Knowledge Base

Troubleshooting fax problems from Word

Article ID: 169755

Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007

APPLIES TO

Microsoft Word 97 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q169755

SUMMARY

To troubleshoot fax problems that occur when you use Microsoft Fax to send a fax from Word, use the methods described in the "More Information" section of this article.

NOTE: Third-party faxing software is available for use with Microsoft Word; however, Microsoft Technical Support can only support faxing from Word when using Microsoft Fax.

MORE INFORMATION

To fully test your system's ability to communicate and function correctly with your modem and Microsoft Fax, perform the steps in the order in which they are listed here.

Step 1: Test Windows Communications with Your Modem

To test whether Windows can communicate with your modem, follow these steps:

Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows 98

On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Modems icon.
Click the Diagnostics tab, click the port at which you have your modem installed, and then click More Info. Windows will now attempt to communicate with your modem. Windows should display the following message:

Communicating with modem. This may take a few minutes.

Windows will send several "AT" commands to your modem. If these tests are successful, Windows will display the Port Information and "AT" responses for each command.

Microsoft Windows 2000

On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the Phone and Modem Options icon.
Click the Modems tab, click the port at which you have your modem installed, and then click Properties.
In the Modemname dialog box, click the Diagnostics tab. Click Query Modem. Windows now attempts to communicate with your modem. Windows should display the following message:

Communicating with modem. This may take a few minutes.

Windows sends several "AT" commands to your modem. If these tests are successful, Windows displays the Port Information and "AT" responses for each command.

If the tests are successful, proceed to step 2.

If any of the following problems occur, you may have either a modem, modem configuration, or modem connection problem. If this is the case, refer to the additional information articles at the end of this section.

Problems that may occur when you run the test:

The COM port for your modem may not be listed as an available port.

-or-
You receive any of the following error messages:

The modem failed to respond. Make sure it is properly connected and turned on. If it is an internal modem or is connected, verify that the interrupt for the port is properly set.

-or-

The COM<x> port is currently assigned to an MS-DOS application. Do you want to reassign the port to Windows?

-or-

Another program is using the selected Telephony device. Try again after the other program completes.

-or-

You receive a "disk full" error. The hard disk partition containing your temporary fax folder is low on storage space. For information on cleaning out this folder, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

130983 Removing faxes from the Microsoft fax queue

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

105940 Troubleshooting serial port problems in Windows

152064 How to install an internal modem in Windows 95

158114 Error messages occur when you attempt to use modem

Step 2: Test the Send Functionality of Microsoft Fax

To check the send functionality of Microsoft Fax, use the following steps:

On the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Fax, and then click Compose New Fax. The Compose New Fax wizard should start.
Click Next.

NOTE: Click Dialing Properties to change dialing information, if needed.

Type in the addressee in the To line, and then type in the fax number of a fax machine you can send a test fax to. Click Add To List, and then click Next.
For your test, click No to the question "Do you want a cover page?" Click Options. Under the Time To Send section, click "As soon as Possible," click OK, and then click Next.
Type in a Subject and a short Note, and then click Next.
On the Files To Send dialog box, click Next.
In the "Your Fax is now ready. To send it, click Finish" dialog box, click Finish.

Microsoft Fax will send your test document. A Microsoft Fax dialog box should appear on your screen. There will be several messages indicating the progress of the test. The messages you should see are similar to the following:

Processing new fax message
Preparing email format
Email format created
Calling <recipient>

If these steps are successful, proceed to step 3.

If either of the following problems occur, see the articles at the end of this section.

Problems that may occur when you follow the steps:

You receive the following error message:

The following unrecoverable error has occurred: Internal MAPI error: The information service cannot be added to the profile using the Inbox Setup Wizard. Contact your administrator.
The Fax command is not available on the Accessories menu.

You may have either a modem, modem configuration, modem connection, fax service, or profile problem. In order to correct this problem, repeat step 1 in this section, remove and reinstall Microsoft Fax, add Microsoft Fax to your profile, or reinstall Microsoft Windows 95 with Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Fax selected.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 165414 Error Message: Internal MAPI error

152196 How to install and use Microsoft Fax

129211 Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Exchange profiles

105940 Troubleshooting serial port problems in Windows

152064 How to install an internal modem in Windows 95 162203 User profiles and information services For more information about how to perform this task in Windows 95, see your Windows 95 printed documentation, online Help, or call Microsoft Windows 95 Technical Support.

Step 3: Test the Rendering System of Microsoft Fax from Word

NOTE: Make sure that the Mail As Attachment option is turned off in Word. To turn the Mail As Attachment option off, click to clear the Mail As Attachment check box on the General tab. To view the General tab, click Options on the Tools menu.

To test whether Microsoft Fax can render a Word document for faxing, follow these steps:

Create a document in Word. On the File menu, point to Send, and then click Mail Recipient.

NOTE: If Send is not available on the File menu, you must install Microsoft Exchange using Windows 95 Setup.
In the New Message dialog box, the Word document will appear as text and the insertion point should be blinking in the To line.

NOTE: To send your Word document as an attachment to the mail message, in Word, click Options on the Tools menu. On the General tab, click to select the Mail As Attachment check box, and then click OK.
In the To line, type "[fax:me]" (without the quotation marks).
Use one of the following methods:

Method 1: With Microsoft Outlook Installed
1. On the File menu, click Send Options.
2. On the Fax tab, under Message Format, click to select the Not Editable check box, and then click OK.
Method 2: Without Microsoft Outlook Installed
1. On the File menu, click Properties.
2. On the General tab, under Message Format, click to select Not Editable and then click OK.
3. Click OK.
On the File menu, click Send.

Word will now send your document. A Microsoft Fax dialog box should appear on your screen. There will be several messages indicating the progress of the test. The messages you should see are:

Processing new fax message.
Preparing fax format.
Scheduling fax.
Calling:Me.

By using the [fax:me] and the Not Editable format, you force Microsoft Fax to render and send the fax to your inbox. If these steps are successful, proceed to step 4 (the cause of the problem is probably an address or fax modem problem).

If any of the following problems are experienced, refer to the additional information articles at the end of this section.

Problems you may experience when you run this test include:

You receive the following error message in Microsoft Exchange:

The item's properties could not be displayed. No additional send options are available for this message.
When you click Send Options on the File menu from the test message, nothing happens.
You cannot close Microsoft Word until the Send Mail command is finished. Switch to the New Message first, and either send or close the message.
You receive a message stating that no transport provider was available for delivery to this recipient.
You receive an "Undeliverable" mail message stating "An unknown error has occurred. Try to send the fax again."
The Fax tab is missing from the "Send Options for this Message" dialog box after you click Send Options on the File menu from your test message.
You receive an "Undeliverable" mail message stating "A problem occurred during message processing in the message store."
Electronic Fax is not available as a merge option.
When you select mail merge to "Electronic Mail" you get the following error message:

Microsoft Exchange does not recognize <Phone Number>

Would you like to

Create a new address for <Phone Number>

Change to

If you experience any of these problems, repeat step 2. You may not have Microsoft Fax properly installed. For assistance in setting up Microsoft Fax, you may need to call Microsoft Windows 95 Technical Support.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 160863 How to send a contact to a fax address 142345 Unable to fax mail merge to Microsoft Fax from Word

142088 Merge to fax not available

169542 Messages when attempting to fax From Word

187549 Microsoft Fax does not appear in Add/Remove Programs

Step 4: Test Printing to Microsoft Fax from Word

To test Microsoft Fax by using the Print command on the File menu, follow these steps:

Create a new document or open an existing document.
On the File menu, click Print.
In the Print dialog box, under Printer, in the Name box, select Microsoft Fax, and then click OK.

The Compose New Fax wizard should start.

Change your Dialing Properties, if necessary, and then click Next.
Type in the name and fax number of the fax recipient, click Add to list, and then click Next.
Click No when prompted with the question "Do you want a cover page?" Click Next.
Type in a subject and note, if desired, and then click Next.
Click Finish to complete sending the test fax.

If these steps are successful, Microsoft Fax should be properly installed. However, if you continue to experience problems, you may need to call Microsoft Windows 95 Technical Support or Microsoft Word Technical Support.

If these tests are unsuccessful, then you may not have Microsoft Fax properly installed. For assistance in setting up Microsoft Fax, you may need to call Microsoft Windows 95 Technical Support.

If the Microsoft Fax driver is not an available printer when you click Print on the File menu, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 137752 Cannot Print to Microsoft Fax Printer Driver

132908 Error message: Could not start print job Windows 98 Users.

187549 Microsoft Fax does not appear in Add/Remove Programs

Microsoft Support Options

If you cannot resolve this issue, several support options are available to assist you.

Quickly Find Answers Yourself Online

Use Microsoft Online Support to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base and other technical resources for fast, accurate answers. You can also customize the site to control your search.

To begin your search, browse to the following Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/support/

Microsoft Product Support

Contact a Microsoft Product Support professional to assist you with troubleshooting problems.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Windows, click Help Topics on the Help menu in Windows Explorer. On the Contents tab, double-click to open the Troubleshooting book. Then double-click to open the Contact Microsoft Technical Support book to view your support options.

For more information about obtaining help with troubleshooting Microsoft Word, click About Microsoft word on the Help menu, and then click Tech Support.

For additional information about Microsoft support services, please click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

102344 Microsoft product support options Q&A

Microsoft Solution Providers

Microsoft Solution Providers are independent organizations that have teamed with Microsoft to use technology to solve business problems for companies of all sizes and industries.

To locate a Microsoft Solution Provider in your area in the U.S. and Canada, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside the United States, contact your local subsidiary. To locate your subsidiary, see the Microsoft World Wide Offices Web site at:

http://www.microsoft.com/worldwide/

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