Windows 98 Installation & Configuration Handbook

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Configuring Windows Messaging and Microsoft Fax


by Rob Tidrow

Read This First

One of the most popular communications components of Windows 95 is Microsoft Fax. With Windows 98, however, Fax is not an option to install. To use Fax under Windows 98, you must have previously installed Fax under Windows 95. During the Windows 98 Setup process, Fax is left intact. You can then use Fax to send and receive fax messages.

This appendix assumes you want to be able to run Microsoft Fax under Windows 98, but you have not installed Windows 98 yet. You need to work through this appendix before running Windows 98 Setup. This appendix also assumes you have Windows 95 running and that Windows Messaging (formerly called Microsoft Exchange in early releases of Windows 95) is installed. If you don't have Windows Messaging installed, refer to your Windows 95 documentation.


CAUTION: If you uninstall Microsoft Fax under Windows 98, you cannot re-install it under Windows 98. You must re-install Windows 95, install Fax, and then upgrade to Windows 98 again.

Identifying the Features of Microsoft Fax

Microsoft Fax enables you to send and receive faxes through your fax modem on your computer. You can use Microsoft Fax on a separate computer to service one user, or connect it to a network to use it as a fax server in a workgroup environment.

Microsoft Fax is part of the Windows Messaging architecture and can replace any fax software you might already have installed on your computer, such as WinFax Pro. Microsoft Fax enables you to create fax messages, add cover pages, and send the messages to another fax machine or fax modem device. Because Fax is a MAPI (Messaging Application Programming Interface) compliant application, you can use other applications, such as Microsoft Word for Windows 97, to send faxes. Also, if you use Microsoft Fax to send a fax to a fax modem, you can encrypt it with a password to provide a layer of security for the document.


TIP: Microsoft Fax includes fax printer drivers so you can print to a fax modem from within any Windows application.

You also can use Microsoft Fax to receive fax messages. A message can be faxed to you by the sender calling your fax number and delivering the fax. Or, if you use fax-back services to receive technical support information, sales information, or other data, you can dial the service and have it download the document to your fax modem using Microsoft Fax.


TIP: You can store fax messages in the Windows Messaging Inbox.

A Microsoft Fax message can be sent in one of two ways:

The latter option is the traditional way in which fax messages are sent and received via a fax machine, known as a Group 3 fax machine. The limitation of sending faxes this way is that the recipient cannot edit the document or use it as a binary file, unless the document is scanned or keyed into a file. A binary file is simply a file created in an application, such as Word for Windows or Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows. Another frustrating aspect of paper faxes is that they can be difficult or impossible to read.

When you use Microsoft Fax to send a binary file to another fax modem, the recipient can view and edit the fax in the application in which it was created and modify it. This feature is handled by Microsoft Fax's Binary File Transfer (BFT) capability. BFT was originally created for Microsoft's At Work program and is now supported by Windows Messaging so that you can create a mail message and attach a binary file to it. Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and other Microsoft At Work enabled platforms also can receive BFT messages.

One way in which you can take advantage of the BFT feature in Microsoft Fax is to use it with other applications, such as Microsoft Word for Windows. You can, for example, create a Word document and send it as a Microsoft Fax message to another user who has Microsoft Fax installed (and Word for Windows). The recipient receives the message and can read it as a Word document.

If the recipient doesn't have a fax modem card and Microsoft Fax and instead has a Group 3 fax machine, Microsoft Fax automatically prints the Word document as a printed fax image. A problem with sending files this way is the transmission speed and compression feature of the recipient fax machine. Fax machines are much slower than fax modems, so a large binary file (such as a 50-page Word document), can take a long time to transmit and print on the recipient's fax machine. Before you send a large attached document to someone's fax machine, you might want to test this feature first.

Fax Modem Requirements of Microsoft Fax

Besides having Windows 98 and Windows Messaging installed, you must have a fax modem installed. Your fax modem must meet the following requirements:

When you install Microsoft Fax on a network, your system must meet the following requirements:

Regardless of the way in which you set up Microsoft Fax, either as a standalone or networked fax service, make sure that your fax modem is compatible with Microsoft Fax.

The following lists and describes the compatible fax modems and fax machines you can use with Microsoft Fax:


CAUTION: Check the fax modem documentation to ensure that it adheres to the preceding requirements and works with Microsoft Fax. Beware that some fax modems on the market today do not work with Microsoft Fax.


TROUBLESHOOTING: How can I diagnose problems with Microsoft Fax and my modem? One of the ways is to see whether your fax modem is working correctly by selecting Modems from the Control Panel. In the Modem Properties sheet, select the Diagnostics page. In the list of ports, select the port to which your fax modem is connected. Click More Info to run a diagnostic of your fax modem. If everything is okay, you get a report of your modem's properties. If your fax modem is awaiting a call, you receive a message saying that the port is already opened. You need to exit from Windows Messaging and rerun the modem diagnostics to get an accurate reading.

If you still experience problems, you need to open the Modem Properties sheet and change some of the advanced settings. You might have to experiment with these settings before you find one that works for your modem. You also should make sure that you have a Microsoft Fax service set up for Windows Messaging. If not, see the following section, "Installing Microsoft Fax."


Installing Microsoft Fax

To configure Microsoft Fax, you first need to install the Microsoft Fax software onto your system using the Add/Remove Programs Wizard under Windows 95. You need to have your Windows 95 installation disks or CD-ROM to add these files. Use the following steps to do this:

1. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel.

2.
Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel to display the Add/Remove Programs Properties sheet.

3.
Click the Windows Setup page (see Figure B.1).

FIG. B.1 Make sure that the Windows Setup tab is active.

4. Scroll down the Components list box and select Microsoft Fax. Be sure not to click any other component that is already selected, or you will inadvertently remove those programs from your Windows 95 setup.

If Windows Messaging is not installed, Windows displays a message asking if you want to install it as you install Microsoft Fax. Click Yes.

5.
Click OK.

6.
When Windows 95 prompts you for a specific Windows 95 Setup disk or CD-ROM, place it in the disk drive. Windows 95 copies the files onto your hard disk and returns you to the desktop when it finishes.

Now that you have Microsoft Fax on your system, you can configure it as a Windows Messaging information service and start sending faxes. You can do this in one of two ways: by using the Control Panel or by using Windows Messaging. Just follow these steps:

1. Select Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the Mail and Fax icon.

The Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet appears (see Figure B.2), in which you can configure the Microsoft Fax service.

FIG. B.2 The Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet contains all the services you configured during Windows 95 setup or when configuring Windows Messaging.


NOTE: If you do not see this sheet, click Show Profiles on the Services page to reveal the Windows Messaging Settings Profiles set up on your system. Select the Windows Messaging Settings profile and click Properties.
2. Select Microsoft Fax and click the Properties button. The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet displays (see Figure B.3).

FIG. B.3 The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet enables you to configure Microsoft Fax.

3. Select the User page (see Figure B.4).

4.
Fill out the User sheet with the information you are asked for. For the most part, the text boxes are self-explanatory. The only text box that might need some explanation is the Mailbox (optional) item.

The Mailbox (optional) item in the Your Return Fax Number section pertains to in-house mailboxes that you might have set up to receive fax messages. To fill in this box, type the name your administrator has assigned you, which might be your name, e-mail name, or some other identifier. Otherwise, leave this item blank.

FIG. B.4 Fill out the User page so that your fax recipients know who you are.


NOTE: According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulation Part 68, Section 68.318(3), you must include the following items on all fax transmissions either on the top or bottom margins of all pages or on a cover page:


5. After you fill out the User page, click the Modem page to set up your fax modem to work with Microsoft Fax (see Figure B.5). If your fax modem already has been configured for Windows 95 (which it should be if you have an Internet or online service set up), your modem should already appear in the Available Fax Modems list.

If your modem does not appear in the Available Fax Modems list, click the Add button. From the Add a Fax Modem dialog box, select Fax Modem and click OK. You then are walked through the Install New Modem Wizard.

FIG. B.5 You need to assign a fax modem to work with Microsoft Fax from this page.

6. If more than one modem appears in this dialog box, click the modem you want to use as the default fax modem and click the Set As Active Fax Modem button.

Configuring Fax Modem Options

Microsoft Fax is a sophisticated application that you can set up to answer your phone automatically after so many rings, let you answer it manually, or not answer your phone at all (if you tend to send rather than receive most of your faxes). As part of the configuration process, you need to tell Microsoft Fax how to behave during a call, whether it's a received or delivered call. As in most other Windows components, you do all this by configuring Microsoft Fax's properties.


TIP: You also can configure these options after you've upgraded to Windows 98.

Use the following steps:

1. On the Modem page, select your fax modem in the Available Fax Modems list and click Properties. This displays the Fax Modem Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure B.6.

FIG. B.6 Set the Microsoft Fax properties for your fax modem.

2. Set up each option, as described in the following list:


TIP: Disable the Turn Off After Connected option if you want to hear if your fax transmission is still connected.

After you fill out this screen, click OK to save these configuration settings and to return to the fax modem properties screen.

If you want to configure more advanced fax modem settings, click the Advanced button and read the next section. If not, skip to the "Setting Dialing Properties" section.


TROUBLESHOOTING: How do I turn off the fax modem speaker? Double-click Mail and Fax in the Control Panel. Click Microsoft Fax on the MS Windows Messaging Settings Properties sheet and click the Properties button. Select the Modems page and click the Properties button. In the Speaker Volume area, move the slider bar to the Off position.

Configure Advanced Fax Modem Settings

In the Advanced dialog box (see Figure B.7), you have the option of configuring more sophisticated fax modem settings.

FIG. B.7 Use the Advanced dialog box to troubleshoot fax modem problems that you might be experiencing.

These options are detailed in the following list:


CAUTION: Compressed faxes are more susceptible to line noise and interference. If a transmission experiences too much line noise or interference, your fax might become corrupted, or your fax modem connection might be lost.


CAUTION: If you select the Use Class 2 If Available option, you cannot use error-correction, or send or receive editable faxes.

Click OK when these settings are ready. Click OK to return to the Modem Properties dialog box.

Setting Dialing Properties

Now that you have Microsoft Fax set up to work with your fax modem, you need to start setting user-specific information, such as how Microsoft Fax should dial your phone. Click the Dialing page in the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet. To begin, click the Dialing Properties button to display the My Locations page (see Figure B.8).

FIG. B.8 Set your dialing options, such as area code, calling card numbers, and other user-specific options, in the My Locations page.


NOTE: The My Locations information might already be filled in if you set up your modem to make an outgoing call or if any of your Windows Messaging services previously dialed online services, such as the Microsoft Network.

Microsoft Fax enables you to use several different configurations depending on where you are when you send a fax. If your computer always stays in one place (such as in your office or home), you generally need only one location configured. If, however, you use a portable PC and travel from work to home and to other places, you can configure several different locations to dial using different configuration settings.

When you are in your office, for instance, you might not need to use a calling card to make a long distance phone call to send a fax. You can set up Microsoft Fax to use a configuration that doesn't require a calling card to be entered first. On the other hand, your office phone system might require you to dial an initial number to get an outside line (such as 9). You can place this in the Microsoft Fax configuration settings that you use from your office.

Another scenario where you use a different dialing procedure is when you stay in hotels. For these calls, you might always place them on a calling card. Set up Microsoft Fax to use your calling card number to place these calls. All your configurations are saved in Windows 95 (and eventually Windows 98 when you upgrade to it) and can be retrieved each time you use Microsoft Fax.

The following steps show you how to create a new dialing location in Microsoft Fax:

1. Click the Dialing tab on the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet.

2.
Click the Dialing Properties button and click New. The Create New Location dialog box appears (see Figure B.9).


NOTE: Depending on the version of Windows 95 you have, you might not receive the Create New Location dialog box. Instead, you just enter the new location name in the I Am Dialing From drop-down box.

FIG. B.9 Enter a name for your new location in the Create New Location dialog box.

3. Enter a new name for the location, such as Office or On the Road. Click OK. You return to the Dialing Properties sheet (refer to Figure B.8).

4.
In The Area Code text box, enter the area code from which you are calling. You might need to change or update this if you are not sure of the area code in which you are staying, such as when you are traveling.

To instruct Windows on which phone numbers in your area code to dial as long distance, click the Dialing Rules button(or Area Code Rules button, in which your dialog box will differ slightly than the one shown in Figure B.10) to display the Dialing Rules dialog box (see Figure B.10). Click the New button and enter the prefix of the phone number Windows should dial as long distance. Click OK. Click OK again to return to the Dialing Properties page.


TIP: If there are any phone numbers in other area codes that you dial as local numbers, click the New button at the bottom of the Dialing Rules dialog box. Fill out the New Area Code and Prefix dialog box. Click OK twice to return to the Dialing Properties page.
5. Select the country in which you are calling.

6.
Enter the number (if any) you need to dial to get an outside line (such as 9) and to make a long distance call (usually 1).

7.
Click the Dial Using Calling Card For Long Distance option to enter your calling card information. Click the Change button to display the Calling Card dialog box (see Figure B.11). Click the drop-down list and select your card name. Fill out the Calling Card Phone Number and PIN Number fields. Click OK.

FIG. B.10 For phone numbers in your area code that Windows should dial as long distance, fill out the Dialing Rules dialog box.


TIP: Depending on the version of Windows 95 you have, the Calling Card dialog box might display instead of the Change Calling Card dialog box shown in Figure B.11. If the Calling Card dialog box does display, you need to also fill out the PIN Number field.


NOTE: To set up calling scripts for your calling card, click the Long Distance Usage or International Usage buttons to display the Calling Card dialog box. In this dialog box, select an action from the Dial drop-down box, such as Calling Card phone number. Next, select a time or tone action in the Then Wait For drop-down list, such as 10 seconds. Continue selecting actions and times to create your calling script. As you create a script, you might need to walk through the process and write down each step.

FIG. B.11 Microsoft Fax can use calling card numbers to place your fax calls.

8. Click the This Location Has Call Waiting. To Disable It, Dial option if your phone line uses call waiting. From the drop-down list, select the code your phone system uses to temporarily turn off call waiting. You need to obtain this code from your local phone company because each system uses a different code. Microsoft Fax provides three common codes in the drop-down list box next to this option: *70, 70#, and 1170. After you finish faxing and your fax modem hangs up, call waiting is turned back on.


NOTE: Most hotels use their own phone system to get outside lines, so you need to enter those numbers when you know what they are.
9. Select Tone Dial or Pulse Dial to indicate which type of phone service your phone line uses.

10.
Click OK when you have this location set up. You can create as many locations as you need.

Setting Toll Prefixes and Retry Options

Now that you have the locations set up, you need to tell Microsoft Fax which numbers in your local calling area require you to dial as a toll call. To do this, click the Toll Prefixes button on the Dialing page. In the Toll Prefixes page (see Figure B.12), click all the numbers from the Local Phone Numbers list to the Dial 1-xxx First list (xxx is your area code) that require you to dial your area code first. Click the Add button to place numbers from the list on the left to the list on the right. Click OK when you finish with this dialog box.

FIG. B.12 Tell Microsoft Fax which prefixes in your local calling area code are long distance calls.

Every time you call a fax number, you're not going to be lucky enough to get through. You'll get busy signals. The fax on the other side of the line won't be ready to accept your call. Or your fax modem and the recipient's fax device won't synchronize properly.

In these cases, you need Microsoft Fax to keep retrying the number you're calling. In the Dialing dialog box, set the Number of Retries option to the number of times you want Microsoft Fax to dial the number before quitting. The default is three times. You also need to tell Microsoft Fax the amount of time you want it to wait before it tries the number again. In the Time Between Retries box, set this time in minutes. The default is two minutes.

Now that you've taken care of the dialing options, you are ready to configure the default settings for your fax messages. Click the Message page.

Configuring Message Options

The Message page (see Figure B.13) has three main areas:

FIG. B.13 Microsoft Fax lets you customize the way your default fax message looks by using settings in the Message page.The following sections discuss these options in detail.

Setting Time to Send Options  You might not always want to create a fax message and then zip it off to your recipient. You might want to create a message, or several messages, and then send them at specific times, such as when you are going to lunch or when long distance rates are lower. Microsoft Fax enables you to set the time you send fax messages in one of three ways:

Configuring Fax Message Formats  Microsoft Fax can send fax messages in two primary formats: editable formats (as a binary file) and noneditable formats ("hard copy" faxes). Editable fax messages can be manipulated much the same as a word processing document can be changed. A Microsoft Fax editable fax can be received and edited only by a recipient who also has Microsoft Fax installed. A noneditable fax can be received from a "regular" facsimile machine. In the Message format area, you set the default way in which your messages are sent. Select the Editable, If Possible option when you send faxes to both fax modems and regular fax machines. This is the default selection. If your fax messages always must be edited by the recipient, or if you want to encrypt your fax message with a password, enable the Editable Only option. (See "Setting Up Security" later in this appendix for information on using security options in Microsoft Fax.) This sends all your fax messages as binary faxes. When using this option, if the recipient does not have Microsoft Fax installed, the fax is not sent. Microsoft Fax places a message in your Windows Messaging Inbox folder telling you that the message was not sent.

When you're sure that your recipient doesn't have Microsoft Fax installed, or you don't want your fax to be edited, send it as Not Editable. Even if the receiving device is a fax modem, the fax message is sent as a bitmap image, so the recipient cannot directly edit the message. If, however, the user has an OCR (optical character recognition) program, he or she can export the faxed image or text as a file to edit in another application.

With the first and third options, you also can specify the type of paper used to print your fax message. Click the Paper button to display the Message Format dialog box and adjust paper settings, such as size, image quality, and orientation. For most faxes, the default settings are fine. Click OK when your paper settings are configured.

Configuring Default Cover Pages  You can opt to send a cover page with your fax message. Click the Send Cover Page option to send a cover page with all your fax messages. Microsoft Fax includes four standard cover pages you can use:

Select a cover page that suits your needs. Generic is the default. As Microsoft Fax creates your fax message and prepares it to be sent, it fills in data fields on the cover page with information, such as recipient name and fax number, your name, and so on.


TIP: Select a cover page name and click Open to see what a cover page looks like.

The New button is used to create new cover pages by using Microsoft Fax's Cover Page Editor. Also, the Browse button can be used to locate cover page files (denoted as CPE) on your computer.

Finishing Configuring Message Options  One final option on the Message page is Let Me Change the Subject Line of New Faxes I Receive. Use this option to change the subject line of any faxes you receive. Because all incoming faxes are stored in the Windows Messaging Inbox, the subject (if it contains a subject) appears in the subject field there. This option gives you control over what appears in the subject field, enabling you to organize your messages as they come in. On the other hand, you must perform one more action as each fax message is received. The default is to leave this option disabled. Click OK to save all the Microsoft Fax properties and to return to the MS Windows Messaging Setting Properties dialog box.

Congratulations! You're ready to send a fax using Microsoft Fax.

Configuring a Shared Fax Modem

To reduce the number of fax devices and dedicated phone lines for fax services, many businesses have one centralized fax machine that everyone shares. Because of their convenience and ease of use, most people do not complain too much about walking to a fax machine to send a message or document to another fax machine. Microsoft Fax enables you to extend this sharing of fax devices by letting users in a network environment share a fax modem.


NOTE: You must have File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks to share a fax modem across the network.

The computer that contains the shared fax modem is called the fax server and is not required to be a dedicated PC. A fax server can be anyone's computer that is set up in a workgroup of other Windows 98 users. When a fax is received on the fax server, it then is routed to the recipient in the workgroup via Windows Messaging (or by attaching it as an email message using an email application such as cc:Mail).


CAUTION: Microsoft Fax cannot automatically route fax messages to workgroup recipients. They must be manually delivered to their recipients

Setting Up a Fax Server

Again, make sure that Windows Messaging is installed and that a fax modem is installed and working on the fax server before completing these steps.

Start Windows Messaging by double-clicking the Inbox icon and then perform the following steps:

1. Choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Options. The Microsoft Fax Properties sheet appears (refer to Figure B.3).

2.
Select the Modem page.

3.
Click the Let Other People on the Network Use My Modem to Send Faxes option.

4.
If the Select Drive dialog box appears, select the drive that the network fax will use from the drop-down list and click OK.

5.
Enter the name of the shared directory in the Share Name text box.

6.
Click the Properties button to configure the shared modem's properties. The NetFax dialog box appears, in which you tell Microsoft Fax the name of the shared fax modem folder (see Figure B.14). The NetFax dialog box also enables you to set up passwords for users to connect to the fax server.

FIG. B.14 Use the NetFax dialog box to set the shared fax folder and other settings for sharing a fax modem.


NOTE: If the Properties button does not work, switch to Control Panel and double-click the Network icon. Click the File and Print Sharing button on the Configuration page of the Network sheet. Next, select both options in the File and Print Sharing dialog box for the Microsoft network service. You then need to restart Windows 95 (or Windows 98 if you've upgraded to it) for these settings to take effect. These settings enable sharing on your system, so you can share the fax modem with other users in your workgroup.
7. In the Share Name field, type the name of the shared folder for the fax server. Microsoft Fax displays the name of the network fax shared directory as the default. When a user in your workgroup wants to use this folder, he or she searches for this folder on your computer on your network.

8.
In the Comment field, enter a string that helps users identify the shared fax.

9.
In the Access Type section, select the type of access you want users to have to the shared folder. The default is Full. Select Read-Only if you want users to read, but not modify, items in the folder. The Depends on Password option is used if you want to give different people different rights to the shared folder. You can give one password--the Read-Only Password--to users who can have only read rights. You then can give another password--the Full Access Password--to users who can have full access to the folder.

10.
Fill out the Passwords section as necessary, based on your selections in step 9.

11.
Click OK.

For users in the workgroup to access the fax server, they must know the fax server's full network name. The name is formed by joining the server's computer name (defined in the Network option in Control Panel) with the shared folder name; for example, \\RTIDROW\FAX.

Setting Up a Fax Server Client

Not only must you configure a fax server to share a fax modem, but you also must configure the client's access to the server. The clients are those users who want to share the fax server. Start Windows Messaging on the client machine and then follow these steps:

1. From Windows Messaging, choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tool, Options.

2.
In the Microsoft Fax Properties sheet, click the Modem page.

3.
In Modem properties, click the Add button to display the Add a Fax Modem dialog box (see Figure B.15).

FIG. B.15 The Add a Fax Modem dialog box includes the types of fax modems to which you can connect.

4. In the Add a Fax Modem dialog box, select Network Fax Server and then click OK. The Connect To Network Fax Server dialog box appears, as seen in Figure B.16.

FIG. B.16 To set up a client to use a shared fax server, enter the path of the shared fax server in this dialog box.

5. In the Connect To Network Fax Server dialog box, type the network name of the fax server, such as \\RTIDROW\FAX. If you do not know the network name, ask your network administrator. Click OK.

6.
In the Microsoft Fax Properties dialog box, click the server name and then click the Set as Active Fax Modem button.

7.
Click OK.

You might have to reboot your computer for the settings to take effect.

Setting Up Security

One of the most discussed topics in the computer industry is security. You hear about security and the Internet. You hear about LAN security. You hear about voice mail security. Microsoft Fax enables you to securely send fax messages using public key encryption developed by one of the leaders in security, RSA Inc. Microsoft Fax also enables you to password encrypt and use digital signatures on your messages with confidence. The security features, of course, extend only to sending digital messages and files, not to printed or hard copy faxes. These types of faxes are still subject to the eyes of anyone who happens to be walking by the fax machine when your transmission comes through.


NOTE: A digital signature is an electronic version of your signature. For most business transactions, such as purchase requests and employee time sheets, a signature is required to process the request. You can use a secure digital signature to "sign" requests, time sheets, and other sensitive documents.

One way to secure your fax messages is to password-protect them as you send them. As you create a fax message and the Send Options for This Message dialog box appears, set the type of security you want to have for your fax message. Click the Security button to display the Message Security Options dialog box (see Figure B.17).

FIG. B.17 You can set the type of security for your fax message in this dialog box.


TIP: Share your password so that the recipient can open and read your fax message.

If you have not set up public key encryption, you have to before you can use the Key- Encrypted option or use a digital signature on your message. You can, however, secure the fax message with a password by choosing the Password-protected option. Figure B.18 shows you the Fax Security--Password Protection dialog box that you need to fill out when you want to send a message with a password.

FIG. B.18 To password-protect your faxes, enter a password in this dialog box.

Setting Up Key Encryption

A key-encrypted message uses a public key to unlock the message for viewing. This public key is made available to your fax recipients (who must also have Microsoft Fax installed) so that only they can open your document.

You must create a public key in Windows Messaging. To do this, choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Advanced Security. The Advanced Fax Security dialog box appears (see Figure B.19). In this dialog box, if this is first time you have created a public key, the only option you can choose is the last one, New Key Set.

FIG. B.19 Create a public key.

In the Fax Security--New Key Set dialog box, type a password in the Password field and then retype it in the Confirm Password field (see Figure B.20). As you would expect, the password is not displayed; only a string of ***** denotes your password. Don't forget this password; it is now your public key. Click OK to have Windows Messaging create a new public key set on your system. An information box appears, telling you that it might take a few moments to create your key set.

FIG. B.20 You need to enter a new password to create a new public key.

Sharing Public Keys

After you create a public key set, you need to distribute it to your fax recipients for them to read your key-encrypted messages. Do this by clicking the Public Keys button in the Advanced Fax Security dialog box (choose Tools, Microsoft Fax Tools, Advanced Security if you've already closed this dialog box). The Fax Security--Managing Public Keys dialog box appears, from which you need to click Save. This saves your public key to a file so that you can send it to other recipients.

In the Fax Security--Save Public Keys dialog box, click the name or names of the public keys you want to share. As a minimum, you should click your name here. Click OK, and in the resulting window, select a name and folder in which to store the keys. This file has an AWP extension. To finish, you need to send this file to your recipients either via an attachment to a Windows Messaging message or on a floppy disk.

Receiving Public Keys

When you send your public key to a list of recipients, they will need to import the AWP file into Microsoft Fax. Likewise, when you receive a public key from someone, you need to import it into your Microsoft Fax settings and add it to your address book. This enables you to read key-encrypted messages from those users.

After you receive an AWP file from someone, store it on your system and click the Add button in the Fax Security--Managing Public Keys dialog box. Locate the file name that contains the public keys and click Open. Click the key or keys that you want to add. l


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