developed by Canadian software developers Delrina Technology in the early 1990s. Delrina sold millions of copies worldwide and as its flagship product, it pushed Delrina to become one of the fastest growing technology companies in Canada. The software allowed Windows based PCs with fax modems to easily send and receive faxes. It was part of Delrina’s contribution towards the “paperless” office. It included a easy to use interface and advanced features that still are not found in many fax software packages today. Delrina’s success caught the eye of software giant Symantec, and the company, along with the development rights to WinFax, was sold to Symantec in 1995. Symantec continued developing and updating WinFax PRO until about 2002, until it was discontinued in June 2006. Support ceased in August, 2006. As of the writing of this guide, no new versions are being developed by Symantec or any other third party. However, WinFax is still being used by thousands of users worldwide today! The reason is many die-hard users of this great fax package don’t want to give up the ease of use of WinFax – and have tried many other “alternatives” without success. Although never confirmed by Symantec, it has been rumoured that over 10 million copies of WinFax PRO were sold worldwide prior to being discontinued.

Free Upgrades, Support?

So now you know Symantec has discontinued WinFax. Auctions on eBay which claim “Free upgrades” are misleading, because Symantec will not offer any free upgrades, provide support, or provide updates to this software. While there is a LiveUpdate (Symantec’s automatic update software) feature in WinFax PRO, it does not automatically update your version of the software. Live technical Support from Symantec is also no longer available, and the only source of information for WinFax PRO is what is available from their on-line Web site or third-party Web sites. So be prepared to solve problems yourself on-line, or with the help a third party Web site, or support service such as the GetFaxing.com WinFax forums. More information on WinFax PRO and how to receive LIVE remote technical support can be found at www.GetFaxing.com. All retail versions of WinFax PRO 10 included a manual, and were sold with the “yellow” cardboard box. If the auction your looking at doesn’t include a manual or box, the CD might be counterfeit, especially if the seller has multiple copies for sale. Symantec has recently sued many dealers who sold illegal copies of their software. Be aware of what you are buying and what you will receive. Lots of sellers like to include a picture of the nice yellow box shot of WinFax PRO in their auctions, and many auctions use the wording “SEALED”, but you only end up receiving is sealed CD-ROM in an envelope sleeve. Many sellers also claim your buying the “OEM version” but WinFax PRO 10 was never bundled with specific hardware, so there are no OEM versions of WinFax PRO 10. (There were some BASIC Editions that were bundled with hardware, but these were feature limited) However, there are some exceptions and many eBay sellers are legitimate. Loose sleeve CDs may be legitimate software that was never put into a box for retail sale, used for volume licensing sales, some one selling a copy that lose the box and manual, etc. Its very difficult for you to determine how the seller obtained these CDs, so you might want to ask them. Look at the eBay feedback rating and comments to see if they’ve had any complaints before bidding.

Vista and Windows 7 compatibility

If you’re using Windows Vista or Windows 7, forget about using WinFax PRO. While WinFax PRO will install under Microsoft Vista and Windows 7, it will not operate properly. The fax printer driver will not install in these operating systems (it’s not compatible). The printer driver is the heart of WinFax, without it, you can’t send faxes from applications. If you already have Vista Ultimate or Business Editions, you’ll already have a basic fax software included with the operating system. These are very basic and not even come close to the features of WinFax. Unfortunately, if you only have Vista Home, Premium or Basic you won’t get any built in fax capability. Windows 7 will also include a very limited fax capability, but at this time it is unknown which versions will support this feature out of the box.

If you have Windows XP, you’re best bet is version 10.03. Version 10.03 is the version if you require access to Outlook 2003 data. Other versions will not function properly with Outlook 2003 and will give you grief with your Office applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, because WinFax likes to install these add-ins without telling you. While 10.03 is recommended, it is not necessary. Version 10.02 has problems with the “Software Development Kit”, so if you plan on using WinFax with any other application, forget version 10.02. Version 10.04 is only required if you are using a Fax Sharing Host in Windows XP SP2 or SP3 (this is the only update can be downloaded from Symantec’s Web site, but to update you require version 10.03)

Using WinFax PRO with Windows XP Service Pack 3 / Service Pack 2

Yes, WinFax PRO is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3. Anyone who claims otherwise, is incorrect. If you’ve recently upgraded your Windows XP computer to include Internet Explorer 7/8, Service Pack 2, or the latest Service Pack 3, and you use WinFax PRO or TalkWorks PRO, you may have encountered a problem entering fax numbers in a phonebook. You may have also encountered problems entering a fax number, an IP address, or CSID (Caller Station Identifer – a fax number) during the installation or within the user properties setup of WinFax PRO. Download WinFax Tools for a solution.

WinFax PRO 10 Version history

WinFax PRO 10.0 (released prior to Windows XP, but will install with Windows XP. Problems with Office 2003)

WinFax PRO 10.01 (short lived LiveUpdate for 10.0, fixed a few bugs, such as changing e-mail forwarding file type from .exe to .fxm, but generated some other flaws, because of this, it was removed as an update)

WinFax PRO 10.02 (officially planned Windows XP version. Problems with Office 2003 integration still, and also introduced the SDK problem which causes problems with third-party integration (Merge faxing with Microsoft Word, ACT! etc.)

WinFax PRO 10.03 (released to fix problems in 10.02 – much better, Outlook 2003 works without crashing. Still problems with Word macros)

WinFax PRO 10.04 (released as an update from version 10.03 only, fixes the security settings in Windows XP SP2 only for use with Fax Sharing) Not recommended as an update unless you are using Fax Sharing and Windows XP SP2 on all computers.

What type of fax modem?

You’ll need an analog fax/data modem installed on your PC for sending and receiving faxes. WinFax will not send “Internet faxes” for free using a DSL or Cable Modem. WinFax can be used to send internet faxes, but can only be done with a third-party company called Concord Fax which charges a fee for usage. Visit www.getfaxing.com/winfax  for more details on using a DSL or Cable Modem with WinFax PRO

The three main internal components of any analog fax modem are the DPU (Data Pump Unit which contains the DSP-Digital Signal Processor,RAM+ROM), the MCU (Microprocessor control unit) and the DAA (Data Access Arrangement which is the portion of the modem that handles the telephone line connection) . Different types of modems will include the DPU & MCU either in hardware in the form of microprocessor chips on the modem itself, or emulated in software performed by the computer. All modems have a DAA as hardware but they are not all created equal. The actual functions of these components are not discussed in detail here, but we mention them so you can understand the differences between the different types of modems you can buy.

“SoftModems”

They’re internal and sometimes found as external USB modems and can be purchased at computer stores or on eBay for very cheap or they come bundled with your computer. They work, but not always well with WinFax. They’ll come with drivers that are specific for the operating system you are using (usually, this is Windows – many Linux users don’t like softmodems for this reason). A “soft modem” is usually missing the DPU and MCU hardware that more expensive modems have built in. Instead of this hardware, the computer is used to simulate this missing hardware, this reduces the overall manufacturing cost of the modem because it uses less microprocesser chips. Why do you think it only cost $10? Some people might have had a bad experience with a “softmodem” and will tell you these modems are junk, but the truth is these modems can and do work if you have a fast computer and the drivers are installed correctly. We have many of our customers working well with these types of modems, so if you’ve already have one of these modem installed in your desktop or notebook, you can give it a try. You might be successful, just be aware that you can probably do better with the “controller based” or “controller-less” type modem described below. If your sending and receiving a serious amount of faxes while working on your computer doing other tasks, you might want to look at a better performing fax modem. Usually around $20.00 price. PCTel, ESS, Conexant Soft56K, HSF, U.S. Robotics 5670 are all softmodems.

“Winmodems”

Winmodems are often refered to as being the same as “softmodems”, but this is not true when dealing with U.S. Robotics types modems. U.S. Robotics came out with the first “WinModem” in the late 90s, and they own the trademark to this brand name. So legally, other modem manufacturers can’t call their modems “WinModems”. A U.S. Robotics brand “WinModem” is usually a controller-less type of modem. If a modem is a referred to as a “WinModem”, and is not a U.S. Robotics brand, you can be sure its really just a “softmodem”. I expect because of this consumer confusion, U.S. Robotics has dropped using the name “WinModem” for newer models of modems they manufacturer.

“Controller based” modems, often called “Hardware Modems”.

All external modems which use the serial port connection (usually 9pin or 25pin) are Controller based modems. Also often called “Hardware Modem”. The processing is done all within the modem itself, and not the computer. These modems have the DPU & MCU built into the hardware so you don’t have the computer worry about these tasks. These are the best types of modems. You can also purchase internal versions of these modems in PCI or PCIe format, but they are a rare find as few manufacturers make these. Found new at around $50 and up for external, internal hardware modems PCI/PCIe $70 and up. U.S. Robotics 5610 is a controller based internal fax modem.

“Controller-less” based modems.

A controller-less based modem off loads the MCU to the PC. This lowers the overall cost of the modem but keeps the DPU on the modem itself, so it’s one step below performance of the Controller based modem, but well ahead the “Softmodem” design. Many internal PCI modems manufactured today are “Controller-less” based modems, unfortunately, these aren’t the modems that usually get bundled with your PC. These are a popular choice for those who don’t want an external based fax modem. These modems are sometimes also referred incorrectly as a “hardware modem” when compared with a “softmodem”. Found new at a price range from a low of $30 and up. The Conexant HCF type fax modems are controller-less and U.S. Robotics “WinModems” are controller-less.

How can I tell the difference between types of modems?

A “softmodem” is fairly easy to recognize, its the one that is small, compact, and might only have a single-chip on the entire fax circuit board. If the driver name has the words “Soft” , “Flex”, “HSP”, HSF” its likely a softmodem. Most manufacturers of softmodems will not mention anywhere in their marketing material about it being a “softmodem”, so you need to look a the driver, or the modem circuit board, or do some research on the specificiations of the fax modem from the manufacturer. External USB modems also fall into the “softmodem” category, but some external modems have both USB and Serial connections which could be controller based fax modems. Internal Controller-less and Controller based fax modems usually will have a few microprocessor chips on the fax circuit board, perhaps 2 or more microprocessor chips. They are usually larger in size when compared to a softmodem. Most manufacuters who make these modems make sure their marketing promotes the fact they are “hardware based” fax modems and can get a higher price tag because of this.

External controller based fax modems are easy to recognize, they’re external, require an added power supply, and connect to the computer via RS-232 (serial type 9 pin or 25 pin) connector. When in doubt, find the model number of your fax modem, and if possible, contact the manufacturer for specifications of the fax modem.

Look for an old fax modem

Older 28.8kbps and 33.6kbps fax modems are just as good as the new 56kbps ones. Remember this speed is for the “data” portion of the modem, not the fax, which is standard at 14.4kbps. The max fax rate that you can transmit with WinFax is 14.4kbps, so these fax modems work fine. Older modems manufactured in the mid and late 90s (Hayes, Supra. U.S. Robotics for example.) are good for use with WinFax and eBay is a good source to buy used, older 14.4kbps fax modems dirt cheap. Unfortunately, many older internal modems use the old ISA bus which all modern computers have abandoned, so you want to avoid these because they just won’t plug into a modern PC with PCI slots. Internal controller based PCI modems are good if you stick with those that are “controller based” or “controller-less”. Rockwell based (now called Conexant) chipset are recommended, but external modems using the standard 9 pin or older 25 pin serial port work best. The fax standard is 14.4kbps, so an older modem will perform the same speed as a new one when using WinFax PRO.

2 modems in one computer

WinFax PRO will support up to 2 modems on a single PC. If you need to have dual modems, I’d recommend ensuring both modems are different, otherwise, you may run into difficulties. Two external controller based modems are best, or one external controller-based and one internal controller-less. You can try two controller-less modems, but make sure they are different models/manufacturers. Never use two softmodem based modems on a single machine, you’re just asking for trouble.

Fax Merge/Fax Broadcasting/Sending Bulk Faxes

Yes, WinFax PRO can receive faxes but one of the most common uses of WinFax PRO is to send many faxes, called a fax merge/fax blast, or fax broadcast. You might have a fax that you need to send to each of your customers or clients on a weekly or monthly basis. A properly configured WinFax PRO is perfect for this type of job. A fax merge allows you to personalize individual faxes to your clients. We can assist in setting up this type of service for you, never again do you have to pay an outsouring company to send your faxes – you can do it all yourself! More information can be found at GetFaxing.com

Hope this guide helps, and good luck with your faxing project! If you have any additional information you’d like to suggest for this posting please let us know.