WD2000: Troubleshooting Fax Problems from Word

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

NOTE: There are many third-party faxing software products available for use with Microsoft Word; however, Microsoft Technical Support cannot support faxing from Word when using these third-party applications. To obtain additional support, please contact your fax application vendor.

For information about how to contact your fax application vendor, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

To fully test your system's ability to communicate and function correctly with your fax/modem, your fax application, and Microsoft Word, perform the steps in the order in which they are listed in this article.

Step 1: Test Windows Communications with Your Fax/Modem

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

• Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium (Me)
  
  
  1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Modems icon.
  3. Click the Diagnostics tab, click the port at which you have your modem installed, and then click More Info. 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.
  -or-
• Microsoft Windows 2000
  1. On the Windows Start menu, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Phone and Modem Options icon.
  3. Click the Modems tab, click the port at which you have your modem installed, and then click Properties.
  4. 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 these steps are successful, proceed to step 2 listed later in this article.

If any of the following problems occur, you may have a fax/modem failure, a fax/modem configuration problem, or a fax/modem connection problem. If this is the case, please refer to the articles at the end of this section or contact your fax/modem hardware vendor for additional information.

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.
  The COM<x> port is currently assigned to an MS-DOS application. Do you want to reassign the port to Windows?
  Another program is using the selected Telephony device. Try again after the other program completes.
  You receive a "disk full" error. The hard disk partition containing your temporary fax folder is low on storage space.

For additional information about these problems, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Step 2: Test the Send Functionality of Your Fax Application

To check the send functionality of your fax application, on the Windows Start menu, point to Programs, and then click your fax application.

Compose a new fax with your fax application and test to see whether you are able to send a test fax.

If these steps are successful, please continue to step 3 listed later in this article.

If these steps are unsuccessful, please contact your fax vendor for further assistance.

NOTE: If your fax application is not listed on the Programs menu, please refer to your fax application manual, or contact your fax application vendor for assistance.

Step 3: Test the Print Function to Your Fax Application from Word

To test whether your fax application can print (send) a Word document, follow these steps:

1. In Microsoft Word, create a Word document.
2. On the File menu, click Print.
3. In the Print dialog box, change the Name box (in the Printer section) to your fax application, and then click OK.
4. Your fax application should start with a dialog box requesting the name and fax number to which you are sending. Complete the information requested by your fax application and then click Send.

If these steps are successful, you have completed testing your fax application with Microsoft Word. You are able to send a Word document via fax from Word using your fax application.

If these steps are unsuccessful, your fax application may not be installed correctly, or you may have a bad installation. Quit Microsoft Word, reinstall your fax application, and try this step again in Word. If these steps continue to be unsuccessful, please contact your fax application vendor for further assistance.

For additional information about printing to Microsoft Fax, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Step 4: (Optional) Test the "Send To" Functionality from Microsoft Word

NOTE: Make sure that the Mail As Attachment option is turned off in Word. To turn off the Mail As Attachment option, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Clear the Mail As Attachment check box.
4. Click OK.

To test whether your fax application can send a Word document, follow these steps:

1. Create a document in Word.
2. On the File menu, point to Send, and then click Fax Recipient.
3. In the Fax Wizard dialog box, click Next.
4. When the fax wizard asks Which document do you want to send?, click to select Just a cover sheet with a note and then click Next.
5. When the fax wizard asks Which fax program do you want to use to send your fax?, click to select A different fax program which is installed on this system, change the Which of the following is your fax program? box to your fax application, and then click Next.
6. Continue the Fax Wizard as usual, and click Finish.
   
   NOTE: A fax cover sheet opens in Microsoft Word and a Fax Wizard toolbar is displayed.
7. Complete the fax cover sheet as needed, and then click the Send Fax Now button.
8. A dialog box for your fax application should now be opened. Complete the dialog box as usual, and click Send.

If you are successful in sending a fax, then you have completed testing your fax application with Microsoft Word.

If you are unsuccessful in sending a fax, you may have problems with how your fax application integrates with Microsoft Word. Most fax applications install a printer driver for the fax/modem, and some fax applications use a Word macro to integrate. Please contact your fax application vendor for additional troubleshooting assistance.

Step 5: (Optional) Test Mail Merging to Your Fax Application from Word

IMPORTANT! Your fax application must be a MAPI-compatible e-mail or fax program. If you do not know whether your fax application is MAPI-compliant, please check with your fax application vendor.

To test mail merge with your fax application, follow these steps:

NOTE: If you plan to send merged documents to fax numbers and want to include a cover sheet, turn on the cover sheet option in your fax software. For more information, see your fax software documentation.

1. In Word, on the File menu, click New. On the General tab, click to select Blank Document and then click OK.
2. On the Tools menu, click Mail Merge.
3. Click Create and then click Form Letters.
4. Click Active Window.
5. Click Get Data and then click Create Data Source.
   
   NOTE: If you already have an address file created, when you click Get Data, click Open Data Source instead and attach your address file. If you do this, skip to step 10.
6. In the Create Data Source dialog box, click OK.
7. In the Save As dialog box, name your new address list and click Save.
8. Click Edit Data Source.
9. In the Data Form, type a sample address. For example, type a name and an address, use the WorkPhone field to type a fax number that you want to send to, and then click OK.
   
   NOTE: Type your fax number in one of the following formats:
   (123) 123-1234
   
   -or-
   
   123 123 1234
   
   -or-
   
   1231231234
10. In your blank Word document, on the Mail Merge toolbar, click Insert Merge Field and click FirstName. A merge field similar to one of the following is inserted into your Word document:
    <<FirstName>>
    
    -or-
    
    {MERGEFIELD FirstName}
    NOTE: If you merge fields look similar to the last example, press ALT+F9. Your merge fields should now look similar to the first example.
    
    
11. Press ENTER.
12. Repeat steps 10-11 until your inserted merge fields look similar to the following example:
    <<FirstName>> <<LastName>>
    <<Address1>>
    <<City>> <<State>> <<PostalCode>>
13. On the Mail Merge toolbar, click Merge (Start Mail Merge).
14. In the Merge dialog box, change the Merge box to Electronic fax. Click Setup. In the Merge to Setup dialog box, change the Data field with Mail/Fax address box to WorkPhone and then click OK.
15. Click Merge. Your fax application should be processed and send your outgoing fax mail merge.

If these steps are successful, your fax application should be properly installed, and you should be able to perform a mail merge to your fax application.

If these tests are unsuccessful, you may not have your fax application properly installed, your fax application is not MAPI-compliant, your fax application "fax transport" is incorrectly set up, or you have a bad installation of your fax application. For assistance in setting up your fax application, please contact your fax application vendor.

For additional information about this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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:

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.

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: