WinFax PRO Support

This is a question we get quite often, there are many manufacturers (HP, Dell, Brother, Canon & Lexmark for example) that are combining a printer with a fax machine and scanner, these are called MFPs (Multi-function printers).  These are common in office environments.  These printers usually do come with some sort of “fax” software that you can send and receive faxes through your computer, in addition to using it as a stand-alone office fax machine. The problem is the software that is bundled with these devices are quite primitive with very basic features.  We’re often asked if you can you use WinFax PRO or other software instead?  The answer is usually and often No. The hardware & software designed for these multi-function printers are proprietary. These multi-function printers are not considered “Fax Modems” and do not follow the Class 1.x or Class 2.x fax modem standard that WinFax PRO uses to communicate with a fax device. 

You can use a  multi-function printer as a scanner for use with WinFax (to scan a fax page), and also to print your faxes.

You’ve upgraded to Office 2010 or Office 2007 and now third party Microsoft Office Add-ins or templates fail to run, this includes the FaxTalk Fax Merge Macro for Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You may see the following error message when you attempt to activate the macro.You have confirmed that your security settings are properly configured, however the macro does not run.

“The macro cannot be found or has been disabled because of your Macro security settings….”

additionally, one the following error messages might also appear:

“Word has encountered a problem.”

or, when attempting to compile a VBA project:

“Object library invalid or contains references to object definitions that could not be found.”

If you have determined that this error is not due to any security settings you have configured in Office 2010 or 2007 Trust Center, then you may need to delete some temporary .exd  files to correct this issue.

1. Close Microsoft Word (or other Microsoft Office product)
2. Click Start, and Run.  Then type
   %APPDATA%\MICROSOFT\FORMS
   and click OK. This will open the folder where these .exd files are located.
3. Locate any files with .exd extension and delete them.  These will be recreated as needed.
4. Restart Microsoft Word.

If all is well, no more  macro error messages!

NOTE: This fix may not apply to “Click-To-Run” versions of Office 2010.  Microsoft has acknowledged that some third party add-ins and templates will not function properly with “Click-To-Run” versions of Office 2010.

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.

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.

Unfortunately, like Microsoft Vista, Windows 7 is not compatible with WinFax PRO due to some of the changes made to the operating system.  With the release of Windows 7, Microsoft has acknowledged that many are still using legacy Windows XP applications, like WinFax PRO, and require a method to run these applications on a Windows 7 based PC.  A possible solution to run these legacy “XP” applications on your Windows 7 desktop is a feature that is available in some versions of Windows 7 called Windows XP Mode. 

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

Error message: “Unable to locate the installation log file C:Program FilesWinFaxWFXUNIST.ISU” during WinFax PRO uninstallation or “WFXUNINST.ISU is missing or corrupt.”

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. Read the rest of this entry »

This error message can occur with version 10.0 and higher of WinFax PRO when the computer is configured as a Fax Sharing Host. It is also related to Error Loading CopyUNIDRV, and WinFax PRO detects that DCOM is not available, please install and activate DCOM support message.

This error message can be corrected with WinFax Tools.  Click “Install & Setup Tools”, then click “Fix Start Up Errors” option in WinFax Tools.

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.

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.

An important update to all WinFax PRO fax users 

UPDATED NEWS : Microsoft releases “ActiveX Killbits” Security Patch for XP February 9th, 2010 (See below)

A security flaw (called a Remote Buffer overflow) with a specific ActiveX Control that is used by WinFax PRO was reported. This type of security flaw is fairly common with ActiveX controls, and effects many programs out there. Recently the same security risks were identified in Facebook & Yahoo Music ActiveX controls. The flaw allows a script (on a Web page that you visit) to execute a program on your computer. When these risks are identified, Microsoft releases a security update to the operating system that fixes these holes. Read the rest of this entry »

 Does Outlook 2003 or 2007 Crash when you exit Outlook? Did this problem start after you installed WinFax PRO 10? If so, check to see if you have “WinFax Logs” linked in Outlook 2003 or 2007. 

Note that Outlook 2007 is not compatible with WinFax PRO – you cannot use Outlook 2007 contacts with WinFax, and the fixes noted below do not resolve phonebook/contact compatibility issues with Outlook 2007 and WinFax PRO

There are three solutions to this problem Read the rest of this entry »

If you’ve recently upgraded or installed updates for your Windows XP computer that included one or more of the following; Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 7, Service Pack 2, or Service Pack 3, or recent Security Updates and you use WinFax PRO 10, 9, 8 or TalkWorks PRO 2,3 , you may have encountered a problem entering fax numbers in a phonebook. You may have also encountered problems (dialog boxes disappearing, closing, General Protection Faults) during the installation or setup – such as, entering a fax number, an IP address, dialing settings, area codes, passwords, or CSID (Caller Station Identifer). Read the rest of this entry »