[ejames82]

hi,

to be fair, i am also posting this problem on other sites. if i find a solution, i promise to share it at all sites.

i have purchased a magicjack, which is a device about twice the size of a flashdrive. it allows the owner to make phone calls and receive them, by utilizing the broadband connection, through the USB port.
it's very simple to activate. first plug the telephone line with the phone at the other end, then plug the magicjack into the USB port.
as you know, when using the usb port, a pop-up asks what you want to do. i choose "take no action>ok".
a registration GUI is supposed to pop-up after it loads. mine didn't without disabling my AV. i've heard that the firewall can also hamper this.
when the registration is complete, the new interface shows your new number, and says "ready to call".
for all intents and purposes, i will call the phone that's plugged into the magicjack the "magicjack phone".
i tried to call the magicjack phone from my cell phone, the cell phone number shows up on the magicjack interface. there is a recorded message that plays on the cell phone that says "the call you are attempting to place is not allowed from this line". i don't know if my cell phone company is allowing the call or not.
when i try to call the cell phone from the magicjack phone, i get a pop-up window stating the following:

no audio devices found
no output/input devices are found
please check that your audio devices are present and/or connected, turned on, and their drivers are installed

for the past 9 months i have been using a dial-up connection, and i have the computer trimmed down in every way i was advised to make the best use of 31.2 kbps speed. i know i have to reenable and start telephony, universal plug and play, and windows audio, in the services.msc. i tried to make them automatic, but forgot to start them until now.
i have not used any sound with the dial-up either. i am not sure what i did to shut it off. i'm sure i need to turn it back on.

if my problem is a driver issue, then i'm lost. i am completely unknowledgeable about drivers. also, i notice the device manager is a shambles since this magicjack endevour.

anybody who has in-depth knowledge of hardware and drivers, and the control panel, i would sure appreciate their insight and suggestions as to what i have going wrong.

my computer is a compaq presario with 256 ram and xpsp2. thanks.

[coastie65]

Hey, you said your device manager was a shambles. You need to go through there and anything that is Yellow needs to be dealt with. Most hardware comes with drivers if they are needed. If not, then you need to go to the manufacturer"s site and check for any drivers. If you right click on the yellow items in the device manager, you will get a message as to the status of each component. If you see something that says "Install Drivers" in the menu that comes up after you right click, then you need to install the drivers. To be honest, I am not really familiar with the device you are talking about. You said magicjack utilized a broadband connection but that you were using a Dial-up connection. That is probably part of the problem. With dial up, it is simply a matter of plugging the phone into the "Phone" jack ( there are two, "Line" & "Phone") on the Modem, but you can't use the phone and computer at the same time. Again you need to take care of the YELLOW markers you see in the Device manager. coastie65

[ejames82]

coastie,

you've helped me before. always good to hear from you.

yeah, the situation is so complicated that i failed to mention clearly that i now have road runner high speed broadband. i don't have dial-up anymore. my fault.

i knew there was a procedure to deal with device manager "shambles" and someone would help me with it. your answer saved me alot of time on google. when you say anything with yellow in it, i think you mean a yellow exclamation point.

the driver issue for the magicjack is worse than my device manager. they just updated drivers and half of the magicjacks that worked, now don't, and the half that didn't work, do. the technical support they "promise" vanishes when the magicjack is delivered. there is no effort to help. links don't work when you click on them. anybody who is not computer knowledgeable, better be lucky, or they are not going to receive service.

i just thought i would give you a quick reply, before i get into the control panel. will let you know how it goes.

thanks again.

[coastie65]

Hi, I had never heard of that thing, so I went to the site to have a look after I posted and to nose around some. According to the site, You plug in your phone, then plug it in to a USB port and call. I then went to the FAQs page, and in my opinion, it was useless. My guess is being set up for VOIP ( Voice Over Internet Protocal ) may have something to do with it as well. Personally, I have my phone plugged into my modem as well as the line from the jack on the wall. My internet is through the ethernet port, as I'm pretty sure yours is. My verizon phone service ( Freedom Phone) is such, that I can call anywhere in the U.S. and it is the same as a local call. coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

. i put up a screenshot of my device manager page. funny thing is, this morning there are no yellow exclamation points, but there were last night. i think after shutting down and rebooting, they've been resolved. i hope it's legible. i have never put up a screenshot here. if you are able to make heads or tails of this screenshot your advice would be most appreciated. the immediate question i have is "should there be that many entries in the usb listed? 2.0 enhanced controller, universal host controller 24C2, 24C4, 24C7, usb mass storage device (the only one that makes sense, that's my flashdrive), usb root hub (four of them?)

it seems like there should be only one. there is nothing plugged into it (usb) right now, but there is an icon in the notification tray, safely remove hardware (there quite often is).

i went down the list of entries for the usb controllers, and right clicked, and clicked properties. checked is it working properly, enabled, bandwidth used (10%?), driver tab driver details, detail tab (a huge list of things there, but nothing stands out as being "out of place"), resources tab (no conflicts). checked every entry, and scrutinized them thoroughly, though my knowledge is extremely limited (to non-existent).

there is an unofficial magicjack forum (great forum), and those folks there go through some processes that humble me, and quite frankly, make me ask "is it worth it?" who can blame them. there is no help from the people who sell it.

you bring up alot of interesting points (as usual). yeah, you're supposed to plug it in and call (after registering). for some people, that may actually be the case.

i took into account what you said about plugging your phone into your modem. i don't know if you have broadband as well, but for the heck of it i took a look at the back of my modem, and there is a jack available. it' says usb next to it, but instead of being short and wide, it's kinda square with a peg in the center of it. the magicjack or my flashdrive would not be able to plug into it. if not for having the peg in the center of it, the phone jack would more likely fit into it. my thought was, "maybe i can plug the magicjack into the back of the modem?" it looks to me like there is only one place i can plug it in.

at one of the other forums, a member suggested that driversfor the magicjack may be searched for. maybe they were actually volunteering to do it, which is great. maybe that is all that is needed. i'll just keep checking with them, and keep my eyes open.

hope i still have you with me, coastie, how about this for a post? if you have any procedure you need me to follow to investigate the device manager, let me know.

thanks for the reply.

[coastie65]

Your device manager is good and clean. Your modem would be a card that plugged into a PCI expansion slot. It would have two phone jacks on it. I have a Fiber optic connection which is similar in that I use a Router. Anyway, after reading this post and your experience, I am a bit leery of this company. BTW, a good modem costs very little these days. If you are not comfortable with going inside the computer, you can always get an external modem, although I prefer an internal one. You plug it in, load the drivers and you're good to go. You don't really need to do any set up as you are using a broadband connection, so just plug in a Line from the wall jack into the "line" jack on the modem and your phone into the jack labeled "Phone". You don't need to go into "Network Connections" and enable the modem to use the phone either as in the connection manager, the modem will show as disconnected and the high speed or lan will be shown as connected. In short, the modem will allow you to use the phone while your at the computer, and as long as someone else isn't on the other phone. Personally I wasn't real impressed with that site and I think they have a lot of hurdles to clear and may turn out to be a flash in pan, here one day gone the next. Again, everything in your device manager looks good, and I would reconsider whether or not to use that thing, as there other choices. In your device manager, click on the modem and see if it lists anything. Seeing as how you have Broadband I know you have an ethernet port ( Network Adapter ). coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

are you saying that if i have this type of modem that you speak of, i can plug in my computer, and make phone calls with this modem? can i do this simultaneously?

i have a closet full of computer stuff that i bought at yard sales. whenever it's cheap, i buy it. even if i don't know what it is. i am going to check it out after i make a grocery run.

i heard about the magicjack through komando.com, a radio show that is syndicated throughout the country every week and they send out newsletters every day, but that doesn't mean every product they recommend is squeaky clean.

is the PCI expansion slot in the front of the computer? my sister has a digital camera, and she pulls the card out of it and puts it in a slot in the front of the computer to download her pictures into the computer.

i really appreciate the insight, coastie. this brainwork is making me awful hungry. thanks.

[coastie65]

Hey, This a picture of the back of my computer. At bottom is where the expansion slots are. You need to take the cover off to plug any cards in. The PCI slots are WHITE in color and will be located at the bottom. Now, on mine, where you see the blue thing, That is my PCIe video card ( Different from PCI ). At the very bottom, almost out of the picture you will see two phone lines, they are plugged into the modem, which is a seperate card. Hope this helps some. coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

funny your computer there is an emachines. i'm a little familiar with one of those because i have one that was given to me, because the person said the power supply needed to be replaced. there was more wrong with it (like the hard drive) because there were error screens. i'll have to get back to you on that, because i will take that computer apart. i want to know about what you're saying. my presario is alot like your computer as well. the power supply is at the top with the fan on the right. below it is another fan on the right and the mouse and keyboard below it on the left. below it, serial, printer and monitor. then microphone speaker and possibly webcam jacks. the phone jack is on the bottom of my presario as well. so those silver/grey "doors" for lack of a better word, are expansion slots. they are probably removable to allow wires to pass through.

good picture.

i went through the closet and the modem i have is wireless (D-link). i also have an ethernet hub. i don't have the soughtafter wired router.

thanks, i'll let you know

[coastie65]

I forgot to mention, The yellow cat5 cable is from my router to the ethernet port. The modem is at the very bottom with the two wires .Those "Doors are just cover plates at each expansion slot and yes you need to remove them to install the cards, as the cards will take the place of the cover plates and plug into the PCI slot. Everything is pretty much in same spots with most towers. A router can usually be used either wired or wireless or both at the same time. I know this one can. My desk Top is wired, but if I wanted to add a lap top and set it up for wireless, I can do that as well and have both computers online at the same time. I can run up to 4 wired computers or whatever ( such as a PS3). That D link may well be a router. I am going to give you a better view of the Modem after it is installed. Also, Behind those "Doors" are the PCI slots and you get to then by removing the cover fron the computer. An ethernet card would only have one jack and it is larger than the phone jack. coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

my apologies for not getting back to you yesterday, but i was chatting with magicjack live chat a good prortion of the day, and people giving me advice and suggestions. it works! i have to make the rounds to all the sites and explain all that i did. i will put it on a notepad and "mass-post" it.

i went in the closet and broke out the emachines t1860 and removed the side cover. now i see exactly what you mean. when you say "card" i think of a card that goes into a digital camera, or a sim card in a cell phone, but what you mean in this case is a circuit board. it plugs into the white terminal like a memory stick. the silver/grey "door" has brackets built into them that allows for screws to pass through for securing purposes. the typical "door" cover plate has nothing. it's just a cover. it may actually have a purpose, to keep out radio interference. the expansion card has jacks. the one i am looking at has two, wall and line. they're phone jacks. it's good to have all these spare computers. to have these free parts versus having to pay for them is a real advantage. people give me computers. i could probably have at least three working if i knew how.

this thread has goine in the direction of computer component chat, with me being the recipient of valuable information. i am enjoying the heck out of this. i am a "gadgets" type of person. i think in the name of website etiquette i should start a new thread. there's a massive amount of questions i'd like to ask you. i'd even like to borrow my sister's digital camera to help with my explanation and questions. i don't want to get the mods upset at me. i know the thread is supposed to have a topic, and the replies are supposed to relate to the subject. they've been generous in allowing us latitude.

i am going to bounce back to this thread and summarize the magicjack fix. after that, with your permission, i would like to start a new thread. first i would like to be able to post a picture the way you do it, then i would like to be able to connect two computers together. i also would like to remove a hard drive from a pavillion and turn it into a slave and run antimalware scans on it, and install linux. are you up to showing me all of this? if not, i understand it's alot to ask, and i appreciate the help you've given me so far. if yes, then you're gonna have your hands full. there's alot i want to know.

thanks again.

[coastie65]

:D Actually, you started the thread, so I guess it's yours and you can take it in any direction you choose. One thing, having the modem is one thing, but you also need the drivers for it as well for it to work, although it may work for just the use of a phone. I'm not sure as I've never tried it without the drivers. :D "Circuit Board" is pretty much an old technology term these days as they are refered to as cards, but pretty much the same thing. coastie

[coastie65]

If your question has been answered, you should mark it as such, and please post the solution for the benefit of others. coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

is freedom phone something similar to fios? i tried to get that (fios, but it's not supplied in this area, yet). i anticipate a problem with verizon. it's all their fault. over 3 weeks ago i called them and told them i wanted my entire service disconnected (i had dial-up). they shut down the internet, but the dial tone still operates. i have called them twice and they keep reassuring me that they are going to shut it off (dial tone) and don't. as long as they don't charge me for it, they can leave it on forever. it was supposed to be shut off on the 20th. i have the telepone conversations on cassette tape and confirmation numbers saved. i just wanted to leave them on amicable terms.

if i knew it was ok with the mods, i would see if you would show me alot. starting with the pictures you posted. i have been on quite a few websites, and they're as good as i've seen anywhere. you know that's the truth.

excuse me while i remain on topic.



to everybody,

the magicjack works.

here is a list of items to check. they may or may not be the cause of problems.

when unplugging magicjack, always use "safely remove hardware" properly

items to check in administrative tools>services
1. plug and play - started - automatic
2. remote access connection manager - started - manual
3. remote procedure call - started - automatic
4. remote procedure call (locator) - stopped - manual
5. telephony - started - manual
6. windows audio - started - automatic

network connections>local area connection properties>TCP/IP properties>general>obtain IP and DNS automatically

device manager - no yellow exclamation points or anything "out of place". no conflicts, everything working properly, and adequate bandwidth
sound, video, and game controllers>USB audio device>general - device working properly

control panel>sound and audio devices - not muted. all sliders at least 1/4 way up





thanks for the reply coastie.

[coastie65]

Thanks for posting that solution. I'm sure it will help someone in the future. As for the Freedom Phone thing, it is a Verizon program. You pay a set rate each month and you can call anywhere in the US without a long distance charge as it treated as a local call. Seeing as how I'm on the East Coast and all My Cousins are on the West Coast it sure is nice, not to mention some old shipmates that are scattered all over the place. Verizon usually prioritizes their service orders and I don't think a service stop is at the top of the list so I wouldn't worry about it. Once you've marked the thread as answered, you can keep it alive with whatever, although responses from the community will probably be limited. I will continue to get notifactions if you post in this thread, so if have any questions, feel free to post, or start another thread to get a wider reponse from other members. coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

so the freedom phone is not dial-up, it's phone service with no long distance charges.

yeah, they probably are just letting me have free local phone, until it's convenient for them to cut me.

since we're allowed to talk about whatever, i'll start with the pictures. what do i have to do to make my pictures better? i used paint and chose jpeg as "save as type (the device manager image), and the only way i can tell what is there is to use the magnifier in the bottom right hand corner. there has to be a better way. what do you do to make your pictures come out so good? would i be able to do that with my sister's camera? is there a special file extension required? should i be using irfanview or another programme? i tried it once and i was lost.

thanks for the reply.

[coastie65]

:D Your not going to like this answer, but I don't do anything. I take the pictures and then download to my pictures in the computer. The ones I have posted, I just uploaded from My Pictures and inserted. I use an HP Photosmart Mz67v Camera that is 8 MP ( Mega Pixels) and it isn't set on the maximum quality setting. As I said, I do nothing special, so there really isn't any "Tips or Tricks" that I can impart. I don't use paint, and the pictures are whatever format they come out at ( JPEG I think ). coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

i like that answer. i do alot of videotaping of my many projects and hobbies. is lighting a major factor in taking these pictures (it is for me)? this is encouraging. maybe it would be that easy for me.

if i didn't have a modem in my presario, could i remove the internal modem from the emachines and install it in the presario? what can go wrong? is there an "out" or "restore-recover" mechanism or procedure available? it seems like not alot can go wrong with this item.

the same with memory sticks? could i up my ram simply by pulling one out of this emachines and banging it in this presario (how great that would be)? is there a testing procedure for the stick as far as compatibility is concerned? i've heard this can be finicky. if the stick is incompatible, how is the "previous state" returned to?

excuse me for a moment while i go back on topic with some bonus info supplied by the magicjack folks. i spoke with them today to volunteer my services, and info after i got my magicjack working. it was a strange chat, like they thought i still needed assistance. i kept telling them my magicjack was working nicely, but they didn't seem to understand. they gave me more info. for anybody who has tried what i listed above and still no joy, check this stuff here, given to me by the magicjack folks. i take no responsibility as this involves making changes to the registry, just giving extra information.

Please unplug your magicJack. Now go to "Start" in Windows and click on "run". In there write regedit and press enter.

Now click on + sign next to HKEY_LOCAL MACHINE.

Click on + sign next to SYSTEM

Click on + sign next to CurrentControlSet

Click on + sign next to Enum

Now find folder called USB. Right click on that and click on "Permissions". In permissions click on the check mark called "Allow" to the right of "Full Control".

Click Ok.

Now click on + sign next to USB and then find the two folders called "Vid1307", right click on one at a time and select delete.

Now click on - Sign next to USB.

Right click on Folder called USBSTOR and allow permissions.

Now click on + sign next to USBSTOR.

Find the folders called "CdRom&VenYMAX&ProdMagicJack&Rev"

and "Disk&VenYMAX&ProdMagicJack&Rev"

Right click on those one at a time and delete them.

Now exit Regedit and then plug your magicJack in.



this is more info for anybody who has the same problem i had with my magicjack, and still hasn't solved the problem.

thanks coastie for the reply.

[coastie65]

Hey, First, That camera I use also has Video capability and lighting has not been an issue as yet. Now, that having been said, Taking pictures after dark, is a whole nother thing, and something I haven't explored yet. With a digital camera it will auto adjust for the ambient light.


A modem is a modem, and will work from machine to machine. You would have to go to the eMachines site to get the drivers for the modem, or quite possibly from the windows Update site, as I have gotten drivers for those generic modems that they put in the eMachines computer from the windows update site. It comes up under Hardware.



As for memory, I strongly suspect that you have PC2100 sticks in the eMachines computer. The Presario is most likely PC2700 or up, depending on the age of the computer, so It probably won't work. You didn't mention the model # of the Presario.



Ok. I went over to eMachines and checked out the T1860. It is an AMD based machine. It has 3 PCI expansion slots + 1 AGP expansion slot. The AGP slot is for an AGP Video Card, which is better than a PCI Video Card. I was right in that the memory is in fact PC2100. It has a 60Gb HD which, in todays world, is bit cramped. Without having the MOBO number ( this can be found in bios ) I am not sure if or how much more giddy up can be gotten from that emachines. I had a T2824 before this one and was able to get a little more out of it. I still haven't finished with this one as I want to bump up the processor to 3.4 Ghz. ( PD 945). coastie

[ejames82]

coastie,

my presario is model SR1103WM.

so if the modem is removed from an emachines, it will always require emachines drivers? what if the person doesn't know what brand computer the modem is from? like in a box of junk? is there a list of brands given, where the first possibilty could be chosen, and if it doesn't work, the second possibility could be chosen, and so on and so forth? is there writing on the modem?

is there writing on the memory stick? are there characteristics that "give away" what type/model it is?

how are computers connected using a cat5 cable? where do they plug into each computer? are there special rules for the cat5 cable itself, like are there any differences in the ends? is there a "send" end, and a "receive" end, or are they both the same, and it doesn't matter? are these ethernet type ends?

i have an ethernet hub. can that be used to connect two computers?

thanks for the reply, coastie.