WinFax PRO desktop faxing software for Windows

Chances are your looking for fax software for your Windows based computer. WinFax PRO is a good choice, its the leading Windows desktop software for faxing and has been for over 15 years, it has many features, outstanding management capabilities, and is very easy to learn.  Before you bid on an auction for WinFax PRO software on eBay, I'd recommend you read the following guide, so you know what you are buying.

Some WinFax History

WinFax was developed by Canadian software developers Delrina Technology in the early 1990s. Delrina sold millions of copies worldwide and as its flagship product, it pushed Delrina to become one of the fastest growing technology companies in Canada.  The software allowed Windows based PCs with fax modems to easily send and receive faxes, Delrina's goal towards the "paperless" office.  It included a easy to use interface and advanced features that still are not found in many fax software today. Delrina's success caught the eye of software giant Symantec, and the company, along with the development rights to WinFax, was sold to Symantec in 1995.

Symantec continued developing and updating WinFax PRO until 2002, until it was quietly discontinued in June 2006. Support ceased in August, 2006. As of the writing of this guide, no new versions are being developed by Symantec or any other third party. 

Free Upgrades, Support?

So know you know Symantec has discontinued WinFax.  Should that be a factor in your purchase? Maybe. Auctions which claim "Free upgrades" are misleading, because Symantec will not offer any free upgrades or provide updates to this software.  While there is a LiveUpdate (Symantec's automatic update software) feature in WinFax PRO, it does not automatically update your version of the software. Live technical Support from Symantec is also non-existant, and the only source of information for WinFax PRO is what is available from their on-line Web site or third-party Web sites. So be prepared to solve problems yourself on-line, or with the help a third party Web site, such as the GetFaxing.com WinFax forums.  More information on WinFax PRO and how to receive technical support can be found at GetFaxing.com

All retail versions of WinFax PRO 10 included a manual, and were sold with a cardboard box. If the auction your looking at doesn't include a manual or box, the CD might be counterfeit, especially if the seller has multiple copies for sale. Symantec has recently sued many dealers who sold illegal copies of their software. Be aware of what you are buying and what you will receive. Lots of sellers like to include a picture of the nice yellow box shot of WinFax PRO in their auctions, and many auctions use the wording "SEALED", but you only end up receiving is sealed CD-ROM in an envelope sleeve. Many sellers also claim your buying the "OEM version" but WinFax PRO 10 was never bundled with specific hardware, so there are no OEM versions of WinFax PRO 10. (There were some BASIC Editions that were bundled with hardware, but these were feature limited)

However, there are some exceptions and many eBay sellers are legitimate. Loose sleeve CDs may be legitimate software that was never put into a box for retail sale, used for volume licensing sales, some one selling a copy that lose the box and manual, etc.  Its very difficult for you to determine how the seller obtained these CDs, so you might want to ask them.  Look at the eBay feedback rating and comments to see if they've had any complaints before bidding.

Check the Requirements before you bid

If you're using Windows Vista, forget about using WinFax PRO.  While WinFax PRO will install under Microsoft Vista, it will not operate properly. The fax printer driver will not install in Vista (it's not compatible with the operating system). The printer driver is the heart of WinFax, without it, you can't send faxes from applications. Look elsewhere for fax software, a good package to look for on-line is called Snappy Fax by John Taylor & Associates. Its has many features that rival WinFax PRO, and they install a Vista compatible fax printer driver.

If you already have Vista Ultimate or Business Editions, you'll already have a basic fax software included with the operating system. Snappy Fax will improve on that for a very low cost. Unfortunately, if you only have Vista Home, Premium or Basic you won't get any built in fax capability, so look into Snappy Fax for your faxing needs.

If you have Windows XP, you're best bet is version 10.03.   Version 10.03 is the version if you require access to Outlook 2003 data.  Other versions will not function properly with Outlook 2003 and will give you grief with your Office applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, because WinFax likes to install these add-ins without telling you.  While 10.03 is recommended, it is not necessary.  Version 10.02 has problems with the "Software Development Kit", so if you plan on using WinFax with any other application, forget version 10.02. Version 10.04 is only required if you are using a Fax Sharing Host in Windows XP SP2 (this is the only update can be downloaded from Symantec's Web site, but to update you require version 10.03)

Version history

WinFax PRO 10.0 (released prior to Windows XP, but will install with Windows XP. Problems with Office 2003)

WinFax PRO 10.01 (short lived LiveUpdate for 10.0, fixed a few bugs, such as changing e-mail forwarding file type from .exe to .fxm, but generated some other flaws, because of this, it was removed as an update)

WinFax PRO 10.02 (officially planned Windows XP version. Problems with Office 2003 integration still, and also introduced the SDK problem which causes problems with third-party integration (Merge faxing with Microsoft Word, ACT! etc.)

WinFax PRO 10.03 (released to fix problems in 10.02 - much better, Outlook 2003 works without crashing. Still problems with Word macros)

WinFax PRO 10.04 (released as an update from version 10.03 only, fixes the security settings in Windows XP SP2 only for use with Fax Sharing)  Not recommended as an update unless you are using Fax Sharing and Windows XP SP2 on all computers.

What type of fax modem?

You'll need an analog fax/data modem installed on your PC for sending and receiving faxes.  WinFax will not send "Internet faxes" for free using a DSL Modem. WinFax can be used to send internet faxes, but can only be done with a third-party company called Concord Fax which charges a fee for usage.

Avoid software-driven fax modems, often called "WinModems". They're internal modems and usually can be purchased at computer stores for fairly cheap. They work, but not always well with WinFax.  The best are older modems manufactured in the early and late 90s (Hayes, Supra for example.) and eBay is a good source to buy used, older 14.4kbps fax modems dirt cheap. Internal hardware based PCI modems are also quite good, those using the Rockwell chipset are recommended, but external modems using the standard 9 pin or older 25 pin serial port work best. The fax standard is 14.4kbps, so an older modem will perform the same speed as a new one when using WinFax PRO. Also avoid "USB" external modems, while they may work, they were never tested for use with WinFax PRO and I would not recommend them.

WinFax PRO will support up to 2 modems on a single PC. If you need to have dual modems, I'd recommend ensuring both modems are different, otherwise, you may run into difficulties.  Never use two software based (aka WinModems) modems on a single machine, you're just asking for trouble.

Fax Merge/Fax Broadcasting/Sending Bulk Faxes

Yes, WinFax PRO can receive faxes but one of the most common uses of WinFax PRO is to send many faxes, called a fax merge, or fax broadcast.  You might have a fax that you need to send to each of your customers or clients on a weekly or monthly basis.  A properly configured WinFax PRO is perfect for this type of job.  A fax merge allows you to personalize individual faxes to your clients. More information can be found at GetFaxing.com

 Hope this guide helps, and good luck!