Tool to make MagicJack run as a Windows Service

[balla123]

does mj update itself when it runs as a service?

[etvaugha]

does mj update itself when it runs as a service?

It is able to update, but you will not be notified if/when an update occurs.

[balla123]

so if i were to download the update from the mj site..i can do that as well?

[etvaugha]

so if i were to download the update from the mj site..i can do that as well?

Not sure how that would work as I have not tried it. To be on the safe side, you'd probably want to use my app to switch back to OEM setup before you installed any manual updates. Then flip back to running as a service. Only takes a second to switch back and forth.

--Evan

[joefx]

Does this work with fast user switching? I saw your post that it uses HKCU so I'm wondering if my magicjack will still work when user1 logs in and mj starts, then user2 switches user. User1 is still technically logged on but i'm not sure which user would have the current user hive.

[etvaugha]

Does this work with fast user switching? I saw your post that it uses HKCU so I'm wondering if my magicjack will still work when user1 logs in and mj starts, then user2 switches user. User1 is still technically logged on but i'm not sure which user would have the current user hive.

Sure does.

The default MagicJack install resides in HKCU. My app deletes those entries when it installs the service. (They're reinstalled if the service is uninstalled)

The service keys I create reside in HKLM, so multiple users and fast switching are not an issue. Maybe I wasn't clear or mis-spoke in my earlier post.

[zerocwl]

nice tool man installed fine nice and smooth. restarted and service is there. i get the tone until the last number is pressed to but makes calls fine. this should be stickyed.

[Adam423]

This fix works great but on my Win 7 Media Center that is always on the MJ will lose dial tone if the PC has not been used in a while. I have it set to always on.

Any other ideas that may work for me?

Thanks,

Adam

[dirtdigger98]

Works fine for me.....thanks

[etvaugha]

This fix works great but on my Win 7 Media Center that is always on the MJ will lose dial tone if the PC has not been used in a while. I have it set to always on.

Any other ideas that may work for me?

Thanks,

Adam

Check to make sure your USB controller or some other device isn't set to power down after a certain amount of time. I know some systems let you set standby times on specific devices, not just system, monitor, and hard disk.

[reo4ua]

Download version 1.3 here:
http://www.evanvaughan.com/magicjack.aspx

Over 700 downloads!!

This tool is designed to remove the MagicJack UI from the desktop and run your MagicJack behind the scenes as a Windows service. It is totally automated and only takes a few seconds to run. It has been tested with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 (including 64 bit versions of Windows). Benefits include:

- No more UI popups or desktop phone call notifications
- MagicJack is functional even when user is logged off, and works under all user accounts
- No splash screen or waiting for MagicJack to load
- MJ has higher system resource priority when run as a service
- Stand-alone app (does not install itself on your PC)
- Revert back to OEM setup with one click




"Just wanted to say thanks for writing that. Saved me alot of trouble. I had tried MagicBlockv1.2, but calls still made me lose focus on my current window (running XPsp3). That's no good when you are in the middle of a full screen game, it gets minimized. It would be nice to still have the softphone running, but for me it's a small price to pay to not have to load another user at every reboot. Again, thanks!!!" - Rock

"excellent work, many will be pleased." - Bill


To use, simply unzip the files to a folder and run the executable.

Please report any bugs and let me know if you have any ideas to make the app better!

GREAT TOOL! Thanks!

One question....how do I use my usb headset while running your hack?

[etvaugha]

GREAT TOOL! Thanks!

One question....how do I use my usb headset while running your hack?

No idea...

Not sure how the USB headsets work, or if they would be compatible with MJ when running as a service. Maybe someone with a USB headset can chime in.

Worst case, you can always just create a shortcut to my app, then run it and switch to the OEM setup if you want to use the headset. Then switch back when you're done. Switching back and forth only takes a few secs.

---Evan

[redpepper]

If you need the flexibility to be able to use a headset, the recently released free Magicsilence Plugin tool will do that for you.

Whenever you want to open the magicJack dialer to check something or to make a headset call, just double left mouse click on the magicJack icon like you normally do; otherwise, the magicJack dialer window stays closed in the traybar.

It also keeps your work focused during incoming and outgoing calls and is compatible with Magicfeatures and other plugins. Dialtone also stops normally when placing calls using your phone keypad.

The Magicsilence Plugin tool is absolutely free at http://tools.pcphonesoft.com or http://www.magicsilence.com .

[etvaugha]

If you need the flexibility to be able to use a headset, the recently released free Magicsilence Plugin tool will do that for you.

Whenever you want to open the magicJack dialer to check something or to make a headset call, just double left mouse click on the magicJack icon like you normally do; otherwise, the magicJack dialer window stays closed in the traybar.

It also keeps your work focused during incoming and outgoing calls and is compatible with Magicfeatures and other plugins. Dialtone also stops normally when placing calls using your phone keypad.

The Magicsilence Plugin tool is absolutely free at http://tools.pcphonesoft.com or http://www.magicsilence.com .

Cool! Looks like a good option for those who want to use the softphone and are always logged into the same user account.

[bluefudge]

When I run msc.exe ( as admin ), I get "Magic Jack software is not installed/detected. The Magic Jack device IS installed, and working. Any ideas as to what may be going on? Thanks.

[etvaugha]

When I run msc.exe ( as admin ), I get "Magic Jack software is not installed/detected. The Magic Jack device IS installed, and working. Any ideas as to what may be going on? Thanks.

One of the registry keys the tool scans for is probably missing, and is not essential so the device still works. Try unplugging the MJ, plugging it back in, and clicking "Start magicJack" when prompted. This should re-install any missing keys.

[bluefudge]

When I run msc.exe ( as admin ), I get "Magic Jack software is not installed/detected. The Magic Jack device IS installed, and working. Any ideas as to what may be going on? Thanks.

One of the registry keys the tool scans for is probably missing, and is not essential so the device still works. Try unplugging the MJ, plugging it back in, and clicking "Start magicJack" when prompted. This should re-install any missing keys.

Done, still no dice, just says "Magickack detected" under hardware status.

[T-Man]

Has anyone tried disabling voicemail through the registry and then running this app? In the past I manually set up the MJ to run as a service, but this caused the voicemail to start picking up again.
I suppose I should try this app, but I'm currently, um.... working, and thought I might just ask if any has tried this.

T-Man

[etvaugha]

Done, still no dice, just says "Magickack detected" under hardware status.

Don't know what else to try, since I can't recreate the problem on my end.

Sorry it didn't work for you.

[T-Man]

Has anyone tried disabling voicemail through the registry and then running this app? In the past I manually set up the MJ to run as a service, but this caused the voicemail to start picking up again.
I suppose I should try this app, but I'm currently, um.... working, and thought I might just ask if any has tried this.

T-Man

No Joy. etvaugha, your app worked perfectly and so painlessly, I was hoping voicemail would still be disabled. But after running your ap, voicemail became enabled again.

Now I just have to decide which is more annoying, the softphone popping up or voicemail picking up... If anyone knows how I can have my cake and eat it too, please let me know.

T-Man

[hlopez0]

yeah that sucks. i was hoping that you can run this cool little app and run mj as a service and still have the voicemail disabled. i just dicovered this after changing the registry. anyone know how to get into the registry and maybe change values to disable the voicemail when the mj is running as a service? any help please?

[Trepanist]

I have the same problem as another poster - dialtone remains until dialing stopped. Not a biggie, but is there way to fix this?

The tool is awesome!

[etvaugha]

I think I have found a solution for people who want their voicemail and call forwarding settings to remain in place when running their MJ as a service.

I have developed a patch for the service. It worked for me. I'd like a few people to try it and leave some feedback. If it works, I'll make the changes to the main app and build a new release.

If you had voicemail disabled and have installed the Windows service and voicemail is now enabled, download and run this exe, and click "Patch". Let me know how it works. (Note: this won't hurt anything. Worst case it just doesn't fix the problem) Be sure to reboot your PC after you've installed the patch.

EDIT: Patch didn't seem to help, so I removed the link. Never hurts to try...

[etvaugha]

I have the same problem as another poster - dialtone remains until dialing stopped. Not a biggie, but is there way to fix this?

The tool is awesome!

I've put a lot of effort into trying to determine why this happens, and haven't come up with anything. It's very mysterious.

[hlopez0]

tryied the patch and it didnt work for me. the voicemail still picked up on the forth ring. hopefully you can keep trying. and hopefully the patch didnt do anything that i will regret later to my computer.

[etvaugha]

tryied the patch and it didnt work for me. the voicemail still picked up on the forth ring. hopefully you can keep trying. and hopefully the patch didnt do anything that i will regret later to my computer.

I'm all out of ideas...lol.

The reason the voicemail and call forwarding settings don't transfer to the Windows service is that magicJack stores these settings in the LocalUsers registry node. The Windows service is executed from the LocalMachine node and MJ is not smart enough to know it's out of the "home" node.

The patch copies the calling options keys from the user node to the machine node where I hoped MJ would recognize them.

Like I said though, it worked for me, so let's have a few others try it.

---Evan

[cryo_extreme]

OK..i have a question i have setup the magic jack service but when i unplug it from my laptop to take it else where and come back to plug in my magic jack it re installs and the service does not work anymore does anyone have any advice on how to fix this ....if this has already been talked about i apologize

[etvaugha]

OK..i have a question i have setup the magic jack service but when i unplug it from my laptop to take it else where and come back to plug in my magic jack it re installs and the service does not work anymore does anyone have any advice on how to fix this ....if this has already been talked about i apologize

When you plug the magicJack in you should get a box that comes up with an option to "Start MagicJack". If you're running as a service you do NOT want to do this, as it reinstalls the OEM softphone. Just click the X on the box.

If you don't get that box and magicJack just installs on its own when you connect it, you have a setting enabled somewhere to "Autorun" any executable files on drives that are connected. You will want to disable that.

To get the service working again, you need to disable the magicJack startup. Click start and go to Run, and enter "msconfig". Click on the startup tab, and uncheck the magicJack startup item (I think it's called "cdloader2"). Apply settings and restart and you should be good to go.

EDIT: It might be easier to use the tool to just uninstall and then reinstall the service. That should take care of everything.

Hope this helps. ---Evan

[mastdesi]

this is a great tool. worked perfectly on win xp sp3 and no effect on my calling. i am running mj on a old computer and its has only one user on it and it is now logged off from the user and mj is still running. Its cool.

I wonder if it uses less power now since its logged off and has only the login page.

[T-Man]

I think I have found a solution for people who want their voicemail and call forwarding settings to remain in place when running their MJ as a service.

I have developed a patch for the service. It worked for me. I'd like a few people to try it and leave some feedback. If it works, I'll make the changes to the main app and build a new release.

If you had voicemail disabled and have installed the Windows service and voicemail is now enabled, download and run this exe, and click "Patch". Let me know how it works. (Note: this won't hurt anything. Worst case it just doesn't fix the problem) Be sure to reboot your PC after you've installed the patch.

I tried the patch, and voicemail still picks up... Thanks for trying to solve this one for us.

T-Man

[buddydog24]

Version 1.2 worked good for me for 3 weeks, then i started having problems, such as no dial tone, phone would ring but people couldn`t hear me.,ect I never got ver. 1.3 to work. I am curently using MagicSilence, seems to work good.

[hlopez0]

hey evan, this patch worked for you huh? which way did you disable your voicemail? what order did you do this? did you disable voicemail first with the magicjack running with softphone and then run your program to run it as a service and then add the patch? i was wondering what i am doing wrong since it worked for you. maybe i am getting the order wrong? also i thought that with the new magicjack software update we couldnt do the voicemail disable like before? just trying to be as detailed as possible on what you did to make it work for you. sorry for all the questions and thanks for all the help and advice you can give.

[etvaugha]

hey evan, this patch worked for you huh? which way did you disable your voicemail? what order did you do this? did you disable voicemail first with the magicjack running with softphone and then run your program to run it as a service and then add the patch? i was wondering what i am doing wrong since it worked for you. maybe i am getting the order wrong? also i thought that with the new magicjack software update we couldnt do the voicemail disable like before? just trying to be as detailed as possible on what you did to make it work for you. sorry for all the questions and thanks for all the help and advice you can give.

I had my voicemail disabled through the registry and was using an old version of the software. I did an update and the registry method no longer works, so I guess that patch doesn't do much. Oh well...never hurts to try.

BTW, I released the source code for MSC a few weeks ago but forgot to post it here. Now anybody can take a crack at fixing a bug, or make improvements. I think it would be real cool to have some collaboration. If you make an improvement or fix a bug, email me the new solution with a description of the change and I'll put it into a new release. Download the VS2008 solution here: http://www.evanvaughan.com/files/msc_source.zip

[audioAl]

Interesting program, I have been using a higher priority setting just to stop dropped calls. I use Sterela WiFi router bandluxe R100 and magic jack keeps dropping out, or is very muffled. Can I still set magic jack's priority if I set it to services?? Thanks,Alan

[b1gbleu]

Hi, Installed v1.3 OK, but as Subject says, no go. XPSP3, .net V3.5SP1

Nevermind, magicsilence is better as I can still access the interface

[etvaugha]

Interesting program, I have been using a higher priority setting just to stop dropped calls. I use Sterela WiFi router bandluxe R100 and magic jack keeps dropping out, or is very muffled. Can I still set magic jack's priority if I set it to services?? Thanks,Alan

If you decide to run MagicJack as a service, there should be no effect on your routing configuration or any load-balancing policies you have in place.

The Windows service will receive higher resource priority than a user-launched application, which is how MagicJack runs by default.

[hlopez0]

hey evan, the program worked just fine for quite some time and it was great i loved it and just today i needed to check something out on the softphone and i used the program to remove the magicjack as a service and the "Unlucky you upgrading" popped up and now when i try to run the magicjack as a service program doesnt detect my magicjack when it is plugged in. i can call and receive calls like it should normally but i cant run you program to set it as a service again. any ideas? it wont detect it. i have noticed that when i checked my computer before it used to have magicjack displayed as two drives and now they arent there. now i see one cd drive that wasnt there before. did the upgrade do something that wont let programs like yours to work or what? or did i do something that i shouldnt have. any ideas how i might be able to fix this. please i need some help!!!!

also i just tryied to use the downgrade file that is on this site and when i restart my magicjack and open of the my computer window for a couple of seconds the two drives with the magicjack icon show up where they use to be before but then after the splash start up screen for magicjack comes up and starts up the magic jack program they disappear and the one disk from before shows up again and then i back to square one with trying to run your file to make it run as a service. help!

[etvaugha]

hey evan, the program worked just fine for quite some time and it was great i loved it and just today i needed to check something out on the softphone and i used the program to remove the magicjack as a service and the "Unlucky you upgrading" popped up and now when i try to run the magicjack as a service program doesnt detect my magicjack when it is plugged in. i can call and receive calls like it should normally but i cant run you program to set it as a service again. any ideas? it wont detect it. i have noticed that when i checked my computer before it used to have magicjack displayed as two drives and now they arent there. now i see one cd drive that wasnt there before. did the upgrade do something that wont let programs like yours to work or what? or did i do something that i shouldnt have. any ideas how i might be able to fix this. please i need some help!!!!

also i just tryied to use the downgrade file that is on this site and when i restart my magicjack and open of the my computer window for a couple of seconds the two drives with the magicjack icon show up where they use to be before but then after the splash start up screen for magicjack comes up and starts up the magic jack program they disappear and the one disk from before shows up again and then i back to square one with trying to run your file to make it run as a service. help!

A few minutes ago I removed my service, got the update, and reinstalled the service with no problems, so I don't think the update is the problem. It sounds like you have some kind of hardware issue on your PC as those two MagicJack drives should show up.

You could try moving the device to another USB port.

---Evan

[hlopez0]

i have moved it to a different usb port and i still get the same thing. what else could it be. nothing shows up on the device manager as anything have some kind of conflict. anyideas would be apperciated. thanks in advance. Help!!!!


update: Just this morning i noticed on other posts here that others are having the same problem with the two usb drives with mj icons not showing up anymore on their "my computer" page. that it shows up as a removable drive and it is unopenable. it seems that it also happed after the recent upgrade that mj had. i also tried plugging mj into my other computer that i havent ran mj on for quite some time and it worked fine with it showing the two usb drives with mj icons and after it did the upgrade the icons disapeared and the same thing happened as what happened on my desktop computer with the unopenable drive without the mj icons. anyone elso having this problem? I copied the mjusb folder from my other computer before the upgrade and was wondering if there was anyway of disabling the upgrade download they sent. so it can use the old one and not the new upgrade software? to clarify what it is doing, the two usb drives with the mj icon show up for a few seconds and then after the mj starts up they disappear and then the regular drives that you cant open or explore show up and because of this i cant run mj as a service. can anyone help me with the process of how to run mj as a service when it does this. please. thanks

[etvaugha]

i have moved it to a different usb port and i still get the same thing. what else could it be. nothing shows up on the device manager as anything have some kind of conflict. anyideas would be apperciated. thanks in advance. Help!!!!


update: Just this morning i noticed on other posts here that others are having the same problem with the two usb drives with mj icons not showing up anymore on their "my computer" page. that it shows up as a removable drive and it is unopenable. it seems that it also happed after the recent upgrade that mj had. i also tried plugging mj into my other computer that i havent ran mj on for quite some time and it worked fine with it showing the two usb drives with mj icons and after it did the upgrade the icons disapeared and the same thing happened as what happened on my desktop computer with the unopenable drive without the mj icons. anyone elso having this problem? I copied the mjusb folder from my other computer before the upgrade and was wondering if there was anyway of disabling the upgrade download they sent. so it can use the old one and not the new upgrade software? to clarify what it is doing, the two usb drives with the mj icon show up for a few seconds and then after the mj starts up they disappear and then the regular drives that you cant open or explore show up and because of this i cant run mj as a service. can anyone help me with the process of how to run mj as a service when it does this. please. thanks

I would monitor those other threads to see if anyone comes up with a solution for making the drives show up. Without those drives available, my app will not work.

Another option is to set up the service manually. There is a sticky thread with the instructions.

[hlopez0]

hey evan do your mj drives WITH the mj icons show up in you "my computer" window? just curious. want to know if it is only a few of people that are getting this or is everyone getting this. any info is appreciated. thanks in advance.

[etvaugha]

hey evan do your mj drives WITH the mj icons show up in you "my computer" window? just curious. want to know if it is only a few of people that are getting this or is everyone getting this. any info is appreciated. thanks in advance.

Ok...

I just went to take a screenshot of "My Computer" to post for you, and lo and behold, they were gone (the drive icons that is). I then uninstalled the service and ended up in the same spot you are, where I couldn't reinstall it as the drives didn't show up.

EDIT: See below. Updated version released that works with the "hidden" drives.

[etvaugha]

Version 1.4 released.

This version is able to operate even if the MagicJack drives are unavailable. It has been released in response to the recent MagicJack update that hides/disables the two MagicJack drives and caused problems for version 1.3.

Download at www.evanvaughan.com/magicjack.aspx

As always, let me know if you encounter any issues. You can post here or send email to [email protected]

[hlopez0]

evan you are the man!!!!!!! i did what you said and the only extra step i had to do is disable the autorun feature on my windows xp in the registry and i was able to run your program and set my magicjack as a service. awesome job man i am going to have to give up a donation with all the help you have given everyone here especially me. thanks again for all the help and keep up the good work.


fyi i did this just before you released the new version

[etvaugha]

evan you are the man!!!!!!! i did what you said and the only extra step i had to do is disable the autorun feature on my windows xp in the registry and i was able to run your program and set my magicjack as a service. awesome job man i am going to have to give up a donation with all the help you have given everyone here especially me. thanks again for all the help and keep up the good work.


fyi i did this just before you released the new version

Glad you're all set up. I haven't heard of any issues so far with 1.4 so I assume it's pretty solid.

[littlecuddly1]

hi Evan. I just wanted to know if this program u created can disable voicemail and/or call waiting?

please and thank you

[etvaugha]

hi Evan. I just wanted to know if this program u created can disable voicemail and/or call waiting?

please and thank you

All the program does currently is set up MagicJack to run as a Windows service. I'm planning on adding features such as voicemail enable/disable and call forwarding in future versions.

[vkelman]

Would Win 7 machine go to sleep mode (as it does by default) if magicJack service is running?

Some windows services able to awake sleeping Win 7 PC. Could it be done that magicJack do the same? I really prefer to keep a default sleep behavior of Win 7...

[etvaugha]

Would Win 7 machine go to sleep mode (as it does by default) if magicJack service is running?

Some windows services able to awake sleeping Win 7 PC. Could it be done that magicJack do the same? I really prefer to keep a default sleep behavior of Win 7...

I think the MagicJack application disables automatic system standby even when it's run as a service.

If you put your computer on standby you would not be able to receive calls...

[synchron]

Hi, I received an mj 'lucky you' recently but your service tool never broke. It just behaves slower; that is, I plug in dongle, softphone will eventually say, 'Ready to call'. I close softphone and no dialtone. I run your service (under services.msc) and now it takes up to 1 minute for the dialtone to occur. Prior to 'lucky you' this was pretty much instant from when I started the service.

Will your 1.4 fix this?

Thanks,

Synchron