XL7: Error Using Compose New Fax with MS Excel Attachment

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Compose New Fax Wizard and attach a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, you receive an email message from the System Administrator with the following error message:

   Your message did not reach some or all of the intended recipients.

     Subject       <subject>
     Sent          <date and time>

   The following recipient(s) could not be reached.

   '<addressee>' on <date and time>
      Couldn't prepare the message in the allotted time.
      Try again and make certain to respond to any application dialogs.
      If this doesn't work, open the file and print it to the Microsoft Fax
      printer.

CAUSE

In the Microsoft Excel Print dialog box, you have chosen to print to the Microsoft Fax device instead of to the Rendering Subsystem.

RESOLUTION

When you use the Compose New Fax Wizard and attach a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, choose to print to the Rendering Subsystem in the Microsoft Excel Print dialog box.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

If the fax capabilities of the recipient are unknown and Microsoft Fax is not specifically set as Editable Only, Microsoft Fax will render the document into the standard Group 3 image format (among other formats). In order to render the document, the host application must be started to print to the rendering subsystem.

With most applications this process requires no user intervention. However, when using Microsoft Excel, the faxing/rendering process stops at the Microsoft Excel Print dialog box, awaiting input from the user. If the user clicks OK, accepting the default of Rendering Subsystem as the print device, the faxing process will proceed normally. However, if the user chooses the Microsoft Fax as the print device, Microsoft Excel attempts to re-render the fax, in essence creating two fax jobs. The first job fails and returns the error message. The second process re-renders the fax and spools it to the fax device. Because of this, the Compose New Fax Wizard appears again.

The Microsoft Fax print device is to be used when sending a fax from Microsoft Excel using the File Print option.