No eFax printer with Ultimate x64   

I just upgraded to a new PC running Ultimate x64. When I install eFax
Messenger Plus 4.3 I get a dialog box saying the program didn't install.
It did install but apparently the fax drive did not. Has anyone figured
out a workaround to this issue yet? I had no problems with Ultimate x86.

Thanks,
Hugh


-- 
HughH

date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:20:39 -0500   author:   HughH

Re: No eFax printer with Ultimate x64   

On Aug 23, 4:20 am, HughH  wrote:
> I just upgraded to a new PC running Ultimate x64. When I install eFax
> Messenger Plus 4.3 I get a dialog box saying the program didn't install.
> It did install but apparently the fax drive did not. Has anyone figured
> out a workaround to this issue yet? I had no problems with Ultimate x86.

Sounds like the printer driver isn't 64 bit compatible.

Welcome to 64 bit computing.  You'll need the 64 bit version of all
print and other drivers (including virtual printers like PDF and fax)
plus you'll find other assorted irritations like programs written
without x64 in mind that fail to install when they can't install 32
bit .NET framework files and the like.  Most programs run fine, but
not all.

Not even Microsoft itself has really fully supported x64 yet.
Shamefully they didn't bother to make Office Groove 2007 fully x64
compatible nor have they done an x64 "Print to Onenote" driver.  Just
to show that they really do hate their x64 customers, they actually
have no intention of rectifying this until the next version of Office
comes out too, Office 14.

MS doesn't even fully support their own hardware either.  Last time I
looked you couldn't get drivers for MS' fingerprint reading keyboards
and some MS webcams too, but that was a while ago and they might have
written drivers since then.

On the bright side, you can install as much RAM as your motherboard
can take.  I've got 8G on this computer and when I replace it I'll
probably have several times that much.  There are other advantages
too, but today's software rarely exploits them.

Travis

date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:54:01 -0700 (PDT)   author:   Travis

Re: No eFax printer with Ultimate x64   

On Aug 23, 7:54 am, Travis  wrote:
> On Aug 23, 4:20 am, HughH  wrote:
>
> > I just upgraded to a new PC running Ultimate x64. When I install eFax
> > Messenger Plus 4.3 I get a dialog box saying the program didn't install.
> > It did install but apparently the fax drive did not. Has anyone figured
> > out a workaround to this issue yet? I had no problems with Ultimate x86.
>
> Sounds like the printer driver isn't 64 bit compatible.
>
> Welcome to 64 bit computing.  You'll need the 64 bit version of all
> print and other drivers (including virtual printers like PDF and fax)
> plus you'll find other assorted irritations like programs written
> without x64 in mind that fail to install when they can't install 32
> bit .NET framework files and the like.  Most programs run fine, but
> not all.
>
> Not even Microsoft itself has really fully supported x64 yet.
> Shamefully they didn't bother to make Office Groove 2007 fully x64
> compatible nor have they done an x64 "Print to Onenote" driver.  Just
> to show that they really do hate their x64 customers, they actually
> have no intention of rectifying this until the next version of Office
> comes out too, Office 14.
>
> MS doesn't even fully support their own hardware either.  Last time I
> looked you couldn't get drivers for MS' fingerprint reading keyboards
> and some MS webcams too, but that was a while ago and they might have
> written drivers since then.
>
> On the bright side, you can install as much RAM as your motherboard
> can take.  I've got 8G on this computer and when I replace it I'll
> probably have several times that much.  There are other advantages
> too, but today's software rarely exploits them.
>
> Travis

I should add that with the driver situation not being perfect you can
get around it by using a virtual machine.  Set up XP or Vista 32 bit
in a VMWare machine (VMWare because MS Virtual PC 2007 doesn't
recognise USB devices) and then you can run all your old scanners and
printers and software that won't install on Vista x64.  Given that
virtual machines can be set up to work, I do wonder why someone can't
just write a 32 bit emulator driver that translates between x64 and
x86 so you can run 32 bit drivers.

Downside of course is that you need to have a 32 bit retail operating
system sitting around unused.  You can't reuse your OEM CDs, but if
you have XP Retail laying around you could use that.

Travis

date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:21:45 -0700 (PDT)   author:   Travis

Re: No eFax printer with Ultimate x64   

Travis;817556 Wrote: 
> On Aug 23, 7:54 am, Travis <travismor...@xxxxxx> wrote:> > > 
> > Downside of course is that you need to have a 32 bit retail operating
> > system sitting around unused.  You can't reuse your OEM CDs, but if
> > you have XP Retail laying around you could use that.
> > Travis> > 
> 
> That's why God invented Usenet. :)
> 
> Thanks for all the information and advice Travis. I'll give the
> VMWare solution a try. In the meantime, a simple work around for the
> eFax issue is attaching the document to a fax instead of "printing" it
> to eFax.


-- 
HughH

date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 10:59:40 -0500   author:   HughH

Re: No eFax printer with Ultimate x64   

On Aug 23, 11:59 pm, HughH  wrote:

> > That's why God invented Usenet. :)


Ya, I sorta didn't want to mention the pirate software option in a
Microsoft group, though piracy is what probably 90% of virtual machine
users do, especially the ones that feel aggreived about having to set
up a 32 bit guest OS anyway when surely with all the resources they
have at hand MS could have written some kind of universal emulator,
basically a really stripped down virtual machine that runs in the
background like a Java VM, purely to handle 32 bit drivers.

Of course if you don't feel like paying for it but insist on being
legal you could look for Linux drivers for your old hardware and run a
Linux guest.

Travis

date: Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:53:50 -0700 (PDT)   author:   Travis