Some Modems May Cause SBS to Display Misleading Message on Reboot

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This article was previously published under Q217120

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SYMPTOMS

Some modems may, from time to time, cause BackOffice Small Business Server (SBS) to display a message that states the following when restarting the server:

The Windows NT Fax Service has detected that your modem is either unplugged or powered off. Please reconnect and power on your Fax Modem.

The only available option when this message appears is to click OK. The message itself is harmless and clicking OK will not impede the SBS server's ability to send or receive data calls or faxes.

This type of behavior has been observered with the following modems:

Sportster internal modems
Courier external modems

If the modem became disconnected physically, or was turned off, the same message documented in this article would appear. However, if the modem was connected and functioning properly prior to restarting the server, the likelihood of this message being true is minimal and can be ignored.

The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.