"This number cannot be dialed at present" on Windows Fax

[Rick Raubenheimer]

I am a newbie to newsgroups, so please excuse me if I use incorrect
etiquette.

I am mass faxing from Microsoft Word using a macro on Windows XP SP2. Faxes
go into the outbox in Fax Console and go out OK initially. After sending
maybe 20-30 faxes, Fax Monitor reports "This number cannot be dialed at
present" as it starts dialling, followed immediately by "The attempt to send
the fax failed", and these errors repeat for all remaining faxes. In Fax
Console Outbox they show as "retries exceeded".

If I then try a manual fax, it wants to print to file. Even if I uncheck
this option and print to fax, it just disappears (no Fax Wizard !). From Fax
Console trying to send a fax still gives the above error. I can get the Fax
Wizard to come up with a manual fax again, if I first print to another
printer, and then to fax. However the "number cannot be dialed at present"
error persists. Switching the modem off and on does not help --faxes get
pended. Shutting down the PC, switching off the modem, and starting again,
helps temporarily.

Windows Fax's Help is useless on this subject, as is Microsoft's Knowledge
Base. Any ideas?

Thanks and RICKgards

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You need to purchase some fax software.
Windows XP Fax cannot send multiple faxes reliably. It was intended for
occasional sending of single faxes.

 

[Rick Raubenheimer]

Thank you for your response. My experience is that Microsoft Fax is
rock-solid problem-free for my mass faxes, until it reaches some sort of
pre-set limit and refuses to send any more faxes. The error message "This
number cannot be dialed at present" appears to be undocumented in Windows
and on the internet. It looks like the product has been deliberately
crippled so as not to compete with commercial fax software. What fax
software do you recommend?

RICKgards

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

You've been luckier than most. Most report that Windows XP Fax croaks after
three.
Sorry. I haven't had the occasion to need or try third party offerings.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Thank you for your response. My experience is that Microsoft Fax is
rock-solid problem-free for my mass faxes, until it reaches some sort of
pre-set limit and refuses to send any more faxes. The error message "This
number cannot be dialed at present" appears to be undocumented in Windows
and on the internet. It looks like the product has been deliberately
crippled so as not to compete with commercial fax software. What fax
software do you recommend?

RICKgards

 

[Jon Jones]

Symantec WinFax is pretty good.

Thank you for your response. My experience is that Microsoft Fax is
rock-solid problem-free for my mass faxes, until it reaches some sort of
pre-set limit and refuses to send any more faxes. The error message "This
number cannot be dialed at present" appears to be undocumented in Windows
and on the internet. It looks like the product has been deliberately
crippled so as not to compete with commercial fax software. What fax
software do you recommend?

RICKgards