How to auto detect incoming fax in Windows XP?

[Guest]

Does anyone know a solution and anwer the below question for my experiment.
Thanks.

The scenario:
I'm using Windows Fax software to receive faxes on my PC. There are two
settings for receiving faxes using this software. a. Manual b. Auto (you
should set automatic answer after 'x' rings). I'm currently using the same
phone line for fax as well.

The issue is, I can't set the fax to manual since I don't want to answer the
fax call each time I receive a fax or I receive a phone call (How to
differentiate between the same?). I can't set it to automatic since if
someone tries to call me, they get the fax machine after 3 rings and never
reach my voicemail!!

How to go aboiut addressing this situation? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP S/U]]

Normally, you'd have your Phone company set you up with Distinctive Ring;
unfortunately, unlike earlier versions of Windows neither Windows 2000 nor
Windows XP support this feature. The alternatives are hardware gadgets:

http://www.youcansave.com/switchboard.html
Emerson Switchboard
http://www.command-comm.com/products.html
ComSwitch®

or third party Fax software that has it's own Distinctive Ring support:

http://www.faxtalk.com/
FaxTalk Messenger Pro

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-S/U -- WA7BGX
http://www.kvoa.com -- "When News breaks, we fix it!"
KVOA Television, Tucson, AZ. NBC Channel 4
Still Cadillacin' - www.badnewsbluesband.com

 

[Glow]

I have both voicemail and distinctive ring, find out from your phone company
how many rings until your voicemail answers, then you set up automatic
answer with the Fax, but you set the fax to automatically answer one ring
after the Voicemail answers. because I have fax duet (distinctive ring) my
fax calls do not get diverted to my voicemail. The distinctive ring lets me
know not to manually answer the phone. I can also divert my voice calls to
my mobile phone, and the fax calls continued to be received on the landline
to be answered by the Fax.