Cannot send Fax with RC2 x64 Build 5744

Before I waste MS's time with an error report, maybe this is a user error,
so ...

I have had no problem sending faxes with previous Vista betas.

Now, when I print to fax and the email-type msg comes up, if I hit the To:
button, fax and scan crashes. Ditto if I hit the contacts button.

If it try to manually type in a fax number -- as in 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx, fax says
it's in invalid format. I've tried all variations.

Contacts are working fine in Outlook 2007, Vista Mail, and Windows Live Mail
Desktop Beta.

Anyone having a similar problem. Anyone know a solution?

Thanks.

 

No repros here. Are you using Office B2TR? How did you create your current
Outlook profile?

 

Hmm, that's kind of too bad that it is working for you Yup, it's Office
B2TR.

This was a fresh install of Vista (the upgrade bombed). Outlook profile was
created from scratch except I did import messages from an earlier .PST file.

Outlook is running fine. Fax, which seems to share components with both
Windows Mail and Outlook, if installed, crashes looking for contacts or,
perhaps, finds them but doesn't like what it finds.

Sigh.

Thanks for you note.

 

Couple of things:
1. "Importing" of your Outlook data is troubling. You should never import
Outlook data because you'll lose data, corrupt your profile or both. Any
further details on how you imported your data and configured your address
service in Outlook would be helpful.
2. Vista Scan and Fax should not be "sharing components" with both Windows
Mail and Outlook. It should be either one or the other. What is the evidence
that make you think it is sharing with both?

My suspicion is that you are dealing with a problem with your Outlook
profile/address service rather than a bug. The more steps to repro you can
provide the easier this will be to troubleshoot (particularly, in what order
you installed Office, configured Outlook's address book service, then
started using Fax).
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

 

After a clean install of Vista RC2 x64 Build 5744, I re-installed MS Office
2007 and the B2TR, and then imported the messages and folders from my
previous .PST file.

All other settings were re-created manually.

As for the notion that Scan and Fax is using some Windows Mail components,
when I hit (N)ew message, it *looks* like Windows mail, not Outlook.

When creating a new message in fax, if I hit the (T)o: button, it pops up
and error msg saying either there is no default mail client or your current
default mail client can't handle the request. Load Microsoft Outlook and
set it as the default client.

*THAT* I have done in every way I know how. From within Outlook itself,
using the Default Programs control panel item, and even temporarily setting
Windows Mail as default and letting Outlook reclaim it when it loads.

Bringing up default programs now, Outlook is set as default for ALL file
types that it can handle.

Yet, Fax still gives me the same msg. Trying to bring up the Contacts file
from with Fax is an instant crash, while it opens just fine in Outlook.
(BTW, does fax use Outlook contacts or Windows contacts? I think the former
but don't see this documented).

Something is amiss but I'll be darned if I can find it. BTW, I've done a
repair on MS Office and a diagnostics. The latter finds no problems and the
first made no difference.

In any event, thanks for your efforts.

 

User error. Issue remains. You never import Outlook data unless you want to
corrupt your profile.
Try transferring your data correctly.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

 

Er, ok, let's assume it is "user error" to use Outlook 2007's import
feature. ????

What do you mean by transferring the data directly. Copying my old
OUTLOOK.PST over the new one that Outlook creates when it is first
installed.

I don't mind uninstalling MS Office 2007 for the sake of "science" but I'd
like to make sure I understand you.

Thanks.

 

Nothing has changed in Outlook 2007. There is and always has been only one
supported method for transferring an Outlook Data File. You never import it.
You never overwrite another PST file. You simply open your previous file in
your new profile and set it as the default. Or you can copy what you want
from it and use the new PST file the new profile created.

I never said anything about uninstalling Office 2007. That won't help. This
is all well documented. Take a look at these pages for info on Outlook data
backup or transfer:
http://www.slipstick.com/config/backup.htm
http://www.howto-outlook.com/Howto/backupandrestore.htm
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010771141033.aspx
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

 

I fixed the problem, although in a very strange way.

I set Windows Mail as my default email program. Then loaded Windows Fax and
it found the contacts used by Windows Mail \\username\contacts
and worked perfectly.

Oddly enough, I could then switch back to Outlook 2007 as my default program
for mail and everything else it handles without breaking fax -- fax
continues to use Windows Contacts, Outlook uses a different set (in the
appdata/local/microsoft/outlook folder).

If that gives you or MSFT any clue as to what was going on, great. Frankly,
it confuses the bleep out of me but I'm glad to have fax working again.

 

I know exactly what is going on. You have a corrupt Outlook profile because
you migrated your data incorrectly. That is why you cannot use your Outlook
Contacts with Windows Fax and Scan. WFS will use whatever address service
you set as your default, so it will still work with Windows Mail.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]