Installing a Fax modem on my Dell DImension E520

Crabman

I nabbed a nice little bargain in the form of my Dell Dimension E520 (a couple of months ago), but it doesn't have a modem, i.e. no fax capabilities either.

I've noticed some slots at the back which are free to potentially house the relevant part, I've not opened the PC yet but was wondering what sort of unit I'm looking for.

Are USB units available or are the built-in ones more practical? Sending and receiving faxes doesn't happen very often but it is useful in certain situations.

I don't know what to look for in terms of compatibility either so advice on that front would also be very welcome, cheers :beer:

Chippy_Minton

Fax modem PCI card - http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/search/index.html?rb=0&intCatID=9&intSubcatUID=36 - far cheaper than external modems.

Crabman

Excellent product and price, thank you

This one (above) has positive reviews and good feedback with vista which is the OS I'm using.

I've never done anything beyond installing RAM sticks, is there anything else I need to check before ordering it?

Chippy_Minton

Crabman wrote: »

is there anything else I need to check before ordering it?

No, that one will work fine. Fitting should be easy - just follow the service manual - available on Dell support site.

Blacksheep1979

or use one of the many web 2 fax services online?

Crabman

Blacksheep1979 wrote: »

or use one of the many web 2 fax services online?

They tend to charge for those and with an all inclusive one-off price of £7.07 delivered, I can have my own proper fax and not annoy people by issuing 0871/0870 numbers for incomings.

Ordered from ebuyer, thanks again peeps :beer:

Crabman

Slotted it in without any probs and software was downloaded and installed by vista. However, for the life of me I can't find any options to send/receive faxes or for that matter, connect to dial-up... where should I be looking?

Chippy_Minton

Looks like the built-in faxing is only available in certain Vista editions - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/faxscan.mspx

Which one are you running?

Here are some fax programs which work in Vista (not free though):

http://www.snappysoftware.com/
http://www.nicocuppen.com/download.php

Crabman

Chippy_Minton wrote: »

Looks like the built-in faxing is only available in certain Vista editions - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/features/details/faxscan.mspx

Which one are you running?

Here are some fax programs which work in Vista (not free though):

http://www.snappysoftware.com/
http://www.nicocuppen.com/download.php

I'm using Home Premium...

Microsoft_Website wrote:

Windows Fax and Scan, available in the Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista

NOW I see why some still prefer XP :wall: :wall: :wall: