faxxis FAQ - Receiving Faxes

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Receiving Faxes

24. Senders are reporting transmission errors when sending to my fax number.
25. What software program do I use to view faxes and where can I download it?
26. How do I open and view the fax I received?
27. The wrong program is launched when I click on a fax attachment to open a fax and view it.
28. My fax arrived with no attachment.
29. Why does my fax look blurry or have lines or other distortions?
30. Someone sent me a fax, but I did not receive it.
31. I received an unsolicited junk fax.
32. I received a fax from 'unknown sender'.
33. Can I receive faxes from Fax on Demand services (FOD)?
34. Imaging for Windows prints all my faxes as black pages.
35. I am using Windows XP and am unable to open Faxxis faxes sent as PDF files.
36. How do I change the delivery format for my faxes?
37. What is the CSID?
38. WinFax users are having trouble sending to my Faxxis number
39. Senders using certain types of HP all-in-one fax machines are reporting transmission errors when sending to my Faxxis number.

24. Senders are reporting transmission errors when sending to my fax number.

First, ask the sender to confirm the specific transmission error being returned by the sending fax machine. If the transmission error is a busy signal or no answer, please ask the sender to try sending the fax again, as these errors do sometimes occur and are normal. However, if subsequent attempts to send the fax are not successful, or if the sender is reporting other types of transmission errors, please contact Faxxis Customer Support , and indicate the transmission error reported by the sender of the fax.

25. What software program do I use to view faxes and where can I download it?

Multi-page TIFF viewer software is required to view Faxxis faxes sent as TIFF files, and Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view Faxxis faxes sent as PDF files.

TIFF viewer software -

Windows users - Most versions of Windows will have TIFF viewer software already built into the operating system. Imaging for Windows from Eastman Software, which is included with Windows 95 (B release*), Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0. To open the Windows Imaging program, go to your start menu and select Programs, then select Imaging from the Accessories menu. If you are using one of the operating systems listed above and Imaging is not already installed on your computer, you can install it from your original system CDs by using the "add/remove programs" feature in the Windows control panel.

* To find out what version of Windows 95 you are using, right click once over the 'My Computer' icon on your desktop, and select properties from the pull-down menu. A 'System Properties' window will open up; make sure the 'General' tab is selected. You should see the word "System", with the version of Windows you are using listed below it. If you are using Windows 95 B, the letter B should appear after Windows 95. If not, you do not have the Imaging software installed and you will need to install it.

Windows 95 users only - you may download the Imaging software at
http://download.microsoft.com/download/win95upg/tool/1.0/W95/EN-US/imginst.exe

Windows XP users - Windows XP has the built-in ability to view multi-page TIFF files via its Image and Fax Viewer. The Image and Fax Viewer should automatically launch when you double-click on the TIFF file.

Mac users - We recommend receiving your faxes as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. You may opt to have your faxes sent to you as PDF files by changing your preferred fax file format in your account "Receive Settings". The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html

Adobe Acrobat Reader (for viewing PDF files) -

The Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html .

26. How do I open and view the fax I received?

Faxes will arrive at your e-mail address as an e-mail message with a file attachment. The attached file is your fax. Most users can just double click on the attachment to open it, which should open your fax up using a TIFF viewer program (for TIF files), or Adobe Acrobat Reader (for PDF files). Depending on which format you have chosen to receive faxes in, you must have either a TIFF viewer program or Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.

You can also open a fax from within the activity by logging to your account at the Faxxis website. Click on the reference number to open up the fax. This feature allows you to access your faxes when you are away from your e-mail, but you must still have the proper software loaded to view faxes in this manner.

Web-based email users (such as AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo mail, etc.) must first save attachments to hard disk before opening them.
When you receive an e-mail attachment on your account, click the "Download Now" button. You will be prompted to choose the folder on your computer where you want to put the attachment after downloading it. After you choose a folder, click 'Save',

27. The wrong program is launched when I click on a fax attachment to open a fax and view it.

If you're using Windows (except XP), you should already have Imaging for Windows installed on your computer, which is what we recommend for viewing TIFF files.

Try the following solutions for opening your faxes:

1) If you're using Windows, go to your start menu, up to programs, and to the accessories menu. A program called Imaging should be listed in the accessories menu, and this is the program you need to use to open your TIFF faxes. Instead of trying to open the file directly from your e-mail, try saving it to your hard drive instead. Then, open up the Imaging program from the accessories menu and go to the file -> open menu to open up the fax you've saved.

2) If you have determined that you do have Imaging for Windows on your computer, try the following to set up your computer so that Imaging automatically opens TIF files:

A) Click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop, then go to the Tools menu and select Folder Options.

B) Once in Folder Options, click "file types".

C) Scroll down the list of file types and highlight "TIF". In the bottom section, you should see a heading that reads "details for 'TIF' extension", and this should list what program is currently set to open TIF files. Click the "change" button, which should bring up a list of programs installed on your computer, and Imaging should be in that list. Highlight Imaging and click OK. You may also want to go back to the list of file types and do the same thing for the "TIFF" file type if it's included your list of file types.

3) Change your file association settings so that Windows will ask you what application you would like to use the next time you open a TIFF file. The easiest way to do this is to make a modification to your registry, but we don't recommend this option unless you are fairly familiar with the workings of your computer. Here's what to do:

1. Determine the path to and file name of your Imaging for Windows viewer software

A. Right Click on the START menu, and choose Explore.

B. Explore the Start Menu folder until you locate the shortcut that launches your graphics program. Imaging for Windows is usually in the "Start Menu |Programs | Accessories" folder. You should see an icon labeled "Imaging"

C. Right Click on the Imaging icon and select Properties

D. Make note of the file name and path in the "Target" (maybe also called "Cmd line") field, as we will need this information later.

Windows XP Users - Windows XP has a viewer called the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, and this is what you need to use to open TIF files using Windows XP. Here's how to set it up:

1) Open up Windows Explorer
(Start->All Programs->Accessories->Windows Explorer)

2) Click Tools and select Folder Options

3) Click the File Type tab

4) Scroll down to the TIF extension, highlight it and click Change

5) Highligh Windows Picture and Fax Viewer from the list of Recommended Programs and click OK.

6) Do the same thing for the TIFF entry underneath the TIF entry.

7) Click Close.

Windows ME Users - To set files to open with the application of your choice:
1. While holding down the SHIFT key, right click the file.
2. On the menu, click "Open With", and then choose the application you want to use to open the file.

To change the application that's used by default to open a certain type of file, click "Choose program", click the application you want used, and then select the "Always use this program to open these files" check box.

28. My fax arrived with no attachment.

If a fax arrives with no attached file to open, make sure you don't have any filters or blocks on incoming attachments, or that your e-mail provider does not automatically quarantine all incoming attachments to check for viruses. Then, try re-sending the fax from your activity log after you log in to your account at the Faxxis website If the attachment still does not appear with the e-mail, please contact Faxxis Customer Support .

29. Why does my fax look blurry or have lines or other distortions?

Occasionally, noise on the line can cause faxes to appear blurred or distorted, since noise interferes with the stream of fax data being transmitted. Vertical lines down the side of the page usually indicate dirt on the scanner of the sending fax machine. However, if many of your faxes from different senders are appearing with unusual distortions or lines, please contact Faxxis Customer Support and include the reference number of the fax(es) in question and a description of the problem.

30. Someone sent me a fax, but I did not receive it.

Your e-mail provider may be experiencing temporary problems receiving incoming e-mail messages. You can access your faxes directly from the Faxxis website by logging in to your account. If the message does not appear in your account log, it was not received by the Faxxis system and you will need to ask the sender to re-send it. First confirm that the sender has dialed your Faxxis number correctly and that no transmission errors were reported by the sending fax machine.

Please also make sure your billing is up-to-date. Toll-free messages are billed at $0.10 per page received, and if you have a failed pre-paid usage charge on your account, your toll-free messages will be held until the charge is re-submitted

31. I received an unsolicited junk fax.

Faxxis does not sell or make our list of fax numbers available to anyone. However, there are fax blast companies who have special equipment that can dial hundreds of fax numbers per minute and record which of these numbers answer as fax tones. These confirmed fax numbers then end up on fax blast lists that are sold to fax broadcasters worldwide. Because most numbers we use are in sequential groups, it is fairly easy for these mass dialing programs to find and confirm them as active fax numbers through these dialing techniques. This is a problem common to all large scale fax services utilizing large blocks of telephone numbers.

If you'd like more information about how to register a complaint against the senders of junk faxes, please visit the Federal Communication Commission's consumer information page, located at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html

A great web site with a lot of information on how to fight junk faxers is at http://www.junkfax.org/

32. I received a fax from 'unknown sender'.

If a fax is listed as being from an 'unknown sender', this means that the sender has not programmed his or her identity into the sending fax machine. The Faxxis system does not use caller ID to identify the sender of a fax, and relies on information programmed into the sending fax machine by it's owner. If the sender of a fax has not programmed any identifying information into his or her fax machine, Faxxis will record the sender as unknown. Most legitimate businesses will program a fax number or business name to identify the sender of the fax. Faxes listed as 'unknown sender' are usually junk advertising faxes, although this is not always the case.

If you'd like more information about how to register a complaint against the senders of junk faxes, please visit the Federal Communication Commission's consumer information page, located at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html

For a great web site with a lot of information on how to fight junk faxers, go to http://www.junkfax.org/

33. Can I receive faxes from Fax on Demand services?

There are two types of Fax On Demand (FOD) services - one call and two call. With the one call system, you dial the FOD service from your fax machine, request your document, and then the FOD service faxes it back to you on that same call. This type of system will not work with your Faxxis Fax number. The two call system is more common. With a two-call FOD system, you call in, request the document, enter your fax number and hang up. The FOD then processes the request and faxes your document to the fax number entered, but on a separate call. You should not have any problems requesting FOD documents from a two-call system.

34. Imaging for Windows prints all my faxes as black pages.

Please visit the following links to view Microsoft technical support documents that explain how to fix this issue:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q189764

or

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q165060

35. I am using Windows XP and am unable to open Faxxis faxes sent as PDF files.

There may be a compatibility issue between the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader that is shipped with Windows XP and the PDFs that are generated by the Faxxis system

Downloading and installing Adobe Acrobat Reader version 6.0 seems to fix the problem. The software can be downloaded at

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

36. How do I change the delivery format for my faxes?

You can choose to have your faxes delivered as either TIFF or PDF files. When you sign up, the default delivery format is TIFF. You can change the delivery format by logging in to your account and clicking "Receive Settings".

37. What is the CSID?

Answer:

CSID stands for Called Station ID. When someone sends a fax to your Faxxis number, the CSID is displayed on the sending machine's display screen. You can configure your CSID to be your name, company name or a valid fax number in the Receive Settings area of the account administration website. Your default CSID is set as your Faxxis number.

38. WinFax users are having trouble sending to my Faxxis number.

People using WinFax to send outbound faxes may have problems sending to your Faxxis number if their CSID is all letters (a company name, for example). This is a bug in the WinFax software. If the WinFax user changes to a numeric CSID, this should solve the problem. The CSID is an identifier that is entered into the WinFax software by the user, usually a fax number, name or company name. The CSID is used to identify the WinFax user to other fax machines.

For more information, please visit http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/faxprod.nsf/pfdocs/1998101317461804

39. Senders using certain types of HP all-in-one fax machines are reporting transmission errors when sending to my Faxxis number.

This problem is caused by a known bug in the software for those particular HP fax machines. If the sender disables error correction mode (ECM) on the sending fax machine, the fax will go through.

Instructions for turning off Error Correction Mode (ECM) can be found on HP's website at http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/genericDocument?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00060802

Scroll to the section titled, "Turning error correction mode (ECM) off - HP Officejet, LX, and 300 series all-in-ones".

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