FAXCOMEXLib – Faxing PDF generates timeout message (.NET) – Problem and solution

This page discusses a scenario in which FAXCOMEXLib is used to create a Web page allowing users to send faxes. From this page, users generate text documents or PDFs and send them as faxes.

The issue is that while the text document works, generating a PDF does not work. A second attempt to send a fax as PDF slows down the server until the client receives a timeout message and system reboot must be performed.

The problem seems to be with the AcroRd32 process, which actually opens the fax in Acrobat Reader and changes it into a TIFF file prior to sending. This process is not releasing memory.

Try to kill the process as follows:

Copy 
Dim myProcesses() As Process Dim myProcess As Process
' How to retrieve the program associat with pdf, when i only know the file extension ?
myProcesses = Process.GetProcessesByName("AcroRd32") For Each myProcess In myProcesses
If Date.Now.Ticks - myProcess.StartTime.Ticks > TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30).Ticks Then
myProcess.Kill()
End If
Next

For more details and suggestions on solving the problem:

  • For the full discussion regarding this issue on the ASP.net forum, click here.

  • For a related issue, see this page on using a Windows fax service to send fax using C#, Binary Spectrum.