Good non-internet fax software for Windows 7 ?

[New7user7]

I have expended my rage at the Windows 7 native fax software in
another thread and hope to keep it contained there. I am ready to
move on.

Can anyone share their anecdotes on non-internet fax software for
Windows 7? Conventional web search is made much more protracted by
the fact that Windows 7 already has a fax & scan app, and by the
prevalence of internet fax.

Thanks.

 

[carwiz]

Gosh, I thought faxes went away with rotary dial phones.

 

[New7user7]

There are times when you want to send something confidential/private and don't want to send it in the clear with email. So I think fax is here to stay.

 

[carwiz]

Do you have a fax/phone card or adaptor? It should have come with software. Up to about six years ago (or so), PCs came with a phone modem along with an Ethernet port. My old Sony Viao has both. If you want non-internet fax capabilities, you need a phone line and phone/fax PCI card or adaptor.

Here's a couple of examples:
USRobotics USR5638 - fax / modem - USR5638 - Phone & Fax Modems - CDW.com
StarTech.com External V.92 56K USB Fax Modem ? USB Dial up Data Modem - USB56KEM3 - Phone & Fax Modems - CDW.com

 

[New7user7]

I bought a USB fax modem. I thought the disc (smaller than a normal CD) had only drivers. The instructions did not mention any software, but I shall take a look upon returning from my holiday season visits. Thanks!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Gosh, I thought faxes went away with rotary dial phones.

Nope. Most doctors' offices still rely on FAX, citing lack of privacy for the reason. They have to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century (such as the Federal mandate in the U.S. requiring medical records to be digitized and standardized). The alleged privacy concerns for email are easily alleviated with encryption. Besides, FAX isn't all that private.

 

[New7user7]

I agree that in theory, privacy can be addressed using encryption. However, most businesses are not set up to decrypt. From the customer or end-user standpoint, therefore, it isn't an option.

What did you mean by the fact that fax is not that private? Do you mean that phone lines can be tapped? I would have to agree, but someone has to tap the line. I don't know for sure, but I imagine that this would require tapping at the source/destination ends or by compromising the infrastructure operator in order to access the signal. In comparison, I imagine that email sent in the clear requires access to any of the servers that the email passes through. If this involves more than one organizational entity, then there are many opportunities for the information to be run through a compromised server. Furthermore, in contrast to email, voice is "circuit switched", which is roughly analogous to real-time streaming. My gut tells me that this offers fewer opportunities for copies of the info to be stored longer for buffering purposes. Since I'm not familiar with the current operating models, I'm not sure how accurate this is presently.

For fax, there is also the danger that someone other than the recipient sees (and/or takes) an incoming document.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

I agree that in theory, privacy can be addressed using encryption. However, most businesses are not set up to decrypt. From the customer or end-user standpoint, therefore, it isn't an option.

What did you mean by the fact that fax is not that private? Do you mean that phone lines can be tapped? I would have to agree, but someone has to tap the line. I don't know for sure, but I imagine that this would require tapping at the source/destination ends or by compromising the infrastructure operator in order to access the signal. In comparison, I imagine that email sent in the clear requires access to any of the servers that the email passes through. If this involves more than one organizational entity, then there are many opportunities for the information to be run through a compromised server. Furthermore, in contrast to email, voice is "circuit switched", which is roughly analogous to real-time streaming. My gut tells me that this offers fewer opportunities for copies of the info to be stored longer for buffering purposes. Since I'm not familiar with the current operating models, I'm not sure how accurate this is presently.

For fax, there is also the danger that someone other than the recipient sees (and/or takes) an incoming document.

Phone lines can be tapped but the greatest danger comes from unauthorized personnel being able to see a fax after it is printed. Usually, anyone can walk by a fax machine and just pickup the printout. Also, commercial fax machines, such as ones at copy centers, store data from transmissions and receptions, same as copy machines do.

Software has been available for quite sometime now for encrypting data sent by email. One of my medical care providers have such a system in place now for communicating patients via the internet. Emails are used to notify patients that they have a message at the website. The correct level of encryption cannot be broken by anyone, with the unlikely exception of the NSA (and they are able to monitor phone transmissions, including faxes).

 

[New7user7]

Oh, well, I just presumed that the NSA could get at your communications regardless of whether it is fax or encrypted email.

I know that file encryption as been in place for decades, but pushbutton encryption for users without researching the various methods and experimenting with different tools or email clients, especially outside of the corporate and/or Microsoft environments? That I don't have a clear picture of. I'm not just referring to encrypting the last mile to the home.

But I do know one thing. If ready means exist for end users to communicate by encrypted email with businesses (end to end), then it really requires that the business be set up for this. It is not a unilateral choice on the side of the end user. And most businesses, especially small or individual businesses, are not set up for this.

As I said in my last message, I recognize the risk of faxes being seen or taken by those other than the intended recipient. However, in a typical office that deals a lot with private communications, such as HR, compensation, claims, doctors, etc., the staff are educated on the nature of private emails and my *assumption* is that they won't be absconding with the odd fax to sell the information on the black market. The thing with unencrypted email in the clear is that (again, I assume) the info can be captured in mass and it is in a readily mine-abe form at multiple points along the transmission. At least, that would be my concern. Whether that's really how things work...maybe an IT security pro can confirm/dispel or elaborate on this imagined picture of how info is stolen and exploited.

 

[New7user7]

On Sunday, December 22, I wrote:
> I have expended my rage at the Windows 7 native fax software in
> another thread and hope to keep it contained there. I am ready to
> move on.
>
> Can anyone share their anecdotes on non-internet fax software for
> Windows 7? Conventional web search is made much more protracted by
> the fact that Windows 7 already has a fax & scan app, and by the
> prevalence of internet fax.

What I have found to work are Snappy Fax and EssentialFax. I had to decrease the baud rate to 48kbps for EssentialFax before faxes could be received.

Unfortunately, neither of these apps include the fax details along the top and/or bottom edge of each page, as one might see in a conventional fax. I guess this was just a convention adopted by traditional fax machines.

 

[WebFoot]

I have a need to fax a 3 pg doc once a month with NO cover page. With Windows Fax & Scan it appears the only way to send this doc is via an attachment to the main page. Since there is no live body on the other end I have no one I can talk to.

What I've been doing is using a fax prgm that came with an old modem, Classic Phone Tools. Does all I need but the prgm isn't happy with W7. Can install the prgm and it works for that session. Next time I need to send a fax the prgm doesn't work, gives a message that it can't find a dll that is clearly available in the same dir as the fax prgm. Do an uninstall and reinstall and good for the one session.

I gave Essential Fax a try and didn't have any luck. Think it was due to the old modem not working well under W7. replaced the modem but the trial period for EF had expired. Don't really want to spend $30 to find out if the prgm work with the new modem. E-mailed Essential Fax tech support asking if there was a way I could give the prgm another try with the new equipment. Never heard back from them.

Any recommendations for a fax prgm that works with W7? Don't want to spend more than necessary as I only use the fax application once a month.

 

[New7user7]

Any recommendations for a fax prgm that works with W7? Don't want to spend more than necessary as I only use the fax application once a month.

WebFoot, did you read the post immediately preceding yours in this thread?

 

[WebFoot]

Any recommendations for a fax prgm that works with W7? Don't want to spend more than necessary as I only use the fax application once a month.

WebFoot, did you read the post immediately preceding yours in this thread?

Yes, I did. Is there anything specific you were wanted me to note?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Any recommendations for a fax prgm that works with W7? Don't want to spend more than necessary as I only use the fax application once a month.

WebFoot, did you read the post immediately preceding yours in this thread?

Yes, I did. Is there anything specific you were wanted me to note?

I suspect this part was it:

What I have found to work are Snappy Fax and EssentialFax.

 

[New7user7]

I should elaborate. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find non-internet fax software for Windows 7. It was hard to find. Most people have either abandoned fax or gone to internet fax. However, conventional fax over traditional circuit switched lines are needed for privacy. Those are the only two that I tried and can confirm to work. That is, apart from the Windows native Fax & Scan. That didn't work most of the time, and just burned up days trying to figure out why. In the end, never did.

 

[carwiz]

The use trial on your Classic Phone Tools probably expired or it was never registered. Many software trials will stop working. They limit functionality or delete/rename files until it's registered. Could be why yours runs once. Even if uninstalled, it probably leaves "droppings" in the Registry so it knows it's been installed before.

Buy a new printer. I've been trying to find one that DOESN'T have a fax option. Most I've seen will auto-feed up to 20 pages. My old printer had a fax. I never used it. My sister used it once. I had to scrounge a phone cord to do that. For price of most software and modem, you can buy a printer. For sure a used one. I'd give you mine if you picked up the shipping.

 

[WebFoot]

WebFoot, did you read the post immediately preceding yours in this thread?

Yes, I did. Is there anything specific you were wanted me to note?

I suspect this part was it:

What I have found to work are Snappy Fax and EssentialFax.

That's what I suspected. Had looked for reviews of Snappy and the few I found were a mixed bag, love/hate. I went into a fair amount of detail on my experience with Essential Fax. I don't want to fork over $30 just to give EF a try with the new modem and find out it is still not working for me.

I should elaborate. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find non-internet fax software for Windows 7. It was hard to find. Most people have either abandoned fax or gone to internet fax. However, conventional fax over traditional circuit switched lines are needed for privacy. Those are the only two that I tried and can confirm to work. That is, apart from the Windows native Fax & Scan. That didn't work most of the time, and just burned up days trying to figure out why. In the end, never did.

Same here.

The use trial on your Classic Phone Tools probably expired or it was never registered. Many software trials will stop working. They limit functionality or delete/rename files until it's registered. Could be why yours runs once. Even if uninstalled, it probably leaves "droppings" in the Registry so it knows it's been installed before.

Buy a new printer. I've been trying to find one that DOESN'T have a fax option. Most I've seen will auto-feed up to 20 pages. My old printer had a fax. I never used it. My sister used it once. I had to scrounge a phone cord to do that. For price of most software and modem, you can buy a printer. For sure a used one. I'd give you mine if you picked up the shipping.

Have been using Classic Phone tools for yrs with no issues until I moved over to W7. The prgm just isn't happy with W7 even when using compatibility mode. Not hard to find others with same issue when installing on W7. Publishing Co no longer supports this software.

 

[HammerHead]

Fax/Data Modem Card

I use Essential Fax. It works with a modem card that I have brought from earlier computers that I stripped down. If Essential Fax doesn't work with your modem a new modem card is 9 to 12 dollars via the etailers on the net. Maybe your problem is not worth that much.