A Fake WinFax PRO 10.03 CD ROM in a paper sleeve

If you purchased WinFax software and have a questions regarding if it is fake or not, let us know and we can check it out for you.  If you purchased a download of  Symantec WinFax PRO, it is an illegal copy and  could contain malware.   

WinFax PRO is no longer being sold & distributed by Symantec and the only way to purchase a legitimate version is 2nd hand (used) or New Old Stock (NOS) from a retailer. 

There are also counterfeit CDs in existance, and they are poor quality copies of the original.  Don’t get ripped off by purchasing a WinFax PRO CD!  The picture above is an image of an actual FAKE / COUNTERFEIT WinFax PRO CD. If in doubt, ask the seller to send you a picture of the actual CD they are selling.  Compare it with the picture here. It is difficult to determine the fake from a real CD if you have never seen an authentic CD, but once you compare the two, the differences are easy to spot. 

The first clue is if your CD contains the version of WinFax PRO. All official CDs will only list version 10.0 on the CD.  Authentic CDs do not include version identifiers 10.02 or 10.03. This is not listed on the CD anywhere.    Official CDs are on silver “shiney” surface where “WinFax PRO” is printed.  A dull matte-finish is a fake CD. 

FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word has two purposes, it allows you to send fax merges and it simplifies faxing from within Microsoft Word.  Looking for Fax Merge for WinFax PRO click here.

Simplify Faxing from Microsoft Word

 FaxTalk Fax Merge simplifies faxing from within Microsoft Word. For example, you can fax any open document in Microsoft Word via a fax icon, retrieve a fax number from a document automatically and add it to FaxTalk Send screen via built-in Word styles, automatically switch to the FaxTalk printer driver and switch back to your original printer when you are done. You can also set specific options for sending, such as setting a default resolution when sending faxes or printing a copy of your Microsoft Word document to your local printer every time you fax. However, the primary function and most powerful feature is performing fax merges.

What is a fax merge or mail merge?

Included with Microsoft Word is a feature called mail merge. A mail merge allows you to create a form letter that contains personalized information for the recipient. An example would be sending a payment reminders to customers with outstanding accounts, each letter would contain the name and address of the recipient, the payment due amount, and payment due date and any other information you’d like to include. While the main components of the letter will remain the same for everyone, the greeting, address, due date, amount or other information is personalized for the specific recipient. Printing and mailing these letters manually is easy enough, but stuffing envelopes and mailing is time consuming and expensive. This task can be accomplished with ease by faxing instead of mailing using the FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word. You can also use the FaxTalk Fax Merge for announcing new products, sending press releases, advertising, marketing & promotions, bulletins, newsletters and more.

A mail merge in Microsoft Word consists of two components, the template (for example, a letter), and a data source (a recipient list that contains names, addresses, phone numbers and any other personalized information.)

The template is the document you want to fax. It contains the body of the message along with placeholders which are replaced with the personalized data that you want to appear in the fax. The placeholders that appear in the document are linked to a data source. The data source is any type of database that can be linked to Microsoft Word. This includes a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, Outlook contacts, Hotmail Live Contacts, an Access database, dBase, SQL, and any ODBC connected database.

More info on FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word

Want to see it in action? We created a video showing an example of a fax merge using FaxTalk Fax Merge with Microsoft Word 2010/2007 here: 

Video of FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word 2010/2007

 

• Fax from any application by clicking Print and selecting the FaxTalk printer driver.
• Scan pages directly from your scanner.
• Supports Super G3 Fax speeds with compatible Class 2.1 hardware.
• Import WinFax PRO faxes and contacts/phonebooks (See Notes below) (*does not import WinFax cover pages)
• Produce professional looking faxes with full preview and annotation.
• Cover Sheet Designer with 9 included pre-designed cover sheets.
• Access Microsoft Outlook (Outlook 2010 32 bit edition) contacts directly when sending faxes.
• Forward received faxes by email. (as PDF, TIFF or proprietary .FAX format)
• Operates as a network fax client for FaxTalk Multiline Server (for FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro or FaxTalk Messenger Pro)
• Broadcast faxes to fax numbers and email addresses.
• Fax Merge (personalize multiple faxes automatically) with Microsoft Word using optional FaxTalk Fax Merge software add-on.
• Fax Merge compatibility with ACT! 2008, ACT! 2009, ACT! 2010 and ACT! 2011 using optional add-on called FaxAdmin.
• Block the reception of unwanted junk faxes.
• Developer Fax SDK to integrate FaxTalk with your custom software application. (Programming experience required)
• Voice mail and Fax back capability with a compatible voice modem using FaxTalk Messenger Pro or FaxTalk Multiline Server software.

Importing WinFax data into FaxTalk

One of the nice features of FaxTalk is the ability to import existing WinFax PRO logs and phonebooks/contacts into FaxTalk.  Logs (the Send Log, Receive Log and any other message stores/sub folders you created in WinFax PRO) can be imported into FaxTalk and the fax images are automatically converted to a format that can be used in FaxTalk.  Logs that are imported are stored in a folder in FaxTalk called the File Cabinet.  The File Cabinet works like the Attachments folder in WinFax.   FaxTalk cannot import WinFax archive (.WFA) backups, so to be able to import you need to have WinFax PRO on the same system and it must be installed before you can perform the import in FaxTalk.  This can pose a problem if your old computer has WinFax, and your new computer is Windows 7 (or another operating system) with FaxTalk installed.  Fortunately, there is a workaround for this.   You can install a trial version of FaxTalk on the older computer, and then perform the import into the trial version of FaxTalk.  Once the import is completed, you can then save a backup using the FaxTalk Backup option.  Performing a backup creates an archive file with a .FTA extension.  You can then copy this .FTA file created from the trial version to the new computer.  At the new computer, you perform a restore (using the FaxTalk Backup Tool) and point to the .FTA file.  to restore the phonebooks and logs. 

Fax Blast using FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word

If you need to send multiple faxes with personalized information on each fax, you need the FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word. This allows you to use your contact database to send personalized faxes easily. Automate your faxing from Microsoft Word™ and FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro, FaxTalk Messenger Pro or FaxTalk Multiline Server. Fax broadcast from your Windows desktop by using the power of FaxTalk Fax Messenger and the FaxTalk Merge Macro for Microsoft Word. You can send faxes directly from Microsoft Word by clicking an icon. Select your prepared mail merge document with a data source, click on Send a Fax merge, select your recipients & optional cover sheet and click Merge. Send a few faxes or thousands of faxes, directly from Microsoft Word.

The FaxTalk Fax Merge is available separately as an add-on, or can be bundled together with the FaxTalk product of your choice at a discounted price.

Bundle with the FaxTalk Fax Merge for Microsoft Word

Compatible with Microsoft Word 2010 (32 bit edition only), Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Word 2003 and Microsoft Word XP

Below you can view a video that shows the basics of sending a “fax blast” fax merge using Microsoft Word 2010 (32 bit edition) and FaxTalk Multiline Server (the operation is exactly the same with FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro or FaxTalk Messenger Pro, and Microsoft Word 2007)

You can order or download a trial version here http://www.getfaxing.com/faxtalk

Requirements for FaxTalk software:

• Compatible Microsoft Windows operating system (Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2008, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000)
• Compatible Class 1, 1.0, 2, 2.0, 2.1 fax modem. (Internal or External models)
• Compatible Voice/Fax Modem for voice features of FaxTalk Messenger Pro or FaxTalk Multiline Server 
• Compatible version of Microsoft Word for the FaxTalk Fax Merge option. (Word XP/2003/2007/Word 2010 32 bit edition)
• Microsoft Word 2010 Starter Edition is not compatible. 64 bit version of Office 2010 is not compatible.

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

• Symantec never included the actual revision of WinFax PRO 10 (10.01,10.02 or 10.03)  on the CD ROM.  So, if your WinFax PRO CD ROM says “WinFax PRO 10.03″ its a fake. All genuine WinFax PRO 10 cd’s contain the heading ”WinFax PRO 10.0″
• If you see text with “winFAX” or “Live Update” anywhere on the CD its a fake.  The official Symantec trademarks are ”WinFax” and “LiveUpdate”, no other variations of this text should appear on the CD ROM.
• Failure to capitalize ”symantec” and “corporation”.
• An “All rights resverd” spelling error, or other spelling errors.
• Incorrect font used for WinFax PRO and Symantec logo. The current Symantec logo is consistant across all software they produce.
• Silver portion of CD is a (dull) matte finish, on the real CD it is relective (mirror surface).
• To determine if the CD is brand new and sealed – geniune WinFax PRO 10 CD’s come in a white envelope sleeve that are sealed with a sticker that may have one or more of the following: a bar code, a Symantec 5 or 6 digit product code, a brief license agreement. 
• In most cases, manufacturer information is printed on the inner rim of the CD ROM of genuine CD’s. This is usually missing on a counterfeit.
• Update patch 10.04 is not included on genuine CD ROMs. Any CD that contains the patch update to 10.04 is a counterfeit.

Example of a counterfeit CD ROM  and genuine WinFax PRO 10 CD ROM. Notice the differences in the mirror surface, the Symantec logo, and different font types. The counterfeit contains ”10.03″ version, something that is not printed on the genuine CD.  You’ll also probably see manufacturer information around the inner rim of the genuine CD ROM.  This is  likely to be missing on the counterfeit WinFax PRO CD.

This is a counterfeit poor quality copy of WinFax PRO 10.03 that appears to be created on a home deskjet printer. Note the non-reflective matte finish on the CD ROM.

 Here is the original design of the WnFax PRO 10 CD ROM used for North American releases of WinFax PRO 10.0 and WinFax PRO 10.01. This has a different design, yellow with silver (reflective) images.  This version uses the older style Symantec logo.

This image on the left is an example of a genuine WinFax PRO 10.0 or 10.01 CD ROM. Symantec updated most of its design & software boxes when they changed logo designs. Version 10.02 and 10.03 use the updated design & Symantec logo. This design also uses a reflective mirror finish on portions of the CD ROM. Lack of reflective mirror finish would indicate a counterfeit CD, or a version with the 10.04 update included on the same install CD would indicate a counterfeit.

• WinFax PRO 8.0x
• WinFax PRO 9.0x
• WinFax PRO 10.0x
• TalkWorks PRO 2.0x
• TalkWorks PRO 3.0
• WinFax Basic Edition (all versions)
• TalkWorks Basic Edition (all versions)
• Delrina Fax (French release, version 8.0x and above)

More details on this security flaw by clicking here

Symantec has released this official Security Bulletin for WinFax PRO, technical details can be found at Symantec’s Web site

If you use a Norton product for security, such as Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security 2009, this threat is detected with current definitions. Other security software from other vendors  may also detect this threat.

Regardless of the type of security you are using, We recommend setting the KillBit for this specific ActiveX control to always prevent it from activating. Setting this KillBit does NOT effect the normal operation of WinFax PRO. 

This is recommended if you have or do not have an installation of WinFax PRO.

If you have prior experience in setting a KillBit in the Windows registry, the CSLID for the WinFax PRO Viewer Control is {C05A1FBC-1413-11D1-B05F-00805F4945F6}

or, you can use our tool to do this for you, download our Free version of WinFax Tools.  Click “Fix Security DLL” button and the KillBit will be set automatically.

UPDATE: In a Windows XP update that was released February 9th, 2010, this security flaw was finally addressed. The actual update released by Microsoft is: Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-008 – Critical Cumulative Security Update of ActiveX Kill Bits (978262).   If you have already downloaded this security update for Windows XP, then your system will already have the necessary ActiveX Kill bits set for the WinFax PRO ActiveX control.  You can still download WinFax Tools and confirm if the ActiveX kill bit was applied properly by this Windows XP Update. If your system has the Killbit set, the WinFax Tools program will indicate it has already been applied.

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.

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/2009/07/14/winfax-oem-download-scam/ http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/2009/07/14/winfax-oem-download-scam/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:02:47 +0000 admin http://www.getfaxing.com/winfax/?p=300 Be aware of a current  OEM download doorway pages scam that are appearing frequently on many hacked WordPress blogs and similar sites.

What is a doorway page?

It’s a link that may look legitimate and appear on search engines like Google, but once you click them, they can link you to another Web site or page that could be totally unrelated to the original link.

We’ve encountered links where you are presented with a realistic looking “Windows Security” scanner screen, where it looks like it is scanning your computer and it reports that several viruses are detected.  Clicking anywhere on the screen, including the Cancel button forces you to download and run a file.  The truth is no virus is detected, and the screen is nothing more than a animated graphic of the scanning process fooling the user that a real Windows security scan is happening.  Of course in a state of panic, the user clicks Cancel, and it asks you to run a file. This is where they get you, the trick here is if you actually do download run this file, you’re likely to be infected with malware, or worse, a virus that could potentially delete your data. Most of these doorways are a way for a scammer to take your hard earned money, but the most common are doorway pages that link to sites which try to sell you something, like illegal software downloads. A recent Google search of “WinFax OEM” resulted in some specific examples:

Symantec winfax pro 10.03 Download Cheap OEM software 8 Aug 2009 … Symantec winfax pro 10.03. Shop for cheap OEM Computer Software. Find the lowest priced Computer Software products from 100s of different …blog.student-energy.xxx/wp-includes/js/…/ymce.php?p…winfax-pro… – Similar

Symantec winfax pro 10.4 Download Cheap OEM software

5 Aug 2009 … Symantec winfax pro 10.4. Find, shop for and buy software, business software, multimedia software, and more from Discount OEM Software.com.
blog.student-energy.xxx/wp-includes/js/…/ymce.php?p…winfax-pro… – Similar

As you can see, these 2 specific links are hosted on a WordPress blog (I’ve edited the original link, to protect the owner of that domain).  The problem here is this WordPress site was compromised, the original owner is likely unaware that their site is being used as a doorway page. Once the visitor clicks on one of these links, they are re-directed to another Web site which purpose is to sell software downloads.

The spammers are using this organization’s domain as a doorway.  Not only is traffic being routed to their domain, and then re-routed to the spammer site, but they are also being used for the purpose of legitimately getting indexed quickly on search engines, like Google.  This can also damage your search ranking of your legitimate Web site once Google determines your site is being used as a doorway page.

Stuffed keywords like the following can appear on a hacked webpage:

Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Monday, August 24, 2009 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 download Buy Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 online oem Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 price Symantec winfax pro 10.0 crack Symantec winfax pro 10.0 software Symantec winfax pro 10.0 download download Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 sales serial number for Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Buy Symantec winfax pro 10.0 cheap Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 low price Symantec winfax pro 10.0 product key Buy Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 serial number buy Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 oem Symantec winfax pro 10.0 buy buy Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 oem serial number for Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 rapidshare Symantec winfax pro 10.0 download Symantec winfax pro 10.0 download Symantec winfax pro 10.0 software Symantec winfax pro 10.0 crack cheap Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 keygen Symantec winfax pro 10.0 price Symantec winfax pro 10.0 sales download Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 download Symantec winfax pro 10.0 serial number Symantec winfax pro 10.0 product key Symantec winfax pro 10.0 torrent oem Symantec winfax pro 10.0 Symantec winfax pro 10.0 low price

As you can see, they stuff the keywords so Google, and other search engines rank these pages above other similar type pages related to Symantec WinFax PRO. Once the page has been indexed by the search engine using the above keywords, they redirect the same indexed link to a spam site.

These Web sites should never be trusted! Why? because if they will go to lengths to hack other sites to make money, they will likely use your credit card and other personal information for their benefit. In addition, If any site is offering an immediate download of WinFax, at any price, it is illegal. We’ve come across MAJOR sites, universities, colleges and other organizations that have hosted links that redirect to these download sites, many of which included offers to download WinFax PRO and many other software titles after entering your personal information & credit card details.

If you are looking to purchase WinFax PRO, do so from a legitimate vendor, or private third-party who can provide you with an original Symantec CD-ROM media from their existing old-stock.  Please see our Where to Buy WinFax in our Guides section for more details on this.

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.

 To purchase WinFax PRO, you’ll need to buy from a liquidator/distributor who has NOS (New Old Stock) on hand, or buy from a third-party 2nd hand.  You can find some sellers of WinFax (used and new) on eBay.   

http://www.getfaxing.com/winfaxebay

NOTE: Just because you’re buying an actual CD ROM doesn’t mean the software is legitimate. We’ve found some eBay sellers are knowing (or unknowingly) selling  illegal , copied software.  If the seller has more than one copy, and continues to sell the same product be suspect that the software is illegal.  If you suspect a seller has illegal software, ask them to send you a photo of the CD ROM they are selling. You can compare with our “Counterfeit CD” article we have on our site here.

NOTE: GetFaxing.com does not sell WinFax PRO software, The above link contains a listing of all current eBay listing with the search term “WinFax”.  We are not affiliated with any sellers (commerical, or private) of WinFax PRO software. 

There are also Google Ad links to WinFax software on our support forums, please see http://www.getfaxing.com/forums/

Any site which offers you an “instant” download of WinFax PRO is an illegal site not authorized by Symantec to sell & distribute WinFax.  For your security, do not buy and download any WinFax software from any of these  ”OEM download” sites you might find in some search engines such as Google. Not only are you purchasing pirated software (if you actually get anything at all), but you risk exposing your personal credit card details to criminals.  The only authorized download reseller of Symantec WinFax PRO prior to 2006 was Digital River. Digital River operated the Symantec Online Store.  They no longer offer this download, or provide on-line sales for Symantec.

Many of you held off upgrading from XP to Vista are considering the upgrade to Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 7, but are wondering if many of your existing applications such as WinFax PRO will work.

WinFax PRO and TalkWorks PRO (the fax/voice version of Symantec’s popular fax software) still have a strong user base and many of you don’t want to give up this powerful and easy to use desktop faxing software.

Unfortunately, Windows 7, doesn’t change the compatibility issues with WinFax PRO that were introduced with Microsoft Vista.  As expected, the same compatibility issues with WinFax PRO and TalkWorks PRO also exist with Windows 7.

We ran the Windows 7 Upgrade Adviser, this is a tool offered by Microsoft that scans your computer to determine if it can be upgraded to Windows 7. The program also scans all the existing software installed, and determines if there are any known compatibility problems with Windows 7.  The Windows 7 Upgrade Adviser, incorrectly  indicates that WinFax PRO / TalkWorks PRO has some minor issues, and to contact the publisher’s web site. . The link to Symantec’s Web site is no help as Symantec chooses to ignore the existence of WinFax or TalkWorks since they’ve discontinued the software.

Minor issues they are not. You may be able to install WinFax or TalkWorks with Windows 7, but the required WinFax printer driver will not install.  This will prevent you from accessing WinFax from any application you want to fax from, it also prevents you from adding attachmentssuch as PDFs, Word documents, Text files, images, etc. for faxing.

Windows 7  Professional and Ultimate will include the not so impressive fax utility called Windows Fax & Scan, a feature that was previously included in the Vista Ultimate and Vista Business Editions. If you’d rather update your software to a much more professional package that is compatible with both 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, Windows Server 2003 & 2008, Windows XP and 2000, then we recommend FaxTalk FaxCenter Pro 8 or FaxTalk Messenger Pro 8.  For more details, see our Web page at http://www.getfaxing.com/faxtalk

Windows 7 is not compatible  with WinFax PRO. There is no upgrade path available from Symantec for Windows 7 compatibility.  The WinFax PRO 10 software was discontinued by Symantec in June 2006, and no plans for future versions exist.   For information on moving to another software package that can import your WinFax data, please see http://www.getfaxing.com/faxtalk

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

Solution #1

If you are a WinFax Forums premium member, you can download the file to fix this here:  Outlook Patch If you are not yet a member, you can find out more details on becoming a Premium Forum member http://www.getfaxing.com/services.htm#forums

NOTE: This does not delete your logs in WinFax PRO, it only removes the link in Outlook to your WinFax logs.  You can continue using your Outlook 2003 contacts in WinFax PRO. Outlook 2007 IS NOT SUPPORTED at all in WinFax PRO.

Solution #2

1. Start Microsoft Outlook 2003 or 2007
2. Click on File, Data File Management.
3. In the list, you will see “WinFax Logs“, if so, Select “WinFax Logs” from the list and click “Remove“.
4. Verify you selected “WinFax Logs” and then click “Yes” to confirm removal of the data-file.  (WARNING: Be sure you only select and remove the WinFax Logs folder)

NOTE: This does not delete your logs in WinFax PRO, it only removes the link in Outlook to your WinFax logs.  You can continue using your Outlook 2003 contacts in WinFax PRO. Outlook 2007 IS NOT SUPPORTED at all in WinFax PRO.

Solution #3

If you can’t perform the above steps because Outlook won’t start properly (crashes, hangs) after installing WinFax PRO 10.0x, then try the following steps:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Mail icon. (If the MAIL icon does not appear, try switching to CLASSIC VIEW)
3. Click on the Data Files button.
4. Select “WinFax Logs” from the list and click “Remove”. (If you are using Outlook 2007 you will need to click on the Data Files tab first.)
5. Verify you clicked ”WinFax Logs” and then click “Yes” to confirm removal of the “WinFax Log” data-file.   (WARNING: Be sure you only select and remove the WinFax Logs folder)

NOTE: This does not delete your logs in WinFax PRO, it only removes the link in Outlook to your WinFax logs.  You can continue using your Outlook 2003 contacts in WinFax PRO. Outlook 2007 IS NOT SUPPORTED at all in WinFax PRO.

Shown above is a typical internal PC fax modem and a DSL modem

At one time, fax/modems were a common hardware item that were bundled with many pre-built PCs.  In an effort for computer manufacturers to reduce prices, and because of the decline of dial-up Internet modem usage, fax/modems are not usually bundled with a computer and must be purchased seperately as an add-on. While dial-up internet still being used, it’s rapidly being replaced by high speed internet service, such as DSL.  The DSL modem that is usually supplied to you when you subscribe uses the high frequency (25 kHz – 1 mHz) of your telephone line for internet service.  The lower frequency (4 khz and below) is used for use for regular telephone calls (voice), fax and data calls.

So the question is, if I have a modem for my DSL connection, I should still be able to send a fax with WinFax, right?

The answer is no, with an exception.

During the 1980s, modem manufacturers started adding the ability to fax with their dial up modems. You could send faxes directly from your computer with fax software that could communicate directly with the fax modem.  Soon after, they added the ability to receive faxes. By the mid to late 1990s, most PCs came bundled with a fax/modem which could both send and receive faxes at speeds up to 14,400 bps. During this time, all the modem manufacturers came up with a few standards, we can call it a ”language”, for faxing via the PC.  These standards still exist today, and are available in different variations.  Class 1, Class 2, and Class 2.0.  If you have a modem that supports Class 1, Class 2 or Class 2.0 then it is a fax/modem. Some fax modem models will support only one class (usually Class 1) , or multiple classes (such as Class 1 and Class 2.0). 

To use WinFax PRO, you need a modem that has the ability to understand at least one of the fax classes.  DSL Modems are specifically designed to use the high frequency of the telephone line (25 kHz and up) and they are not designed to communicate to the computer using any of the fax classes. This is why you cannot send a fax via DSL using fax software on your PC.   A DSL Modem that supports a fax class does not exist. 

I’ve sent faxes before using my DSL Modem, how was this possible if you say DSL modems don’t support fax?

When you send or receive an “internet” fax (using a service like eFax), it isn’t actually being sent or received by your DSL modem. When you send a fax through the internet , your fax is routed to someone else (it’s uploaded to a internet fax service) which then handle the actual faxing.  In simple terms, its like you going to a nearby Kinko’s/Staples/Copy place, handing them the pages you want faxed, and paying them to feed the pages into a fax machine and dial the fax number for you. Of course the Internet Fax service does this process in the background and its completely automated, so it may appear your DSL modem is sending a fax but its only providing the means of getting your document to the Internet fax service.

Is there an Internet fax service for WinFax PRO?

Yes, this is the exception where you can use your DSL Modem to send internet faxes with WinFax PRO 10 (actually, all you need is a high-speed internet connection and WinFax PRO 10). A company called Concord Fax offers a plug-in for WinFax that adds Internet Fax service for WinFax PRO. If your interested in pricing or other details, contact Concord Fax. They are no longer actively promoting this service anymore, but I believe it still active for current WinFax users.

http://www.concordfax.com/support/faqs/winfaxprofaq.aspx

Conclusion

So, you have a few choices with WinFax PRO faxing.

Either you purchase a fax/modem that has Class 1, Class 2 or Class 2.0 capability (I’ll post information about choosing a fax modem in a future blog entry), or, use the Concord Fax plug-in to send faxes using WinFax PRO. 

Using WinFax PRO with a fax/modem provides you the ability to have full control of the faxes you send or receive, you eliminate the costs of a  monthly fax service and you can benefit from a flat rate or long distance savings plan from your telephone company. It also provides an added security that only you and recipient will see the fax you are sending/receiving.

If you do add a fax/modem to your PC (internal, or external), ensure you add the appropriate DSL filter to it. These devices filter out everything above 4 kHz frequency since you do not want the 25kHz-1Mhz frequency being heard by the fax modem. This would cause faxes to fail. A filter should be installed on every telephone, fax/modem, telephone answering device, or any other telephone device that uses the low frequency band (4 kHz and below). Some installations of DSL may not require the use of filters (Dry-loop DSL/Naked DSL). Check with your Internet provider if filters are required, if so, they can provide them for you.

DSL Modem Setup

Shown above is how a typical desktop phone should be connected with the appropriate DSL Filter supplied by your Internet Service provider. An internal or external fax/modem (not shown here) should be configured in the same method.

If you decide you don’t want to install a fax/modem to use WinFax PRO, the only way to send a fax is subscribing to a third-party fax service.  Discard WinFax and use the Web interface the fax service provides, or the software they provide you. There are dozens of services available, some are better than others and some also provide toll-free numbers for you to receive incoming faxes.  Some are pay-per-use, and some are monthly fees based on a limited amount of fax pages you send or receive. You would have to evaluate how many faxes you expect to send and receive to determine if this is of value to you.

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 properly 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  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.
8. Follow the on-screen instructions.
9. Reboot computer.  NOTE: A reboot is necessary for the changes to be applied by Windows XP from Step 7.
10. 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)

I recently picked up a Magicjack, you might have seen the commercials on television, its a USB device that plugs into your computer that allows you to plug a telephone into it, giving you a dial tone so you can make telephone calls using a regular corded or cordless telephone. The difference is the telephone call is routed via your computer to the Internet, using the Magicjack service.

The big advantage to the Magicjack service is its price, and the ability to hook up almost any type of household telephone. The Magicjack retails for $39.99 and includes 1 year of US & Canada unlimited incoming and outgoing calls.  They also claim that service after 1 year is only $19.99.   Yes, you also get an incoming telephone number, where you can pick from dozens of area codes across the United States (Canadian area codes are not yet available).

My first test was with voice calls on a Notebook (Core 2 Duo, T5200, 1.6Ghz, 2GB RAM) with Microsoft Vista SP1.  The installation was completely plug & play, I simply inserted the MagicJack into a free USB port and it turned on and begin downloading the installation program for Vista.  Within a few minutes, the software was installed successfully. I registered on-line and selected my incoming telephone number. A lot easier than I expected it to be.  I plugged in a regular corded telephone, picked it up, and got a dial tone!  I dialed a number, and sure enough it worked.  My first voice call quality was comparable to a regular land-based telephone line, if there was a difference I couldn’t really tell.   I tested incoming by dialing my new Magicjack number. The telephone rang, and the Caller ID appeared on the telephone display. So far, so good.

My next test was on an older Pentium III, 450Mhz, 768MB PC running Windows XP Service Pack 3.  I use this PC for my Skype calls as well, so I expected some conflict or performance problem.  I plugged the Magicjack into my USB Hub, and sure enough, the Blue LED lit and it began installing the software.  Within minutes it was configured and ready to go.  I didn’t have to repeat any of the registration process, since my phone number was already configured.  Surprised, outgoing calls seemed to work perfectly.

I’ve been using MagicJack now for voice calls for about 2 months and in the most part, it works as advertised. You will encounter quality issues if your Internet connection slows down. I tried the service on a 1MB down/768b up ”Lite” DSL service, and for the most part, voice quality was reasonable. In some calls, the person would complain they couldn’t hear me properly but I could hear them fine.  On a faster 4MB down/1MB up Internet DSL service, overall the call quality was good but I would have problems with some calls due to bandwidth issues.  Usually the problem was with the caller hearing me.

Faxing using MagicJack with WinFax PRO

I checked with the people at MagicJack directly and they claim that faxing isn’t supported. I believed them, since I know that a fax call isn’t as forgiving as a voice call if there is any drop in quality. I thought I would try it anyway, so I unplugged the fax modem telephone line and plugged it directly into the Magicjack.  I started up WinFax PRO and send a fax as I normally would on the regular telephone line, sure enough it dialed andstarted to send a fax.  I tried a simple 1 page WinFax quick cover page, it worked.  I then tried faxing a multiple page fax.  It failed.  I then tried a 1 page fax again, and it failed.  I started adjusting the settings in WinFax.  I turned off High Speed Compression (2D), ECM for sending and ECM for receiving.  I adjusted the Maximum Transmission speed to 4800 bps or 2400 bps.  This did seem to improve the success rate, but it was still giving me problems with some faxes.  After trying several different combinations, I came to the conclusion that faxing may or may not work using the MagicJack.  Send 10 faxes, if your lucky, maybe 50% may go through if they are short/1 page faxes.  Once you increase the number of pages, or the amount of data on each page, you risk a greater chance of a failure. Results probably will vary depending on the call quality and your PC’s performance.  I did not try incoming faxes, but I would expect similar results. If anyone has had better success please post your comments!

Some things I don’t like about the MagicJack

• If you call a number that is BUSY, you don’t get a busy signal.  You get silence followed by a dial tone.
• There is no uninstall for the MagicJack software.  When you plug it in, it will automatically install device drivers. However, the good news is that MagicJack will only start with Windows if the actual device is plugged in.  If you do remove the MagicJack from the USB port, the MagicJack software does not start (but the device drivers are still installed).
• There is no normal method to close the MagicJack software while it is active.  I haven’t really had any reason to do this, but in some cases you may only want to have MagicJack active when you want to use it, not all the time. (Yes, you can close it using End Task from the Task Manager)
• The MagicJack software window opens when you use it. (You can’t keep it minimized and out of the way)

Overall opinion of MagicJack

I like it, but wouldn’t use it as a replacement to my regular land-line considering you need a computer on 24/7, plus a working (fast) Internet connection 24/7.   Its great for a 2nd line, or just for making long distance calls to friends and family.  It is an excellent value at $39.99 for the initial cost, and $19.99 for the additional years of service.  Not recommended for faxing with WinFax or any other fax software, and definitely not for data usage (such as credit card authorizations, modems, data transmission etc.)

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.