I have the HP640 Fax machine and I'm trying to program the distinctive ring mode but when I follow the instruction which state to press the menu button and scroll to advanced fax and press ok and then it state to scroll though the option until I locate the distinctive ring mode, but it dosen't show on the display, so what do I have to do?

Was the fax plugged into another telephone line? Maybe a power surge?

My solution would be to reconfigure the fax from scratch to learn the ring pattern.

From the Manual:

Step 1-Teach the HP Fax the ring pattern

The HP Fax will learn the ring pattern when you call it from another telephone or fax
machine.

1. Be ready to call the fax machine.
2. Press Menu repeatedly until BASIC FAX displays and press OK.
3. Use LEFT ARROW - RIGHT ARROW BUTTONS to scroll through the options until DRPD Mode displays and press OK.
Call this fax from another fax machine... Waiting Ring...
will display.
4. Call the HP Fax.

DRPD OK will display when the pattern has been learned and the HP Fax will return
to Ready mode.

Step 2-Set up distinctive ring (DRPD) answer mode

Once you have activated distinctive ring, it becomes one of the answering modes you
can select by pressing the Mode/Contrast button.

Press Mode/Contrast repeatedly until DRPD Mode appears in the display.

• In Ready mode, DRPD appears in the right hand corner of the display.
• Now, the HP Fax will manage calls and faxes as if it were set to AUTO mode
(AUTO mode on page 28)


TIP: Distinctive ring must be set up again if you reassign your fax number
or connect the machine to another telephone line. Once set up again (that
is, the fax machine has learned the ring pattern and the answering mode is
correctly set), you should test the fax machine by calling the fax number
and another number on the same line. The machine should respond
appropriately to a call placed to the fax number with fax tones, and to a
normal telephone call with the expected ring pattern.

DR MODE is in use means that your machine is setup with the distinctive ring feature, to turn it off follow the directions below.

Turning off the Distinctive Ring
1 Press Menu/Set, 2, 0, 2.
2 Press ▲ or ▼ to select Off.
Press Menu/Set.
3 Press Stop/Exit.

Then you will be able to change the receive mode.

Firstly, you will need to get a 2nd ringtone from your phone provider. Most of them will provide a designated "fax ring" (not a new number) for little or no cost.

In DRPD mode, you can receive a call using the Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection (DRPD) feature. “Distinctive Ring” is a telephone company service which enables a user to use a single telephone line to answer several different services.

Using the Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection feature, your fax machine can “learn” the ring pattern you designate to be answered by the fax machine. Unless you change it, this ringing pattern will continue to be recognized and answered as a fax call, and all other ringing patterns will be forwarded to the
extension telephone or answering machine plugged into the EXT. jack. You can easily suspend or change Distinctive Ring
Pattern Detection at any time.

Before using the Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection option, Distinctive Ring service must be installed on your telephone line by the telephone company. To set up Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection, you will need access to another telephone or someone available to dial your fax number from outside (a cell phone will do!).

To set up the DRPD mode:

1 Press Menu until “Fax Setup” appears on the top line of the display.
2 Press the scroll button ( or ) until you see “Receive Mode” on the bottom line and press Enter.
3 Press the scroll button ( or ) until you see “DRPD Mode” on the bottom line and press Enter.
4 When “Set” displays on the bottom line, press Enter.
“Waiting Ring” appears on the display.
5 Call your fax number from another telephone. It is not necessary to place the call from a fax machine.
6 When your machine begins to ring, do not answer the call.
The machine requires several rings to learn the pattern.
When the machine completes learning, the LCD displays “End DRPD Setup”.
If the DRPD setup fails, “DRPD Ring Error” appears. Press Enter when “DRPD Mode” displays and retry from step 3.
7 To return to Standby mode, press Stop/Clear.
When the DRPD feature is set up, the DRPD option is available in the Receive Mode menu.

To receive faxes in the DRPD mode,
you need to set the menu to DRPD;

NOTES:
• DRPD must be set up again if you re-assign your fax number, or connect the machine to another telephone line.

• After DRPD has been set up, call your fax number again to verify that the machine answers with a fax tone. Then have
a call placed to a different number assigned to that same line to be sure the call is forwarded to the extension telephone or answering machine plugged into the EXT. jack.

• In Tel mode, you can receive a fax by picking up the handset of the extension phone and then pressing the remote receive code Alternatively, you can press On Hook
Dial (you can hear a fax tone from the remote machine) and then press Start on the control panel of your machine.
• In the Fax mode, the machine answers an
incoming call and immediately goes into fax
reception mode.
• In Ans/Fax mode, the answering machine answers an incoming call, and the caller can leave a message on the answering machine. If the fax machine senses a fax tone on the line, the call automatically switches to Fax mode.
• In DRPD mode, you can receive a call using the Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection (DRPD) feature. This option is available only when you set up the DRPD Mode.

The full user manual for your machine is located here

Hope that is of help to you :)

if this is @ your home it might be sharing a house phone, or check with phone company to see if there any speical features on your line, call and check the line,your fax line need to be a stand alone

How to Set the Receive Mode (MF4140/MF4150)
1. Press [Additional Functions]. 2. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [FAX SETTINGS], then press [OK]. 3. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [RX SETTINGS], then press [OK]. 4. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select [RX MODE], then press [OK]. 5. Use [Left cursor] or [Right cursor] to select the receive mode, then press [OK]. [FaxOnly]: Answers all calls as faxes and disconnects voice calls. [AnsMode]: Receives faxes automatically and records voice messages. [NET SWITCH]: Distinguishes between fax and voice calls. [FaxTel]: Switches between fax and voice calls automatically. [MANUAL]: Does not answer any calls. You have to manually receive faxes. NOTE: a. For [FaxTel] or [MANUAL], make sure the optional handset or an external telephone is connected to the machine. b. For [AnsMode], make sure an answering machine is connected to the machine. c. The [NET SWITCH] mode is available for certain countries only and requires subscription to a network switch service. 6. Press [Stop/Reset] to return to the standby mode.

You need a dedicated ANALOG phone line.

A DSL filter screens out ANALOG signals to a DSL device.not the other way around. There are no DIGITAL fax machines.

change the distinctive mode to off.......menu-miscell.-distinctive

Abdalla Alyhabib
[email protected]

To change the answer ring pattern for distinctive ring via the control panel 1 Verify that the device is set to answer fax calls automatically. 2 Press Setup. 3 Press Advance Fax Setup, and then press Distinctive Ring. 4 Press the right arrow button to select an option, and then press OK. When the phone rings with the ring pattern assigned to your fax line, the device answers the call and receives the fax

Its called distintive Ring. This is the instructions from the manual -

VERY IMPORTANT
If you have Voice Mail or a TAD (Telephone Answering Device) and want to keep
one of your phone numbers dedicated only to fax calls, you must leave the fax machine
in MANUAL mode at all times while using the distinctive ring feature. Here’s why:
Manual mode will never pick up a call by itself, since it is «Neutral ». When the fax
machine is in this « neutral » mode, the Distinctive Ring Feature can be activated. The
distinctive ring feature is actually an answering mode. So, do not activate FAX ONLY
mode or FAX /TEL mode while using distinctive ring; otherwise, the fax machine will
answer calls for all the numbers.
Registering the Distinctive Ring Pattern
1 Set the fax machine to MANUAL mode.
2 Press Menu/Set, 0, 1.
3 Press to select DISTINCTIVE:SET?, and then press Menu/Set.
4 Press to select the prestored ring pattern you want to assign, and then press
Menu/Set. (You will hear each pattern as you scroll through the four patterns.)
Be sure to choose the pattern assigned by the Telephone Company.
5 Press Stop/Exit.

and a link to the manual if you need it -
http://static.tigerdirect.com/pdf/brother-IntelliFax-775-Manual.pdf

Yes you need to connect to computer to receive and send fax........ Telephone as to connected to dial up modem of the computer if you dont have dial up modem then the faxing wont work.........



About Distinctive Ring Pattern Detection (DRPD)
"Distinctive Ring" is a service provided by some telephone service providers. Two phone numbers are assigned to one phone line so that you will hear different ring patterns for incoming phone calls than for incoming faxes. If you subscribe to this service, follow the instructions below to program your All-In-One to use it.
On the X125:
Press Setup once, then press Menu nine (9) times until DRPD appears on the display.
On the X63:

1. Press Setup once, then press Menu eight (8) times until DRPD appears on the display.
   
2. Press Options until you see Learn, and then press Start/Yes.
   
3. Dial the phone number that you want to use as a fax number. (Do this from a different phone line, not from the line the fax will be installed on.)
   
4. Press Setup.
   
5. Press Menu until you see Fax Receive Mode on the display.
   
6. Press Options until you see DRPD, and then press Start/Yes. The All-In-One detects the ring pattern and answers all incoming faxes on the second ring.