The Miami Herald Technology Queries Column
By Tim Henderson, The Miami Herald
Nov. 29–SENDING OUT FAXES ON THE WEB:
Q: I have a new Windows XP computer and broadband DSL. I cannot receive or send a fax. The error message reads “Please plug the phone line into your modem.” It is plugged in, so what gives?
M.T., Miami
A: The fax program on your computer needs a modem attached to a phone line, rather than the digital DSL modem connection you have.
Faxes work very much like a voice telephone call — they must dial first, connect and use beeps and squawks that translate into printed material at the other end. That’s why it’s called an “analog” technology, because it depends on sounds rather than electronic or “digital” computer data.
Your digital DSL connection and modem won’t do the job, even though they’re going out over phone lines too, because they can only accept digital information. It also can’t dial a phone number, or answer a phone, the way a dial-up modem can.
If you have DSL, you should be able to use your phone at the same time. So you should be able to hook up a dial-up modem to a phone line and use it for faxing without interrupting your Internet session. For receiving faxes, you need to set your fax software to answer the phone via your dial-up modem temporarily when you’re expecting a fax.
An alternative is to use a service that faxes over the Internet, which you can find by searching on the phrase “Internet fax” in your favorite search engine. Such services essentially take e-mailed information, scan it and send it out on a fax machine on your behalf.
Q: We were without power for 16 days and afterwards, when I tried to do e-mail with Outlook Express, it would not send or receive. Everything else works OK and I can get my e-mail through a Web-based interface. I tried online help and it looks like I should reinstall Windows XP.
–Burnham Neill
A: I wouldn’t reinstall Windows XP. From what you describe, your provider is having a hard time getting its mail servers back up and running. You have a good temporary work around — the Web-based e-mail — and I think patience is in order.
When you reinstall your operating system from a CD, you risk losing much of the software added to customize your computer and run all of its distinctive components like printers and CD or DVD drives. It’s also not likely to solve a problem that doesn’t appear to be caused by Windows XP.
Take a look at your provider’s website and make sure your connection profile matches the names of your providers incoming, or POP server and outgoing or SMTP server. The server names can change occasionally, or there may be an alternative server you can use if one’s down from storm damage.
Q: Suddenly when I start my computer, a window appears telling me that the Norton Anti-Virus driver could not be loaded automatically, and that I should restart the computer. I try that but there’s no change.
–Karen Inverso
A: Symantec, the maker of Norton Anti-Virus, says there can be several causes for that, ranging from unregistered files to a bad system date.
For a quick diagnosis, try Norton’s Automated Support Assistant:
https://www-secure.symantec.com/techsupp/asa/
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