OL2000: (IMO) Symantec Fax SE Number Conventions Incorrect in Help File (219539)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
This article was previously published under Q219539
NOTE: These procedures only apply if you have installed Outlook with the Internet Mail Only option. To determine your installation type, click About Microsoft Outlook on the Help menu. If you have the Internet Mail Only option installed, you see "Internet Mail Only".

For information about the differences between Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express e-mail clients, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257824 OL2000: Differences Between Outlook and Outlook Express

SYMPTOMS

When you manually enter one-off fax numbers in a Microsoft Outlook message, (that is, rather than inserting them from an address book or Contact), Outlook places the fax address in the Name field of a confirmation dialog box, causing you to have to retype the number in the Number field.

For example, this occurs when you enter fax@555-1234, as suggested by the Outlook Help topic.

CAUSE

The method and syntax for entering one-off fax addresses has changed in the Symantec Fax Starter edition (formerly known as Symantec WinFax Starter edition). The Outlook Help topic on addressing faxes is incorrect about this fax number convention, as well as others mentioned in the "More Information" section later in this article.

RESOLUTION

Enter the fax number without the hyphen. Using this address form causes Outlook to display a different confirmation dialog box which contains only the Number field.

For example, you would enter the sample fax address in the "Symptoms" section of this article as fax@5551234

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Outlook uses the confirmation dialog box with the Name and Number field to confirm an address book or Contact entry. However, Outlook uses the confirmation dialog box with only the Number field when you enter a one-off fax address.

In addition, the following number formats invoke the incorrect dialog box, and are erroneously outlined in the Outlook Help file:
  • If you enter a long distance fax number with parentheses, the number is displayed in the Name field of the confirmation dialog box.

  • If, as the help file states, you signal an outside line with a prefix such as "9w", where "9" is the number to be dialed to access an outside line, the fax number sequence appears in the Name field of the confirmation dialog box. You do not need the "w" in the dialing sequence.
In each of these cases, enter the numbers as a continuous string. By configuring the modem properties, you can have a digit string to invoke an outside line automatically inserted.

Configuring the Modem Properties

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

To set the dialing sequence to access an outside line, follow these steps
  1. Click Start, point to Settings and then click Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Modems icon and then click Dialing Properties.
  3. Under When dialing from here, type the number you use to access an outside line in the For local calls, dial box. Click OK twice.
NOTE: You may need to configure a setting to dial long distance as well. If this is the case, use the For long distance calls, dial box.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/29/2003
Keywords:kbbug kbpending KB219539
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