[WinFax Fan]

I am soliciting your thoughts on the feasibility of using WinFax Pro on one Windows XP SP2 computer to do the following: (1) to control two modems so as to receive faxes on two telephone lines and (2) to allow users of other Windows XP SP2 computers to view and print out the faxes received.

Our office receives approximately 500 faxes per month. Two Windows 98 Second Edition workstations running WinFax Pro 10 on a legacy Novell file server receive these faxes from two phone lines whose only function is handle faxes. We use WinFax solely for the receipt of incoming faxes. As WinFax receives the incoming faxes, it prints them on a printer on the Novell network. We periodically move faxes from the Receive Logs on the Windows 98 machines to a common message store for archive purposes.

Our primary network consists of six Windows XP SP2 workstations running on a Windows Small Business Server 2003. The Novell file server and Windows 98 computers are several years old. I would rather transition to a Small Business Server/Windows XP environment by design rather than out of necessity at an inopportune time.

We have been using WinFax Pro for the last six years. We are accustomed to it and like the way it works. Before discovering this forum, I found the ranting of frustrated WinFax users posted in other forums on the internet. However, from what I can gather, it should be possible to use WinFax Pro to control two modems on the same XP SP2 computer and to allow users of other XP SP2 computers to view and print the faxes received.

My belief is that we cannot expect WinFax to function properly in a “mixed” environment of Windows 98 and XP computers and that we will need to use WinFax Pro 10.4 for things to work as we desire. While I’m not an IT person, I do have access to one for network issues. However, he has no familiarity with WinFax Pro. Accordingly, before embarking on this endeavor, I ask for your feedback as to whether WinFax can be made to work as described above.

Thanks for your assistance/feedback.

[Anonymous]

yes, providing the configuration is correct you can configure 2 modems (external recommended using com ports — not USB), if internal, they should be hardware based modems (avoid software driven modems, and never use two software modems in the same system)
for more info on fax modems, visit http://www.modemsite.com
and WinModems, soft modems info here:
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/winmodems.asp
These modems in most cases are fine for sending the occasional fax, but not for volume faxing. Avoid them if you can.

Client and workstations must be using the same version of WinFax PRO (all updated from 10.03 to 10.04 recommended if using Windows XP SP2, otherwise, 10.03 is OK.)

You can use in mixed environment using v10.03 (or lower), however, if some of the machines are Windows XP SP2 then you’ll need to perform steps on the Windows XP SP2 machines to configure fax sharing (see Symantec’s document on Fax Sharing and Windows XP SP 2).. you can have a Win 98 machine as Fax HOST , and Win XP SP2 as clients.

before you attempt all this, I’d recommend running both systems side by side so that way you have your existing system incase things don’t go as planned.

Edited By Moderator on 1171595759

[WinFax Fan]

Thanks to the Moderator for the informative, encouraging reply to my inquiry about transitioning to an XP SP2 environment.

To recap, my objective is to have WinFax Pro 10.3 or 10.4 running on one computer whose sole function will be (1) to receive faxes from two external serial modems, (2) to print out those faxes as they are received and (3) to serve as host for six XP SP2 workstations.

As faxes are received, they will be printed. WinFax Pro 10.3 or 10.4 will also be running on the XP SP2 workstations to allow users to review received faxes on the host and to “print” desired pages to a PDF driver.

I am an attorney (should I disclose this?). My office receives nearly all new matters from our clients via fax. Nearly all of our outbound communications are by snail mail or e-mail. We send relatively few faxes. When we do, we use an ordinary fax machine. Accordingly, my WinFax implementation will only be concerned with fax reception, not with fax transmission.

The Moderator’s informative reply has caused me to think further about my implementation of WinFax. I now have some additional questions that I hope you can help me with:

1. I can choose either a Windows 98SE or an XP SP2 computer to function as the host computer. Since the XP box is several years newer, I would prefer to use it unless this forum’s experience is that Windows 98SE would be a more stable and reliable host. Keeping in mind that whichever computer I choose will serve as host to XP SP2 workstations, which platform would members of this forum recommend that I use?

2. Should the host and client installations of WinFax communicate over our Microsoft Small Business 2003 network or as peer-to-peer?

3. Can the installation of WinFax running on the host computer be configured so that no one other than I can delete faxes? (That way, if some are inadvertently deleted, I can only blame myself.)

4. Is there an issue with WinFax being able to automatically print out incoming faxes by using a printer on a Small Business 2003 network?

I appreciate your responses. I would prefer implementing the new WinFax configuration with as few glitches as possible. That way, (hopefully) I won’t have to post numerous questions in the future asking why something isn’t working.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Anonymous]

1. I can choose either a Windows 98SE or an XP SP2 computer to function as the host computer. Since the XP box is several years newer, I would prefer to use it unless this forum’s experience is that Windows 98SE would be a more stable and reliable host. Keeping in mind that whichever computer I choose will serve as host to XP SP2 workstations, which platform would members of this forum recommend that I use?

I would recommend the Windows XP SP2 machine.

2. Should the host and client installations of WinFax communicate over our Microsoft Small Business 2003 network or as peer-to-peer?

Fax sharing uses TCP/IP to communicate. So, as long as TCP/IP is configured properly and there is nothing blocking the hosts and clients from talking to each other, it will work.

3. Can the installation of WinFax running on the host computer be configured so that no one other than I can delete faxes? (That way, if some are inadvertently deleted, I can only blame myself.)

The clients will receive a copy of the faxes you receive from the host, but if they delete those faxes locally on the client machines, they will not be deleted on the host. So, yes, if you delete from the host they are gone (unless someone retreived a copy on a client before you deleted it.)

4. Is there an issue with WinFax being able to automatically print out incoming faxes by using a printer on a Small Business 2003 network?

Yes, I have heard of this problem using a network printer. Symantec at one point recommended that the printer be installed locally on the HOST PC, so they could be printed automatically. I believe the problem occurs over a long period of time after printing a large number of faxes, but I can’t confirm this however.

I appreciate your responses. I would prefer implementing the new WinFax configuration with as few glitches as possible. That way, (hopefully) I won’t have to post numerous questions in the future asking why something isn’t working.

no problem!

[Author]

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