Windows XP, no problem. Windows 7... All kinds of woe.

[Gentle]

Ran magicJack for over a year on Windows XP without a problem.

My Windows XP computer flatlined.

Put together a new computer.

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition
Motherboard: ASUS M5A88-V EVO
Memory: 4 Gig G Skill ram
Video Card: EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Superclocked
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB
Windows 7 Home Premium

When the magicJack is inserted, I get the standard startup sequence, and then get one of several different errors...

I've seen the Error 20, Error 3 and the neverending "Downloading Contacts, please wait..." issue.

Tried to get help using the official support chat...

Chatted with...

Azael
Jed
Azael again
Jenna (top 10%)
Sasha (remote, disconnected me)
Dante
Heidi
Cherry (top 10%)
Christy (had me download VPN software, and then nothing in chat...)
Steph
Tracey (lots of using the VPN software and then nothing in chat...)
Dover
Benjamin
Cesar (more VPN stuff...)

In the end, they did get it to work, but when I restarted my machine I was back where I started...

Is there anyone that can give me a clear method of getting it to function properly in Windows 7 that doesn't make me do voodoo magic on my machine?

Note, I use ZoneAlarm (free) and Microsoft Security Essentials. One of the technicians actually had the nerve to "engage the internet lock" in ZoneAlarm while in a remote session (which promptly disconnected them... Duh.) I have used ZoneAlarm for 11 years and had no problems with it in the past.

Gentle

[bitstopjoe]

Does Essentials have a Firewall as well? If so, then you have 2 firewalls working with and against each other. All kinds of fun can and will ensue.
I don't use either so I can say for sure ( I use Comodo and never had a problem with MJ).
If Essentials does not have a built in firewall, then obviously disreguard what I said...

[nailgunner]

Does Essentials have a Firewall as well? If so, then you have 2 firewalls working with and against each other. All kinds of fun can and will ensue.
I don't use either so I can say for sure ( I use Comodo and never had a problem with MJ).
If Essentials does not have a built in firewall, then obviously disreguard what I said...

It doesn't, but Windows7 does come with a built-in firewall, that I believe is turned on by default, so he could still have 2 active. I use Essentials with just the Windows7 Home Premium firewall, but with an off-the-shelf model.

I hate to say it, but congrats to the OP, that could be the record for number of different chat tech's, for one issue, depending on the time frame.

[Gentle]

The chat sessions were over the course of 2 days and probably over 10 hours total chat time (including remote sessions).

Microsoft Security Essentials is an anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware solution from Microsoft.

Windows Firewall has been disabled.

ZoneAlarm firewall is active.

Gentle

[Barada Nels]

The chat sessions were over the course of 2 days and probably over 10 hours total chat time (including remote sessions).

Microsoft Security Essentials is an anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware solution from Microsoft.

Windows Firewall has been disabled.

ZoneAlarm firewall is active.

Gentle

Greetings,

Did ZoneAlarm have a web-update recently? I have heard my buddy complain about ZoneAlarm being updated and him loosing all of his custom settings. For this reason I had him try Comodo Free Firewall. Personally, I like it better than ZoneAlarm. Works great with the MagicJack as long as you initially tell Comodo to allow it.

If there has been no update and you would not want to leave your current firewall, try uninstalling and reinstalling it. Also check your NAT firewall settings in your router. Make sure something crazy hasn't happened on that end. You can always hard reset your router to insure it is at it's default options (although if you have a lot of custom settings I would not recommend this without a backup first).

One thing is for sure, something is blocking your MagicJack from connecting to their server. To make sure it is not on MagicJack's end do a manual update: http://upgrades.magicjack.com/upgrade/upgrade.exe.

I hope this helps!

Sincerely,

Barada Nels

[Gentle]

The old computer died.

This is a new install.

All software was installed recently.

I am not using a router currently, just a cable modem.

I have used ZoneAlarm for 11 years, I would like to stay using it if possible.

I have done the upgrade program and the update program since installing Windows 7.

Gentle

[Barada Nels]

The old computer died.

This is a new install.

All software was installed recently.

I am not using a router currently, just a cable modem.

I have used ZoneAlarm for 11 years, I would like to stay using it if possible.

I have done the upgrade program and the update program since installing Windows 7.

Gentle

Well, bottom line is that something is blocking the MagicJack. If that is your firewall, windows service, other bit of software . . . who knows. You can always go down your process menu in task manager and kill stuff (that you know you do not need) one by one until you find the culprit. I would start with your firewall.

Also some cable/dsl modems have NAT firewalls built in. I doubt this is your issue, but you may want to check into it.

And try your MagicJack on a friend's computer. It is quite possible that your hardware is a little worse for ware and needs to be replaced. MagicJacks aren't really built to last forever.

Just a thought, is your new build's MOBO USB 3.0? If so make sure to use the MOBO's chipset and USB drivers NOT Windows. A lot of people have been having backwards compatibility issues with devices (not just MagicJack) using Windows USB drivers.

I hope you resolve your issue!

[medwon]

OK, so I've tried three different computers with windows 7 and my magicjack doesn't work on any of them. I get a routine cycle starting with each computer detecting a USB device, then MJ doesn't load. I manually go into the MJ folder with the .exe to initiate the install, then win7 gives me a message to reinstall the software (and an annoying MJ website pops ups), after this reinstall attempt it goes back to the reinstall message (and so on and so on). After removing the MJ from the USB and pluggin it in again, on each win7 computer I get the message that "must plug into a USB" and that's as far as it goes after that. I've had my MJ for roughly 4 years (one of the veterans) and, although it was a bit choppy, it still worked with XP, but now, since I have mostly win7, I can only run it on XP, which I have to keep a computer running if I want to use it (the total opposite of cost-effectiveness and savings which MJ advertises). The bottom line, by process of elimination, it's an issue with my particular MJ. I talked to tech suppport and they basically assumed it was my stupidy that caused this whole thing and if I wanted another piece of hardware it would now cost me $20 for a replacement. For this reason, I've decided to make a post here regarding this issue as an FYI to those who are thinking about a new purchase or a renewal purchase. MJ's customer loyalty (especially for those who were there to help it grow) is lacking. This whole situation is disgusting. I will not renew after my "already-purchased-in-advance" (5 yrs) time is up.

[scotty200]

did you try to open port 5060 and 5070 UDP in your fire walls on windows some time u need to do that for it to work in windows 7 hope that helps

[medwon]

Thx for trying to help but as I've stated in my first post, the problem is with the device not with win7. Let me clarify a bit... when I plug the MJ device into an available USB 2.0 port on any one of my three win7 computers, I get a bubble message saying "One of the USB devices attached to this computer has malfunctioned, and Windows does not recognize it." Oh, and by the way, I already tried the firewall stuff to the max (turned it off completely). The only stupid thing I did was pay MJ in advance for 5 years of service. Since I signed up I've been spreading the good news about MJ but sadly, if it doesn't work they take no responsibilty. Ahh well, it was fun while it lasted... I'm looking for other options. Buyer beware. ~ med