HP j3608 Can not get fax to answer on combined phone line with fax I have set for FAX & single ring any ideas?

Ensure that telephone line connector inserted in line in port(other than telephone symbol port)
In fax settings..
select automatic in answer mode
select ring to answer as 5 rings
select ring mode as all rings(single,double & triple rings)
try for incoming fax.

Try resetting the machine to it's defualt settings.

Introduction The HP All-in-One can receive faxes automatically or manually depending on the Auto Answer setting. If the Auto Answer option is set to On (the default setting), the HP All-in-One will automatically answer incoming calls and receive faxes after the number of rings specified by the Rings to Answer setting. (The default Rings to Answer setting is five rings). Refer to the given instructions to receive faxes automatically or manually. Receiving faxes The HP All-in-One can receive faxes automatically or manually. Receiving a fax automatically To receive faxes automatically, set the Auto Answer option to On (the default setting). The HP All-in-One will automatically answer incoming calls and receive faxes after the number of rings specified by the Rings to Answer setting. (The default Rings to Answer setting is five rings). Receiving a fax manually If the HP All-in-One has been set up to receive faxes manually (the Auto Answer option is set to Off ), or you answer the phone and hear fax tones, use these instructions to receive faxes.

1. Make sure the HP All-in-One is turned on and you have paper loaded in the input tray.
2. Remove any originals from the document feeder tray.
3. Set the Rings to Answer setting to a high number to allow you to answer the incoming call before the HP All-in-One answers. Or, turn off the Auto Answer setting so that the HP All-in-One does not automatically answer incoming calls.
4. If you are currently on the phone with the sender, instruct the sender to press Start on their fax machine.
5. When you hear fax tones from a sending fax machine, do the following:
   1. Press Start Fax Black or Start Fax Color on the control panel of the HP All-in- One.
   2. When prompted, press the down arrow to highlight Receive Fax Manually , and then press OK .
6. Press Start Fax Black again.
7. After the HP All-in-One begins to receive the fax, you can hang up the phone or remain on the line. The phone line is silent during fax transmission.
   
   
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The answer mode determines whether the HP Fax answers incoming calls or not.

Different answer modes are :

* Fax

The HP Fax will automatically answer all incoming calls using the Rings to Answer setting. This is the default setting.

* FaxTel (unit with handset model only)

The HP Fax automatically answers all incoming calls using the Rings to Answer setting. If the call is a fax call, the HP Fax will receive the fax. If the call is a voice call, the HP Fax will create a special ring to indicate it is a voice call. The incoming voice call will need to be answered using the attached handset.

NOTE: If the HP Fax determines the call is a voice call, only the HP Fax will ring with the special ring tone. The other phones on the same phone line will not ring at all. You will not be able to pick up the voice call using the other phones.

* Tel

The HP Fax will not automatically answer calls. Faxes will need to be received manually.

* AnswerMachine

The HP Fax will monitor the line when an incoming call is answered by a person or by the answering machine. If the HP Fax detects fax tones on the line, it will receive the fax.

Distinctive Ring basicsDistinctive Ring service is an optional service available from many telephone companies. The Distinctive Ring service permits you to assign more than one telephone number to the same telephone line. Distinctive Ring allows you to use a single phone line for both voice and fax calls. You can assign a unique phone number and ring pattern for incoming fax calls. When a fax comes in, each telephone number makes a distinctive ringing sound, such as a single ring, double ring, or triple ring.
NOTE: The Distinctive Ring Service is the name HP and others use to describe this feature. Distinctive Ring is also known as:

• Call Sign
• Custom Ring
• Ident-a-Call
• Ident-a-Ring
• Ident-a-Ring
• Multi Ring
• Personalized Ringing
• Ringmaster
• Smart Ring
• Teen-Ring

The Distinctive Ring Service allows the HP product to work similarly to a dedicated fax line. If you connect an HP fax product and a telephone to one telephone line, you can assign one telephone number for fax calls and another for voice calls.
NOTE: You cannot send or receive faxes when the phone line is in use. Even if the HP fax product has a separate telephone number, it is still sharing the same phone line. Set the Distinctive Ring Service Using the menus on the product control panel, follow these steps to set a distinctive ring pattern. Step one: Turn on Auto Answer Turn on Auto Answer by pressing the Auto Answer button on the control panel. The button light indicates when Auto Answer is on.If the button light is already on, you do not need to press the button. Step two: Set the distinctive ring patternFollow these steps to change the answer ring pattern.

1. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
2. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Advanced Fax Setup , and then press the OK button.
3. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select Distinctive Ring , and then press the OK button.
4. Press the Right Arrow button ( ) to select one of the following options:
   • All Rings
   • Single Rings
   • Double Rings
   • Triple Rings
   • Double & Triple Rings
5. Press the OK button to select the option.
6. Press the Back button ( ) to return to the main menu.

Now if you have anymore problems copy the link from below and paste it in your address bar and it will help you further with a document. Follow all the settings in the document and your fax should be setup,keep in MIND THAT THE RINGS TO ANSWER SHOULD BE 2,SO YOU CAN RECEIVE FAXES AFTER TWO RINGS

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01647469&tmp_task=solveCategory&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3795406

Use the HP Fax Test
The telephone number for this service is 1-888-HPFaxme (1-888-473-2963). The fax service receives faxes and returns faxes within 5 to 7 minutes to the number contained in the fax header. Solution two: Run a fax diagnostic test

1. Load plain white paper into the input tray.
2. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
3. Press the right arrow ( ) to select Tools , and then press OK .
4. On the Tools menu, press the right arrow ( ) to select Run Fax Test , and then press OK . The fax diagnostic test prints.

Solution three: Check the telephone line and change the HP fax settings Step one: Test the telephone line

1. Disconnect the telephone cord from the back of the HP fax product.
2. Figure 1: Two-wire telephone cord
3. Pick up the handset of the telephone and check for a dial tone.
   
4. On the single-line telephone, dial the fax number of the receiving fax machine.
   • If the receiving fax machine answers the call, continue with the next step.
5. Hang up the single-line telephone.
6. Use a second telephone line or a cellular telephone to call the telephone number assigned to the HP fax product.

Step two: Change the HP fax settings

1. Connect phone line into line 1
2. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
3. Press the right arrow ( ) to select Basic Fax Setup or Advanced Fax Setup , and then press the right arrow ( ) again to change the menu option settings to the settings listed in the following table. Fax menu Fax menu option Setting Basic Fax Setup Rings to Answer 1 or 2 (At least one more ring than a telephone answering machine, if an answering machine is connected.) Advanced Fax Setup Answer Ring Pattern All Rings
4. Use the HP Fax Test Service to try to send and receive a fax.

If the HP fax product still cannot send or receive a fax, continue to the next solution. Solution four: Check VoIP digital telephone line Using a VoIP telephone service can cause faxing to fail because fax transmissions are sensitive to the timing of the signals used to transmit the fax. If using a VoIP digital line is necessary, changing the Fax Speed Adjustment setting to Medium might improve the ability to send a fax over a VoIP telephone line. Use these steps to change the fax speed adjustment to a lower speed.

1. Press the Setup button ( ) on the product control panel.
2. Press the right arrow ( ) to select Advanced Fax Setup , and then press OK .
3. Press the right arrow ( ) to select Fax Speed , and then press OK .
4. Press the right arrow ( ) to select Medium , and then press OK .
5. Use the HP Fax Test Service to try to send and receive a fax.

i fixed the fax set up (from the machine itself) to answer a fax on the triple distinctive ring. we don't have that on our phone service, but this way, i can change it back to a single ring if i'm expecting a fax.

It's either your phone, or it's your fax machine that does not support fax through phone.

Do you have a distinctive ring pattern in the same phone line
If no then you need to get a distinctive rig pattern from your service provider, which will differenciate the type of rings for phone and fax.
If you have a distinctive ring pattern make sure which one it has single rings, double rings, triple rings and double and triple rings.
To enable> First make sure auto answer in turned On
In setup/Menu go to > Rings to answer and set it to 5 or 6, and make sure the rings to answer in you answering machine set to 4(Always Should be lower then you rings to answer in the fax)
In Advance Fax setup> Then Ring pattern should be setup for the one which you service provider as given either double or triple Rings>
And the go to tools and run fax test and check what has failed

Make sure the phone line is plugged into the LINE jack on the fax, NOT THE PHONE JACK. The phone jack is to add a telephone to the fax. If it is connected properly, try calling your fax from a cell phone and see if it answers. If the fax answers, hang up and press the HOOK button on your fax and use the fax keypad to call your cell. If the cell rings, answer the call and listen for the fax machine tones. If you hear the fax on the cell, you may have to change your machines TRANSMIT or DIALING settings.