Windows Server 2003

The first problem with installation of WinFax PRO under Windows 2003 is that the printer driver support in the operating system was moved from kernel to user mode. The reason is that the use of kernel mode printer drivers can possibily cause a server to hang, result in a blue screen and require a reboot. This isn’t something you want happening on a server. Because of this possibility, Microsoft decided to block the installation of all kernel mode printer drivers in Windows 2003. During the installation of WinFax PRO, a kernel mode printer driver (also called version 2 printer driver) is added to your list of installed printers. By default, Windows 2003 won’t allow you to add this printer, and during the installation it is either ignored silently or a printer driver related error message is displayed. Fortunately, in Windows 2003 you can bypass this restriction. You can set a group policy in Windows 2003 to allow the installation of kernel mode printers. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to successfully install WinFax PRO under Windows 2003.

Windows Server 2008

 Windows Server 2008 does not support Type 2/Kernel Mode printer drivers. While the installation of WinFax (may) appear to complete under Windows 2008, the installation  will not include these printer drivers.  WinFax PRO is not compatible with this operating system.

If you are experiencing errors installing the WinFax printer driver, such as Error Code ->1797 or Error Code->126 you may have problems with the WinFax driver files.

Symantec has a list of troubleshooting steps here, but we’ve found these are usually not always effective in solving this problem (and is very time consuming, a reinstall is usually not required). 

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/faxprod.nsf/docid/2002012814193804

Subscribers to our forums and download access to WinFax Tools can automatically check for these files and repair any errors automatically.

This error can be fixed in WinFax Tools by clicking on “Install & Setup Tools” and then, “Install Printer Driver”

Click here for more information on subscribing to WinFax Tools.

WinFax printer add failed. Error code ->1930

WinFax PRO and TalkWorks PRO requires a Windows compatible operating system such as Windows 9x, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP, that will support Kernel Mode (Type 2) printer drivers. Microsoft VISTA and Windows 7 do not support Kernel Mode printer drivers.  While Windows 2003 does support kernel mode printers, they are blocked by default. Windows 2003 requires a policy change to allow for Kernel mode printer driver installation. You must disallow Kernel Mode blocking in Windows 2003 before you can install the WinFax printer drivers.

Our initial testing confirms that you can run WinFax PRO in Windows XP mode, but you cannot “share” the WinFax PRO printer driver with Windows 7 applications.  We successfully shared the fax modem, (and it was a software based modem!) but not the fax printer. This prevents any access from Windows 7 programs to the WinFax printer. Only the applications that are installed within the Windows XP Virtual machine can be used with WinFax to send faxes, you cannot create faxes from within Windows 7 applications. 

This limits the usability of WinFax in Windows 7.  if you require to fax from a Windows 7 application, it will not work.  Although, having Windows XP within your Windows 7 operating system saves you the expensive of having another separate computer just to run legacy Windows XP applications such as WinFax.

An alternative to WinFax PRO is FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro,  more details here

 More on Windows XP Mode with Windows 7.

Windows XP Mode is a feature that is optional on Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise versions of Windows 7. Windows XP Mode is not available in the Home Premium or Starter Editions of Windows 7. Windows XP Mode option can be downloaded at no additional charge with a qualified version of Windows 7 directly from Microsoft’s Web site here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx

In addition to the downloads, you’ll need a compatible processor and motherboard that supports hardware virtualization (AMD-V or Intel VT , also code named Vanderpool technology) . Microsoft has released a tool which you can download to test to see if your processor can support the AMD-V or Intel VT mode.  See Microsoft’s link above for more details.

More info on some compatible CPU’s in this post: http://www.getfaxing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=718

• About.cfg
• ISUtil.dll
• UNINSTAL.DLL
• WFXCTL32.EXE (2 different versions depending on operating system)
• WFXRES32.DLL
• WFXIFWPP.DLL
• WPHOST.WPI

The update should only be applied to WinFax PRO 10.03 (North America) version, and is recommended only if you are using the Fax Sharing feature where one or more client(s) are using Windows XP.  

We do not recommend installing this patch for any other purpose, as it does not solve any other issues. If you’re having a problem with WinFax not related to fax sharing under Windows XP, then this update will not fix it. If you are using version 10.03 and do not use fax sharing, this update is not recommended. Do not install this update overtop any other version of WinFax, or any non-English language version of WinFax.

Symantec’s instructions to download and install WinFax PRO 10.04 update is available here: http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/faxprod.nsf/docid/2004113014595304

Situation: During the installation of WinFax, or when you reboot your computer, the WinFax PRO configuration wizard setup screen appears. When you are presented with the screen to enter your name, fax number and CSID, the screen disappears or the computer hangs/freezes. You cannot continue the setup, and you cannot start WinFax as the setup is not completed.

These steps apply to Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3, and all versions of WinFax PRO and TalkWorks PRO.

Start WinFax Tools (The full version of WinFax Tools is provided to all paid subscribers to the WinFax Forums. Click here for Premium Subscription Information)

1. Click on Install & Setup Tools button.
2. Click on Fix Start Up Errors button.
3. Click YES, WinFax will automatically close if active.
4. Click OK to any messages that appear, until completed.
5. Click Fix Entry Problem on the Main WinFax Tools screen.
6. Follow the on screen instructions that appear.
7. Reboot computer when done.
8. If WinFax setup appears, continue with setup. If WinFax Setup does not automatically start, start WinFax Tools, click on Install & Setup Tools button, click Start WTNSETUP button & Continue the WinFax installation.

Information regarding use of WinFax with Microsoft Vista and Microsoft Windows 7 from the WinFax Forums:  http://www.getfaxing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=718

Technical article on Microsoft Vista and WinFax PRO: http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2008/11/29/winfax-pro-and-microsoft-vista-compatibility/

Technical article on Microsoft Windows 7 and WinFax PRO: http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2009/06/03/symantec-winfax-pro-and-microsoft-windows-7-compatibility/

Alternative to WinFax PRO is FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro 7.5, it is compatible with Windows 7 & VISTA. More details here: http://www.getfaxing.com

This is an error that causes an uninstall of WinFax PRO to fail.  This file is an uninstallation log file that is generated by a third party installation tool called Install Shield. Its automatically generated when you first installed WinFax PRO, so you won’t find this file on the WinFax PRO installation CD ROM. This log file contains all the information and settings that the uninstall program requires to remove WinFax, such as the program folder locations and features that you added or removed during the install process.

The problem is if you don’t have this file, or it is bad/corrupt, you won’t be able to successfully uninstall WinFax PRO.  The uninstall halts, and you can’t continue. You’re left with WinFax that may be partially installed.

Possible Solutions:

If you have an installation of WinFax on another working computer, you could copy the WFXUNIST.ISU to the computer where the problem is occuring.  However, both computers must be using the same folders and features.  If you installed the software in the same way on both machines, to the same folders, then this may  solve the problem.

The preferred solution is to reinstall WinFax PRO to the same installation folder, so the uninstall log file is recreated and any corrupt or missing files are recreated.  You should then be able to perform a proper uninstall after you’ve reinstalled successfully. We always recommend making a backup of your entire WinFax folder including any Data folders before attempting this if you require any WinFax information.

NOTE: WinFax PRO versions 10.02 and 10.03 also require that you must uninstall before you can reinstall the software, so the above method will not work for these versions as it will display a message that an existing version of WinFax is installed, and it will halt the install process. Since you can’t uninstall, you can’t reinstall.

If you are a premium support subscriber, we have our own tools available within our WinFax Tools program and in our premium download area to bypass this message and allow an install overtop the existing version.

Another option is to bypass the WinFax PRO uninstall completely and use the WinFax Clean utility, available in the Premium Downloads area. This program will completely remove WinFax and all related registry keys.

One of the main components of WinFax PRO is its printer driver, the printer driver allows you to fax from other applications. Without this driver, you cannot send faxes from other applications. WinFax PRO is crippled without the installation of the included printer (WinFax) driver, without it, all you can fax are single cover pages that are built into WinFax.

The first problem with installation of WinFax PRO under Windows 2003 is that the printer driver support in the operating system was moved from kernel to user mode. The reason is that the use of kernel mode printer drivers can possibily cause a server to hang, result in a blue screen and require a reboot. This isn’t something you want happening on a server. Because of this possibility, Microsoft decided to block the installation of all kernel mode printer drivers in Windows 2003.

During the installation of WinFax PRO, a kernel mode printer driver (also called version 2 printer driver) is added to your list of installed printers. By default, Windows 2003 won’t allow you to add this printer, and during the installation it is either ignored silently or a printer driver related error message is displayed.

Fortunately, in Windows 2003 you can bypass this restriction. You can set a group policy in Windows 2003 to allow the installation of kernel mode printers. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to successfully install WinFax PRO under Windows 2003.

Using Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Services with WinFax

One of the reasons of a Windows 2003 Server installation is because you can then use Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services to have users connect remotely. We get a lot of requests regarding using WinFax with Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services. This article may save you a lot of time and headaches.

Many printer drivers just don’t support terminal services (now called Remote Desktop Services), and WinFax PRO’s kernel mode drivers are no exception. If you attempt to print to the WinFax PRO printer driver, the output results will only appear on the console session (session 0), not the users remote connection. There is a document from Microsoft which explains how to shadow the console session 0 with a remote session here. Not a solution, but you can see what is going on here.

So the problem here is anyone using Remote Desktop Services trying to send a fax from their local machine are not going to see the WinFax Send screen asking them enter a fax number/name for the document they want to fax. While you could shadow the console session 0, its not always a good solution.

Alternative solution and sharing WinFax PRO with other clients

WinFax PRO includes a feature called Fax Sharing. It allows you to configure one computer to be a “WinFax Host”, and then you can connect (up to 25) other “WinFax clients” to it. The clients you connect don’t require a fax modem, they just require WinFax PRO to be installed on the local machine. Faxes are then routed to the Host from the client and are sent through the installed fax modem on the Windows 2003 server. Each client has its own send & receive log, and installed WinFax printer driver so everything is generated on the client computer. Remember that each client must be using an OS that WinFax can support, like Windows XP.

With Fax Sharing, you can configure the Windows 2003 machine as a WinFax Host. You can then install WinFax PRO on each user’s machine, and then connect to the Host. The Host machine doesn’t even need the have the WinFax PRO printer drivers, they are not required if all the faxes are going to be processed from the client machines print drivers. We’ve not experienced any problems with the WinFax PRO printer drivers, they are fairly stable, but if you don’t want to stay clear of Kernel mode drivers installed under Windows 2003, then you can remove them or just leave blocking of kernel mode printers on during the installation of WinFax.

I hope this article provides you a better understanding how WinFax interacts with Terminal Services/Remote Desktop Services, and some of the issues with using WinFax with Windows 2003 Server machines. There are of course other technical requirements when dealing with Fax Sharing and Windows XP SP2 or SP3 clients, which will be covered in another article.

This error message, along with the “ WinFax is not active for this User Account. Please start the controller and try again.” error message are both related. They can only occur with version 10.02 and higher of WinFax PRO that is operating in the Windows XP environment.  This error does not appear under Windows 2000 or Windows 9x environments, or versions 10.0 or 10.01 of WinFax PRO. To determine the version of WinFax PRO you are using, click “WinFax Info” button in WinFax Tools.

This error message can occur when you are using the Windows XP Fast User Switching feature.  The reason these messages only appear under Windows XP and versions 10.02 and higher is because these versions included support for Windows XP and specifically checked for the use of the fast user switching feature under Windows XP. This feature allows you to switch between users that are logged into Windows XP, while keeping that users applications running in the background.

The problem is that if another user already has the WinFax Controller running in the background, you can’t start another WinFax instance from another users account. (If you could, it would mess up the database and probably cause data failure).  In this specific case, this message is normal. You can’t start another copy of WinFax if someone else is running it in the background.

While this is the most common situation where this message can appear, its also possible something else is wrong and you don’t use Windows XP Fast User Switching, or don’t even have other users logged into Windows. 

Usually, when you run into this message you may need to reboot of the computer. Its possible that specific WinFax PRO startup programs and service were closed down prematurely, or didn’t execute or startup properly under the current user.  A reboot of the computer should successfully restart these programs that WinFax requires to use.  If this does not solve the problem, then your installation of WinFax is likely corrupt and needs repair. 

If you continue to encounter this error we recommend using the “Fix Start Up Errors” option in WinFax Tools. ]]> http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2009/07/14/error-another-user-on-this-computer-is-using-winfax-please-try-again-later/feed/ 0 http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2009/07/12/error-winfax-is-not-active-for-this-user-account-please-start-the-controller-and-try-again/ http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2009/07/12/error-winfax-is-not-active-for-this-user-account-please-start-the-controller-and-try-again/#comments Sun, 12 Jul 2009 17:05:39 +0000 admin http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/?p=286 This error message can occur with version 10.02 and higher of WinFax PRO that is operating in the Windows XP environment.  It does not appear under Windows 2000 or windows 9x environments, or versions 10.0 or 10.01. To determine the version of WinFax PRO you are using, click “WinFax Info” button in WinFax Tools.

Usually, starting the WinFax Controller may correct this problem, in some scenarios you may need to reboot of the computer.  If this does not solve the problem, then your installation of WinFax is likely corrupt and needs repair.

If you continue to encounter this error we recommend using the “Fix Start Up Errors” option in WinFax Tools.

1. Start WinFax Tools
2. Click on Install & Setup Tools button.
3. Click on Fix Start Up Errors button.
4. Click YES, WinFax will automatically close if active.
5. Click OK to any messages that appear.
6. You’re done.

A subscription to the WinFax Forums gives you access to all our WinFax Support forums, and includes use of our exclusive WinFax Tools application, download access to fax modem drivers and many other related WinFax downloads. For more details on subscribing to our service, please visit:  http://www.getfaxing.com/services.htm#forums 

1. Subscribe to WinFax Tools here with your Paypal account : http://www.getfaxing.com/services.htm#forums
2. Download WinFax Tools and save Winfax Tools to your desktop or other location.
3. Start WinFax Tools. Click “Check for Updates” to update WinFax Tools to the latest version (included with your subscription, enter your user id and password to access the download)
4. Click WinFax No Pages Fix. Click Yes to start the check. Click Yes to check compatibility settings. This option checks to ensure all the settings for WinFax are configured for Windows XP.
5. Click OK to the “Done processing” message.
6. Click Fix Viewer DLL Security button.  Click OK to continue. (NOTE: A Windows XP security update from April 2010 makes this option obsolete, but if you should NOT skip this step. If WinFax Tools detects the security update has already been applied by a Windows XP update, it will report this.)
7. Click “Fix Entry Problem” button. Follow the on-screen instructions.
8. Reboot computer.  NOTE: A reboot is necessary for the changes to be applied by Windows XP.
9. If you continue to experience problems, visit our forums at http://www.getfaxing.com/forums and post a message. A technician can provide you additional assistance. (Forums support is included with your subscription)

The following information will help you determine the version of WinFax PRO you have installed or have on a CD/install image.

To determine which version of WinFax PRO 10 you are using if you already have WinFax PRO installed:

1. Open the WinFax Message Manager Application
2. Click Help.
3. Click About Message Manager. The “About WinFax Pro” box appears.
4. Click the General tab. The version is at the top on that tab.

Here are all the possible revisions of WinFax PRO 10 that were released by Symantec (The following information applies to North American English releases of WinFax PRO. International English releases and other languages may differ. In France, WinFax PRO was released as Delrina Fax Pro.)

WinFax PRO 10.0 – released February 2000, prior to the official release of Windows XP, but will install with Windows XP. Problems with Office 2003.

If your CD or software box looks like the one above, you have 10.0 or in some rare cases a 10.01 installation CD.  You can also determine version information by checking the dates of the files stored on the CD in the WinFax folder. The files located in the WinFax folder will have February 2000 and earlier dates.  A 10.01 version may have November – December 2000 or January 2001 dates.

WinFax PRO 10.01 – A patch file for 10.0 that was also released for a limited time as a CD install.  Fixed a few bugs, and added Microsoft Windows Me Certification. The only major change was for email forwarding from a self-extracting fax viewer in .exe format to a multipage fax .fxm format. Increases of viruses being sent as .exe attachments caused many to block the sending of .exe files, so Symantec was forced to change the file format to the native .fxm file.  A mini-viewer was made available for free to allow viewing of fxm, fxs, and fxr type WinFax files for those who did not have WinFax installed. An 10.01 update file exists, but it is no longer available via Symantec’s LiveUpdate.  This version was released in late December 2000, early January 2001.

WinFax PRO 10.02 – Officially released as a Windows XP compatible version. Symantec added code in the setup process to detect the installation under Windows XP, and if detected, it installed a new version of the WinFax Controller. This was modified to support an additional WinFax application called “wfxswtch.exe”. This application handled the “Fast user switching” option in Windows XP and it’s always required with Windows XP installs.  There are problems with Office 2003 integration, problems with security settings in Word Macros, a Software Development Kit (SDK) problem under Windows XP that causes application link failures with third-party software (Merge faxing with Microsoft Word, ACT! etc.).  There is No Symantec LiveUpdate, or update patch file to this version.  This version was released Fall 2001.

WinFax PRO 10.03 – released to fix the 10.02 SDK problem with Windows XP and some minor fixes that were related to macros and Concord Internet Fax.  There is no Symantec LiveUpdate, or update patch to this version. Symantec offered this update at no charge to those who contacted support and had problems encountered with version 10.02. They no longer offer this upgrade. This version was released late 2002, early 2003.

If your CD looks like the one above, you may have a version 10.02 or 10.03 installation CD.  You can also determine version information by checking the dates of the files stored on the CD in the WinFax folder.  September 2001 and earlier dates on the CD indicate a 10.02 version. November 2002 and earlier dates indicate a 10.03 version. An official 10.04 version CD does not exist.

WinFax PRO 10.04 (released as a file update from version 10.03 only, the update only fixes some of the security settings in Windows XP for use with Fax Sharing)  Not recommended as an update unless you are using Fax Sharing. If you do not use Fax Sharing, do not update, and do not update from any other version except 10.03 (English). There is No LiveUpdate to this version, a patch file  is still available for download from Symantec’s Web site. This update file was released sometime in 2005 in response to the release of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

NOTE :   10.04 update was not released on a CD ROM as a full installation or as a patch file. If your version of WinFax includes a copy of a 10.04 updater on the same CD ROM, beware, you are not in possession of an original Symantec software CD.

If you’ve recently upgraded to Microsoft Vista, or purchased a PC with Vista pre-installed and want to use WinFax, you’re out of luck.  WinFax PRO will install under Microsoft Vista if you bypass the install warning message about compatibility, but it will not operate properly. The WinFax printer drivers will not install in Vista (it’s not compatible with the operating system due to Vista’s blocking of Kernel Mode printer drivers). The printer driver is the heart of WinFax, without it, you can’t send (“print”) faxes from your Windows applications, or can you attach documents. There are also several other incompatibilities that I have encountered, such as Fax Sharing (probably due to IPv6), and some application crashes/shutdowns when clicking on fields that happen to require number (digit) entry (usually these are within phonebooks, IP address, area codes, etc.). This is a known problem to occur after upgrading to Internet Explorer 7 or Service Pack 2 or 3 under Windows XP, this issue has been identified and resolved. I have not found any solution for this under Microsoft Vista.