A system notifies a computing device of an incoming message. In the system, a message server is coupled to a data communications network for receiving the incoming message, and a communications system is coupled to the message server so that the message server can communicate to the communications system that the incoming message awaits retrieval by the computing device. A communications line is coupled to the communications system and to the computing device so that the communications system can signal the computing device over the communications line that the incoming message awaits retrieval by such computing device. The computing device is for receiving the aforementioned notification and retrieving the incoming message from the message server, and includes a communications device for coupling with the aforementioned communications line. The communications device implements an on-hook signaling protocol for receiving data sent when the communications line is on-hook, where the received data includes the notification of the new incoming message.