In the previous installments of this article I showed you have to install and configure the Fax Service in Windows XP as well as how to send faxes. In order to receive a fax you must have selected the Enable Receive when you were configuring the Fax service. Also, if your Windows XP computer is configured to automatically receive faxes, it will attempt to answer the fax line without your intervention. The Fax Monitor will open as soon as an incoming fax is detected.

To manually receive a fax:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, and click the Fax Console.

2. From the File menu, click Receive a fax now. The Fax service will attempt to receive the incoming fax.

If you have a dedicated fax machine, it will more than likely give you the status as it is sending. For example, if the fax is several pages, it will tell you how many of those pages have currently been sent. You can do the same thing if you send a fax using the Fax service in Windows XP.

You can view the status of your faxes using the procedure listed below.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, Accessories, Communications, Fax, and click the Fax Console.

2. In the left pane, expand Fax. You will see four different folders:
   • Incoming – Contains the faxes that are in the process of being received.

   • Inbox – Contains all the faxes that have been received.
   • Outbox – Contains the faxes that are scheduled to be sent.
   • Sent Items – Contains the faxes that have already been sent.
3. Select the appropriate folder.
4. In the right pane, right click the appropriate fax and click Properties.
5. You can view the status from the General tab.
6. Click Close.

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