Vista - Cannot send fax as media is write protected

I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a fax,
it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message could not be
sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of anything I have done
to write protect the media, whatever it means, but could someone please
advise me how I can normalize the situation and remove the protection.

Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing. Pretend
we can't read minds.

--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message could
>not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of anything I
>have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but could someone
>please advise me how I can normalize the situation and remove the
>protection.

I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of days
ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install Microsoft
VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest operating system
as I wished to be able to use some legacy software which Vista will not
run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through Windows XP but could not
because there was a problem getting XP to recognize my modem, which is a USR
56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping to use Windows XP (though I still
prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to Vista's) and went back to the host system
for sending faxes. Now I get the error message "The message could not be
sent. The media is write protected." when I try to send any fax, either as a
direct message or by printing to "fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked
the properties of the documents I was trying to fax and in all cases
observed that the "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand
to mean that the documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere
down the line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all
other features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any
way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the
Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an earlier
backup that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True Image?
I cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I have turned
off this function due to the very large amount of space required. Sorry
about not giving all these details in the first instance.

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
> Pretend we can't read minds.
>
> --
> Russ Valentine
> [MVP-Outlook]
> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>>fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message could
>>not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of anything I
>>have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but could someone
>>please advise me how I can normalize the situation and remove the
>>protection.
>

I've seen no similar errors reported so far with WFS. Your problem appears
to be at the OS level, perhaps with file permissions that became altered
when you installed VPC on Vista. What happens if you run WFS elevated?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:O7TwHavtHHA.2004@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of days
>ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install Microsoft
>VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest operating system
>as I wished to be able to use some legacy software which Vista will not
>run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through Windows XP but could not
>because there was a problem getting XP to recognize my modem, which is a
>USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping to use Windows XP (though I still
>prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to Vista's) and went back to the host
>system for sending faxes. Now I get the error message "The message could
>not be sent. The media is write protected." when I try to send any fax,
>either as a direct message or by printing to "fax" in MS Word or in
>PaperPort. I checked the properties of the documents I was trying to fax
>and in all cases observed that the "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank,
>which I understand to mean that the documents are not write protected. I
>feel that somewhere down the line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got
>damaged since all other features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working
>smoothly. Is there any way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting
>the rest of the Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore
>from an earlier backup that I have saved in an external hard disk using
>Acronis True Image? I cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista
>because I have turned off this function due to the very large amount of
>space required. Sorry about not giving all these details in the first
>instance.
>
> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>
>> --
>> Russ Valentine
>> [MVP-Outlook]
>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>>>fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message could
>>>not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of anything I
>>>have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but could
>>>someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation and remove the
>>>protection.
>>

Did not quite follow you. How do you run Windows Fax and Scan "elevated"?

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:588B79A0-F842-49DF-A143-18D0F0DAE852@microsoft.com...
> I've seen no similar errors reported so far with WFS. Your problem appears
> to be at the OS level, perhaps with file permissions that became altered
> when you installed VPC on Vista. What happens if you run WFS elevated?
> --
> Russ Valentine
> [MVP-Outlook]
> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:O7TwHavtHHA.2004@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of days
>>ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install Microsoft
>>VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest operating system
>>as I wished to be able to use some legacy software which Vista will not
>>run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through Windows XP but could not
>>because there was a problem getting XP to recognize my modem, which is a
>>USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping to use Windows XP (though I
>>still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to Vista's) and went back to the
>>host system for sending faxes. Now I get the error message "The message
>>could not be sent. The media is write protected." when I try to send any
>>fax, either as a direct message or by printing to "fax" in MS Word or in
>>PaperPort. I checked the properties of the documents I was trying to fax
>>and in all cases observed that the "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank,
>>which I understand to mean that the documents are not write protected. I
>>feel that somewhere down the line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got
>>damaged since all other features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working
>>smoothly. Is there any way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without
>>affecting the rest of the Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System
>>Restore from an earlier backup that I have saved in an external hard disk
>>using Acronis True Image? I cannot do a normal System Restore from within
>>Vista because I have turned off this function due to the very large amount
>>of space required. Sorry about not giving all these details in the first
>>instance.
>>
>> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Russ Valentine
>>> [MVP-Outlook]
>>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>>>>fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message could
>>>>not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of anything I
>>>>have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but could
>>>>someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation and remove
>>>>the protection.
>>>
>

Try going back to a system restore point prior to the VirtualPC
installation and see if it fixes your problem

Ram wrote:
> I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of
> days ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install
> Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest
> operating system as I wished to be able to use some legacy software
> which Vista will not run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through
> Windows XP but could not because there was a problem getting XP to
> recognize my modem, which is a USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping
> to use Windows XP (though I still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to
> Vista's) and went back to the host system for sending faxes. Now I get
> the error message "The message could not be sent. The media is write
> protected." when I try to send any fax, either as a direct message or by
> printing to "fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked the properties
> of the documents I was trying to fax and in all cases observed that the
> "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand to mean that
> the documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere down the
> line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all other
> features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any
> way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the
> Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an earlier
> backup that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True
> Image? I cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I
> have turned off this function due to the very large amount of space
> required. Sorry about not giving all these details in the first instance.
>
> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>
>> --
>> Russ Valentine
>> [MVP-Outlook]
>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>> I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send
>>> a fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message
>>> could not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of
>>> anything I have done to write protect the media, whatever it means,
>>> but could someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation
>>> and remove the protection.
>>

I cannot since I have disabled System Restore due to the high amount of
space it takes up. But I do have an Acronis Backup which I can restore. I
will do this restoration and let you know if the problem has cured itself.

"bjr" <bj-nospam@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:uBemMyytHHA.412@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Try going back to a system restore point prior to the VirtualPC
> installation and see if it fixes your problem
>
> Ram wrote:
>> I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of
>> days ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install
>> Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest
>> operating system as I wished to be able to use some legacy software which
>> Vista will not run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through Windows
>> XP but could not because there was a problem getting XP to recognize my
>> modem, which is a USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping to use
>> Windows XP (though I still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to Vista's)
>> and went back to the host system for sending faxes. Now I get the error
>> message "The message could not be sent. The media is write protected."
>> when I try to send any fax, either as a direct message or by printing to
>> "fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked the properties of the
>> documents I was trying to fax and in all cases observed that the "Read
>> Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand to mean that the
>> documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere down the line
>> "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all other features
>> of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any way to
>> repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the Operating
>> System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an earlier backup
>> that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True Image? I
>> cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I have turned
>> off this function due to the very large amount of space required. Sorry
>> about not giving all these details in the first instance.
>>
>> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Russ Valentine
>>> [MVP-Outlook]
>>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>> I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>>>> fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message
>>>> could not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of
>>>> anything I have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but
>>>> could someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation and
>>>> remove the protection.
>>>

Russ
Further to my erstwhile post, I have just now completed a Backup Restoration
of Vista Ultimate, and the WFS program is working normally. I still have the
Virtual Machine because I had installed it in the D-drive whereas the
Operating System is on my C-drive. If I need to tap the legacy Operating
System is it enough to install VPC 2007 and point it to the virtual machine
in my D-drive? Mind you. I am now a bit wary of installing VirtualPC2007
after all that has happened, though there may be no connection between the
two at all.



"Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:OhKgQgztHHA.292@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>I cannot since I have disabled System Restore due to the high amount of
>space it takes up. But I do have an Acronis Backup which I can restore. I
>will do this restoration and let you know if the problem has cured itself.
>
> "bjr" <bj-nospam@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:uBemMyytHHA.412@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Try going back to a system restore point prior to the VirtualPC
>> installation and see if it fixes your problem
>>
>> Ram wrote:
>>> I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of
>>> days ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install
>>> Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest
>>> operating system as I wished to be able to use some legacy software
>>> which Vista will not run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through
>>> Windows XP but could not because there was a problem getting XP to
>>> recognize my modem, which is a USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping
>>> to use Windows XP (though I still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to
>>> Vista's) and went back to the host system for sending faxes. Now I get
>>> the error message "The message could not be sent. The media is write
>>> protected." when I try to send any fax, either as a direct message or by
>>> printing to "fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked the properties
>>> of the documents I was trying to fax and in all cases observed that the
>>> "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand to mean that
>>> the documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere down the
>>> line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all other
>>> features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any
>>> way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the
>>> Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an earlier
>>> backup that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True
>>> Image? I cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I
>>> have turned off this function due to the very large amount of space
>>> required. Sorry about not giving all these details in the first
>>> instance.
>>>
>>> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>>>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>>>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Russ Valentine
>>>> [MVP-Outlook]
>>>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>> I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send
>>>>> a fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message
>>>>> could not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of
>>>>> anything I have done to write protect the media, whatever it means,
>>>>> but could someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation
>>>>> and remove the protection.
>>>>

The context menu for most apps will give you the option to run it as an
administrator.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:eZvU0AytHHA.4612@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Did not quite follow you. How do you run Windows Fax and Scan "elevated"?
>
> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:588B79A0-F842-49DF-A143-18D0F0DAE852@microsoft.com...
>> I've seen no similar errors reported so far with WFS. Your problem
>> appears to be at the OS level, perhaps with file permissions that became
>> altered when you installed VPC on Vista. What happens if you run WFS
>> elevated?
>> --
>> Russ Valentine
>> [MVP-Outlook]
>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:O7TwHavtHHA.2004@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of
>>>days ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install
>>>Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest
>>>operating system as I wished to be able to use some legacy software which
>>>Vista will not run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through Windows
>>>XP but could not because there was a problem getting XP to recognize my
>>>modem, which is a USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up hoping to use
>>>Windows XP (though I still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to Vista's)
>>>and went back to the host system for sending faxes. Now I get the error
>>>message "The message could not be sent. The media is write protected."
>>>when I try to send any fax, either as a direct message or by printing to
>>>"fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked the properties of the
>>>documents I was trying to fax and in all cases observed that the "Read
>>>Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand to mean that the
>>>documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere down the line
>>>"Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all other features
>>>of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any way to
>>>repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the Operating
>>>System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an earlier backup
>>>that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True Image? I
>>>cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I have turned
>>>off this function due to the very large amount of space required. Sorry
>>>about not giving all these details in the first instance.
>>>
>>> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>>>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>>>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Russ Valentine
>>>> [MVP-Outlook]
>>>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>>I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send a
>>>>>fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message
>>>>>could not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of
>>>>>anything I have done to write protect the media, whatever it means, but
>>>>>could someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation and
>>>>>remove the protection.
>>>>
>>

You've lost me. What did you install and where?
I do suspect VPC is involved in some way. I've sure never seen the error
message you're reporting under any other circumstances, and I'm not sure how
well VPC has been optimized for Vista. Almost none of the software I need
runs on Vista, so it would not surprise me if VPS has its problems. I also
know that Microsoft Fax software is uniquely intolerant of using a modem
that has been initialized by any other fax software.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:uZzuMz0tHHA.4424@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Russ
> Further to my erstwhile post, I have just now completed a Backup
> Restoration
> of Vista Ultimate, and the WFS program is working normally. I still have
> the
> Virtual Machine because I had installed it in the D-drive whereas the
> Operating System is on my C-drive. If I need to tap the legacy Operating
> System is it enough to install VPC 2007 and point it to the virtual
> machine
> in my D-drive? Mind you. I am now a bit wary of installing VirtualPC2007
> after all that has happened, though there may be no connection between the
> two at all.
>
>
>
> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OhKgQgztHHA.292@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>I cannot since I have disabled System Restore due to the high amount of
>>space it takes up. But I do have an Acronis Backup which I can restore. I
>>will do this restoration and let you know if the problem has cured itself.
>>
>> "bjr" <bj-nospam@comcast.net> wrote in message
>> news:uBemMyytHHA.412@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>> Try going back to a system restore point prior to the VirtualPC
>>> installation and see if it fixes your problem
>>>
>>> Ram wrote:
>>>> I was able to send faxes normally in Vista Ultimate until a couple of
>>>> days ago. The only "new" thing that I did yesterday was to install
>>>> Microsoft VirtualPC 2007 and then install Windows XP Pro as a guest
>>>> operating system as I wished to be able to use some legacy software
>>>> which Vista will not run.. I followed it up with trying to fax through
>>>> Windows XP but could not because there was a problem getting XP to
>>>> recognize my modem, which is a USR 56K PCI FaxModem. So I gave up
>>>> hoping
>>>> to use Windows XP (though I still prefer Windows XP's Fax utility to
>>>> Vista's) and went back to the host system for sending faxes. Now I get
>>>> the error message "The message could not be sent. The media is write
>>>> protected." when I try to send any fax, either as a direct message or
>>>> by
>>>> printing to "fax" in MS Word or in PaperPort. I checked the properties
>>>> of the documents I was trying to fax and in all cases observed that the
>>>> "Read Only" box was unchecked or blank, which I understand to mean that
>>>> the documents are not write protected. I feel that somewhere down the
>>>> line "Windows Fax and Scan" in Vista has got damaged since all other
>>>> features of Windows Vista Ultimate are working smoothly. Is there any
>>>> way to repair Windows Fax and Scan without affecting the rest of the
>>>> Operating System? Or do you advise I do a System Restore from an
>>>> earlier
>>>> backup that I have saved in an external hard disk using Acronis True
>>>> Image? I cannot do a normal System Restore from within Vista because I
>>>> have turned off this function due to the very large amount of space
>>>> required. Sorry about not giving all these details in the first
>>>> instance.
>>>>
>>>> "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" <russval@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:E8A9466C-37BE-43FF-8B8E-94957F157C0C@microsoft.com...
>>>>> Not until you provide us with actual details on what you are doing.
>>>>> Pretend we can't read minds.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Russ Valentine
>>>>> [MVP-Outlook]
>>>>> "Ram" <rviyerukx@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:OKHADrrtHHA.3544@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
>>>>>> I am using Vista Ultimate and have a PCI FaxModem. When I try to send
>>>>>> a fax, it does not go and I get an error message saying "The message
>>>>>> could not be sent. The media is write protected." I am not aware of
>>>>>> anything I have done to write protect the media, whatever it means,
>>>>>> but could someone please advise me how I can normalize the situation
>>>>>> and remove the protection.
>>>>>