mj consuming 98% of available RAM
Moderators: Bill Smith, Pilot
mj consuming 98% of available RAM
MJ has been installed on my pc for 3 days. I have only tested it to call my own home phone and cellphone, and to make calls to same. Seems to work ok and I am pleased so far. However, while the MJ is running (no calls, just "on"), my device manager reports 98% cpu activity to the magicjack.exe and system idle process is 00. (i have a 2005 HP slimline desktop, 1.5Ghz, 1G RAM, celeron m processor 3770, running WIN XP/sp2.) the demand placed on the cpu by this one program seems excessive, and the consequence is that everything else really slows down or stalls out. when i exit the MJ program (close it or remove it), the system idle process returns to 90-95%. i realize that this pc is no speed demon, but it can easily accomodate 2 or 3 normal programs at the same time (firefox, picasa, playing mp3s, etc.) without noticeable slowing. can anyone explain the reason for MJ heavy cpu demands or suggest a fix ? guess i would just like to know if what's happening is normal and if anyone else has observed the same.
Re: mj consuming 98% of available RAM
Download procmon (google for it), run it, and filter only for magicjack.exe (and maybe magicjackloader.exe if you want to see what happens as it starts). You'll see that magicjack.exe is constantly spinning, reading the same registry entries over and over again, broken up only by opening/closing the USB "Phone" drive every 5-6 seconds.krojm wrote:However, while the MJ is running (no calls, just "on"), my device manager reports 98% cpu activity to the magicjack.exe and system idle process is 00.
I guess if you have *almost* nothing else running, then this would be measured as +90%. I have a lot of stuff running, and the magicjack.exe process consumes 0% of CPU, except for those 5-6 second disk reads when it pops up to 3%. (It's using 40 meg of memory).
Mark
MJ runs on very old small processors fine, so your PC is totally adequate.
I would agree with az2008 except... on my ThinClient (a very small processor, even if it does run at 1.2Ghz) MJ only takes 1 to 3%.
I use a remote admin program to log in, and it takes 8-15%. Idle is running at 84% and above.
Sounds like you may need to keep looking for a problem.
I would agree with az2008 except... on my ThinClient (a very small processor, even if it does run at 1.2Ghz) MJ only takes 1 to 3%.
I use a remote admin program to log in, and it takes 8-15%. Idle is running at 84% and above.
Sounds like you may need to keep looking for a problem.
az2008--i did the procmon download and ran it once without filtering, which yielded over a million lines of something(s) running or being analyzed. i ran it again, filtering for "process", "is", "magicjack.exe", and "include". the output produced the same large numbers of lines, only everything labeled "magicjack" as the process name. i stopped the program, as the output made no sense to me; no idea how to interpret the data i'm seeing.
so i'm not a big one for spending alot of time reading help files.... could you direct me how to set up the filter for procmon and then how to interpret what it is i'm looking at ?
there are some 54 processes listed in task manager, most of them start-up stuff, and most of them "idle" (reading 00). i currently have firefox running, task manager, and MJ. firefox cpu time is negligible--2% when i'm doing anything with it. system idle cpu time is still 00. MJ cpu time is 99. and it doesnt change alot--goes from 95-97-99-98, but doesn't go down to 03 or 15; and i'm not actually on a call either.
davrow--where should i look for any problem ?
if it matters, i have wireless broadband accesss via a usb aircard connected to a gateway router. pc connected via ethernet cable to router. MJ connected to pc via powered usb hub and 3 ft usb data cable to usb port on rear of cpu. broadband speeds are good.
so i'm not a big one for spending alot of time reading help files.... could you direct me how to set up the filter for procmon and then how to interpret what it is i'm looking at ?
there are some 54 processes listed in task manager, most of them start-up stuff, and most of them "idle" (reading 00). i currently have firefox running, task manager, and MJ. firefox cpu time is negligible--2% when i'm doing anything with it. system idle cpu time is still 00. MJ cpu time is 99. and it doesnt change alot--goes from 95-97-99-98, but doesn't go down to 03 or 15; and i'm not actually on a call either.
davrow--where should i look for any problem ?
if it matters, i have wireless broadband accesss via a usb aircard connected to a gateway router. pc connected via ethernet cable to router. MJ connected to pc via powered usb hub and 3 ft usb data cable to usb port on rear of cpu. broadband speeds are good.
It will be a lot. But not as much as running without the filter. You can verify this by watching the lower-left corner which says how many lines were filtered out. Try it with and without the filter.krojm wrote:the output produced the same large numbers of lines, only everything labeled "magicjack" as the process name.
You'd have to read through a minute's worth of lines. If it's working like mine, you'll see a pattern where it reads multiple things from the registry, broken by create/open/read the USB "Phone" drive every 5-6 seconds.
If you see more than that, I don't know what it means (or how to fix it). I think there's a way to reinstall the MJ software. Formatting the USB drive or something (research it, don't rely on my comment).
Get access to another computer (family, friend) and install MJ there. See if it does the same thing.
EDIT:
You can also edit the MJ shortcut (or create one) to execute magicjack.exe directory (not magicjackloader.exe). You can pass a parm to tell it to log everything. It would look something like this:
"D:\Profiles\{user name}\Application Data\mjusbsp\magicJack.exe" /foreground /lf logfile.txt /scf _magicJackPersonalDataRoot "g:\magicJack"
You'd have to change drives and paths to the correct thing for your system. When you run the shortcut, it will log a lot of stuff to logfile.txt. You might find something there too.
Mark
update on my situation. i installed the mj on an asus eeepc (has only 4G flash drive, 1G RAM, no active antivirus, and windows firewall was operational. ) install went thru without a hitch. did the software upgrade and was making test calls within minutes. checked the cpu usage meter, and with mj "ready" only about 0-2%; using it to call, about 3-7%.
call quality, on the other hand, was terrible. this was a wireless connection to a usb aircard connected to a gateway router. the person i called said my voice was breaking up constantly and so low that i was hard to hear. (i understand the mj works better with a hard-wired connection &/or thru a powered usb hub. in this instance, i had it plugged directly into the pc usb port.)
my thoughts on why the possible high cpu usage when using mj on my hp desktop, even with no other programs open, is that i may have fouled up some settings when i installed. i did not close my avg antivirus or my zone alarm firewall during install. (yes, i know better--i was just in a hurry to try the new gadget out. also didnt reboot for some 3 days after. ) had to close zone alarm to register, and then i thought everything would be ok. and the calls did seem to connect ok and sound good.
so, currently i have browsed various ways to remove the mj files (a so-called "uninstall"), and none of them seem like something i want to tamper with--going into the registry and deleting, etc. i have read that ccleaner can be used to remove the files, but as majicjack is not listed as an application, i dont quite see how to proceed. (any hints welcome here.) i have also thought of doing a system restore to a time before the install of the mj.
i would really like to keep and use the mj, so if any of the above might remove a faulty install, i would re-install properly.
asking for some guidance here. is it necessary to remove old mj files installed as i did, with antivirus and firewall on, in order to re-install ? or could i hope for a "good" install this second time even tho previous files not removed from the system.
thanks for comments and advice so far, by the way.
call quality, on the other hand, was terrible. this was a wireless connection to a usb aircard connected to a gateway router. the person i called said my voice was breaking up constantly and so low that i was hard to hear. (i understand the mj works better with a hard-wired connection &/or thru a powered usb hub. in this instance, i had it plugged directly into the pc usb port.)
my thoughts on why the possible high cpu usage when using mj on my hp desktop, even with no other programs open, is that i may have fouled up some settings when i installed. i did not close my avg antivirus or my zone alarm firewall during install. (yes, i know better--i was just in a hurry to try the new gadget out. also didnt reboot for some 3 days after. ) had to close zone alarm to register, and then i thought everything would be ok. and the calls did seem to connect ok and sound good.
so, currently i have browsed various ways to remove the mj files (a so-called "uninstall"), and none of them seem like something i want to tamper with--going into the registry and deleting, etc. i have read that ccleaner can be used to remove the files, but as majicjack is not listed as an application, i dont quite see how to proceed. (any hints welcome here.) i have also thought of doing a system restore to a time before the install of the mj.
i would really like to keep and use the mj, so if any of the above might remove a faulty install, i would re-install properly.
asking for some guidance here. is it necessary to remove old mj files installed as i did, with antivirus and firewall on, in order to re-install ? or could i hope for a "good" install this second time even tho previous files not removed from the system.
thanks for comments and advice so far, by the way.
update again--perhaps the issue is resolved.
i rebooted the pc without mj installed. i turned off AVG antivirus and zone alarm firewall. i kept task manager on the screen to view results on cpu usage. i then plugged in the mj and waited. cpu system idle (free) remained at 98%; majicjack used from 0-2%. (good so far.) i started up zone alarm, and nothing changed. (still good.) i started up AVG, and still, no mj hogging the cpu resources--system idle at 98; mj 0-2%. i tried a couple of calls--to my landline, to a test number, to 411--and cpu demand from mj never topped 3%. (sounds like problem solved... perhaps.)
i had a thought... (but also have a poor memory)... when i did the original install of the mj, i remembered downloading the upgrade and saving it, but didnt remember opening it (to install). so today i went to the upgrade file (upgrade.exe) and double-clicked it. (figured what the heck, it cant mess things up anymore than they already are.) dont know if it did anything or not, but since then (and after the reboot already mentioned,) things are more normal.
i also noticed that prior to this, during the times when mj was using 98% of available cpu resources, i had no splash screen on the soft phone. (something most deplore, i guess.) now there is a splash screen. pehaps from the upgrade folder...? i'll gladly trade that for a functioning magicjack that doesnt "kill" my cpu resources. (actually, its very simple to slide that part of the soft phone off the desktop.)
no better advice for solving a good many problems than the old adage K-I-S-S. (in other words, dont complain that the tv isnt working till you make sure its plugged in and you turned it on.)
thanks for the advice offered here. it may not have helped directly, just as some of the posts on removing mj files and folders did not. what they did do was to so complicate the possibilities for remedying my problem that i was motivated to keep looking for other solutions, and perhaps by chance stumbling upon something that worked.
i rebooted the pc without mj installed. i turned off AVG antivirus and zone alarm firewall. i kept task manager on the screen to view results on cpu usage. i then plugged in the mj and waited. cpu system idle (free) remained at 98%; majicjack used from 0-2%. (good so far.) i started up zone alarm, and nothing changed. (still good.) i started up AVG, and still, no mj hogging the cpu resources--system idle at 98; mj 0-2%. i tried a couple of calls--to my landline, to a test number, to 411--and cpu demand from mj never topped 3%. (sounds like problem solved... perhaps.)
i had a thought... (but also have a poor memory)... when i did the original install of the mj, i remembered downloading the upgrade and saving it, but didnt remember opening it (to install). so today i went to the upgrade file (upgrade.exe) and double-clicked it. (figured what the heck, it cant mess things up anymore than they already are.) dont know if it did anything or not, but since then (and after the reboot already mentioned,) things are more normal.
i also noticed that prior to this, during the times when mj was using 98% of available cpu resources, i had no splash screen on the soft phone. (something most deplore, i guess.) now there is a splash screen. pehaps from the upgrade folder...? i'll gladly trade that for a functioning magicjack that doesnt "kill" my cpu resources. (actually, its very simple to slide that part of the soft phone off the desktop.)
no better advice for solving a good many problems than the old adage K-I-S-S. (in other words, dont complain that the tv isnt working till you make sure its plugged in and you turned it on.)
thanks for the advice offered here. it may not have helped directly, just as some of the posts on removing mj files and folders did not. what they did do was to so complicate the possibilities for remedying my problem that i was motivated to keep looking for other solutions, and perhaps by chance stumbling upon something that worked.
i've tested the mj thru various startups and here's what i found.
when i leave mj in on a reboot, the program starts ok, but avg and zone alarm are causing the mj to continue to demand 98% of cpu resources.
when i disable avg and zone alarm, then restart mj, it will use only 2% at most of cpu resources. i am able to re-enable avg and zone alarm, with mj active, and nothing about the mj running is altered--still uses only 2% cpu resources.
the problem is obviously within the startup order or what avg and zone alarm are checking and blocking. the zone alarm log alerts indicate that every time mj is started up, it is blocked in a loop-back action because (zone alarm indicates) it is trying to access a restricted site. a different number is cited each time following the loop-back dns.
changing nothing, the only way i can effectively use mj on this pc at this time is to disable avg and zone alarm before starting mj, then re-enabling avg and za. which also means i probably have to remove mj from the pc before each boot. (i usually power off the pc when not using it, as at the end of a day.)
once again, i am open to suggestions. can i alter something in startup priorities or order, so that mj is started before avg and zone alarm ? how ? or any other ideas....
since that seems more trouble than its worth, i am inclined to return it to best buy for a refund.
when i leave mj in on a reboot, the program starts ok, but avg and zone alarm are causing the mj to continue to demand 98% of cpu resources.
when i disable avg and zone alarm, then restart mj, it will use only 2% at most of cpu resources. i am able to re-enable avg and zone alarm, with mj active, and nothing about the mj running is altered--still uses only 2% cpu resources.
the problem is obviously within the startup order or what avg and zone alarm are checking and blocking. the zone alarm log alerts indicate that every time mj is started up, it is blocked in a loop-back action because (zone alarm indicates) it is trying to access a restricted site. a different number is cited each time following the loop-back dns.
changing nothing, the only way i can effectively use mj on this pc at this time is to disable avg and zone alarm before starting mj, then re-enabling avg and za. which also means i probably have to remove mj from the pc before each boot. (i usually power off the pc when not using it, as at the end of a day.)
once again, i am open to suggestions. can i alter something in startup priorities or order, so that mj is started before avg and zone alarm ? how ? or any other ideas....
since that seems more trouble than its worth, i am inclined to return it to best buy for a refund.
Install WinPatrol (a free application) and move to the delayed start page any programs that you want started after magicjack loads. Then comit to save the configuration. If those programs try to move themselves back to the start up page, just disable them on the start up programs page after your next reboot, and comit again.