tools: fax from Windows over a fax modem

[dusmcj]

Seeing the thread on faxaway which lets you email faxes to a fax telephone number, I thought I would share my favorite Political Tool (tm): on Windorks XP Home edition, you can print to a fax modem.

So, your computer must have a modem which is capable of faxing.

Define a fax device. Lord help me, I can't remember how I did that, try control panel->printers and other hardware->printers and faxes

Then, write your letter. When done, print it and select the fax device.

You will get a fax wizard, which will ask you for the number and some other stuff. I skip the cover sheet etc.

If you make address book entries for your favorite political offices and enter the fax number, you can pull recipients straight from the address book via the wizard.

At the end of the wizard, you get to preview the fax. It's usually pretty good about doing margins with plain text (out of notepad), I've never tried it with word or another word processor.

As said elsewhere, mail to the Capitol is being held up for weeks because of security screening, so fax, phone and email are better choices. The story is that email is the least effective. So fax away, and thank Mr. Gates for making at least one genuine contribution to mass computing.

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Thank Gates for nothing n/t

[dusmcj]

3. just because his OS retarded the state of public computing by 15 years

is no reason to be vicious. Another example of the triumph of marketing to a mediocre average consumer and establishing a monopoly. Once we're the only game in town we can do what we want.

If Unix had caught on in the public space 10 years before it did, the state of global computing would be 10 years further along. Oh well, time to catch up.

[Fredda Weinberg]

6. I was generating CP/M operating systems

When the IBM PC came out with it's incompatible BIOS chip. I learned later (in a private IBM library) how DR-DOS refused the deal Gates made.

I'm bitter, not vicious.

[dusmcj]

7. kidding, but why be either (vicious or bitter)

poop has a way of retaining its smell, even if it's well-marketed.

The Unix revolution happened because a monopoly became outdated. And I'm pointing with that word at all the old-line computer manufacturers. Monopolies produce efficiencies of scale because the consumer has no choice. The cash cow is turned into hamburger until only the long hairs from the tail remain. At that point when there's no moo left, the playing field is again leveled (not in the sense that the monopolists use the phrase) so that participants who have high content but low mass (i.e. they're about quality instead of mouth) against have access to market opportunity. At that point innovation takes place. Not by big business whining that anyone who doesn't play by its rules (centered on contention and interaction rather than value of product) presents "unfair competition". The toilet flushes, and the air smells fresh again. Or, put another way, what goes around, comes around. If not today, wait till tomorrow. These are forces larger than even the richest men can control.

[stillcool]

2. for those with DSL...here's some options...

http://www.faxitforfree.com/index_html?page=index_html&...

http://capwiz.com/thedeanpeople/home /

http://www.tpc.int/faxbyemail.html

[Nutmegger]

4. Thanks for this, I use the Windows Fax all the time

The only thing is that you need a fax modem.

Another note: most DSL providers allow access to dial-up so check your providers site for more info. For me it's as simple as finding a local access number, plugging in my name / pass then it's fax time.

Give A-LIE-TOE the boot! wOOt wOOt WOOT!

[TreasonousBastard]

5. Small problem...

a while back I tried to install the faxmodem with XP Pro and it insisted I have the original CD for a few files it needed. I don't have the original disk since it was preinstalled, and searched for a while, finding many other people who had the same problem, and no easy solution. The missing files are apparently not to be found on any trustworthy site. Couldn't find any working fax drivers in any of my huge software collection, either, and Exchange wasn't anywhere to be found.

Sooo... what a bunch of us ended up doing was finding the disks that came with the modems and there's always a bunch of comm stuff on there. I found an old Winfax Lite for Windoze 3.11 and Bitcom's fax utility for W95 after a lot of digging through old disks, and Bitcom seems to work just fine.

Emailing Congresscritters is now out of the question, btw. When I was working with Progressive Secretary eons ago, they were closing down their email because the Hill got something like 90 million emails a year back then, and a lot were spam anyway. What they all did was insist you go to the critter's own website and post your message there-- it will probably then actually be read, since there are protections against spam and mass mailings.

Most critters do, however, have some way to tell if you are one of their constituents and tend to ignore you if you aren't.