magicJack and magicJack Plus Support, Reviews, FAQs and Tricks

Well, I was surprised when the chat rep at MagicJack openly denounced the inclusion of UTSCSI.exe in the install and setup of their software. Below is a partial transcript of the chat. The problem I was discussing was why magicjack.exe was exiting, PnP was stopping and rediscovering the MJ drive (the 1st one that emulates a CD drive and contains autorun.exe), and then MJ would reload (unless it failed which meant that I didn't have VOIP service). The stop/start of the MJ devices (the virtual USB drives for MJ) was occurring multiple times per day. The chat focused on Nero but that isn't running (NeroCheck is disabled in startup plus it only loads, checks, and then unloads) so it isn't the culprit. So I started looking around for something else that might touch the MJ virtual drives to cause the PnP stop & restart of the USB devices for MJ.

I didn't have this USB disconnect/reconnect problem until a couple weeks ago. I have never seen the UTSCSI.exe process before then, either. So I'm suspicious of a process that apparently is worthless or might even be malware (see http://spywarefiles.prevx.com/RRFEDH126 ... I.EXE.html).

UTSCSI.exe is listed as the "CLCV0" service when you run the NT services applet (services.msc).

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me: Could you explain what UTSCSI.exe does? I ran loadord.exe, a SysInternals utility, and that driver is listed. If this goes around discovering PnP devices then maybe it's the culprit. The problem did not exist before when I noticed this process (i.e., before I saw UTSCSI.exe, I didn't have the problem). What does this driver do?

me: Also using loadord.exe, I see nothing of Nero getting loaded as a driver. So not only are no Nero processes running but no drivers are getting loaded for Nero. Nothing runs unless it is in memory.

them: useless and resource sucking background service installed when a user installs the CD that comes with some USB thumb drives

them: And it also often cause PC slowness, regular problems when burning CDs and DVDs, stuttering Internet video streaming, or slow network performance - there is absolutely nothing good about this task.

them: If you want to go further you can also uninstall the service altogether by choosing the "Tools \ Add/Remove Programs" menu option and uninstalling the CLCVO Service

me: Oh, I thought you said UTSCI.exe was part of the MagicJack install or setup.

them: Yes Lee. That comes with the magicJack, but sometimes it does not come up.

them: UTSCSI.exe - Utterly useless and resource sucking background service installed when a user installs the CD that comes with some USB thumb drives (Memory sticks / Flash memory / USB memory / Pen Drive). This service is also installed when you run the installation CD of the MajicJack Internet calling device. From our tests, and from our experience, despite using very little memory this service performs no function other than seriously impact the performance of the PC. It will often cause PC slowness, regular problems when burning CDs and DVDs, stuttering Internet video streaming, or slow network performance - there is absolutely nothing good about this task.

(after not finding CLCV0, USBest, or UTSCSI in Add/Remove Programs)
me: While waiting, I did some Googling which mentions it is some useless fluff from USBest. From that, I found the CLCV0 service listed in the services applet (services.msc). I'll first start with disabling that service to see if the MJ problem goes away.

them: And UTSCSI appears even on any thumb drives, not only magicJack.
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I was surprised to see a MagicJack chat rep condemn the crapware included in the MagicJack software. USBest (contributed as the purveyor of the UTSCSI crapware) was a major Taiwanese flash memory supplier. They merged with Afa Tech (www.afatech.com.tw). I didn't find anything about UTSCSI at the Afa web site (I didn't dig that hard).

UTSCSI.exe might be malware (that spies). It might not. I don't care. It is useless, doesn't need to load, and isn't required by MJ and no one seems to have found that is needed for anything else they use. It may get installed by MagicJack (during an installation by MagicJackLoader.exe or mjsetup.exe). It performs no useful purpose to the end user. It can also cause MagicJack to repeatedly stop and restart throughout the day: the PnP sound events are heard (beep|boop sound for disconnect of USB device, boop|beep sound for reconnect) and autorun.exe executes again because of autoplay for the USB virtual drive that reappears (the behavior is just like you unplugged and replugged the MagicJack USB dongle). Note that other utilities can result in the same disconnect-reconnect loop, like when you start Nero which goes around trying to discover removable media, like the emulated CD drive for the first MagicJack virtual drive. To get rid of UTSCI.exe:

• Use the NT services applet (services.msc) and disable the "CLCV0" service.
• Delete the %windir%\system32\UTSCSI.exe file.
• Create a dummy UTSCSI.exe file as described next.
• In Windows Explorer, right-click in the folder to create a UTSCSI.txt file.
• Add some text in the file, like "This is a dummy file to prevent UTSCSI.exe from loading."
• Rename the file extension from .txt to .exe.
• Do NOT use the desktop shortcut provided by the MagicJack installation (that runs MagicJackLoader.exe) to load MagicJack's software.
• Create a new shortcut that runs (all on one command line; <d:> is whatever is the drive letter assigned to the first MagicJack virtual drive that contains the autorun.exe program; include the double-quotes):
  Target: "%userprofile%\Application Data\mjusbsp\magicJack.exe" /foreground /lf log.txt /scf _magicJackPersonalDataRoot "<d:>\magicJack"
  Start in: "%userprofile%\Application Data\mjusbsp\”
• The log.txt file will get created under the Start-in path specified.
• Do NOT name this shortcut "magicjack" as the install or setup of MagicJack will replace this shortcut. Instead call this new shortcut that runs magicjack.exe (instead of MagicJackLoader.exe) something else, like "Start MagicJack".
• Use msconfig.exe under Startup items to disable the cdloader2.exe program from running when you login.
• Copy the above custom “Start MagicJack” shortcut to your Start -> Programs -> Startup menu to load MagicJack when you login.

If you run their update.exe program or unplug-replug the MagicJack USB dongle that runs their autorun.exe program (if autoplay is enabled or you do not use a software restriction policy to block autorun.exe from loading), it will restore the cdloader2.exe autorun program and recreate its "magicjack" named desktop shortcut.

While using msconfig.exe can disable cdloader2.exe from running when you login, it doesn't prevent the install or setup programs for MJ from reconstituting this Run registry key entry to undo your disable of it. It is a nuisance to re-disable cdloader2 after you plug in the MJ dongle or run their upgrade.exe program. Instead you could block it from ever loading in the first place even if enabled as a startup item. Define a software restriction policy to block cdloader2.exe from ever loading by doing the following:

• Run the security policy editor (secpol.msc).
• Right-click on the Software Restrictions -> Additional Rules node and select to create a new Path rule (i.e., identify the path to a program on which to establish a policy restriction).
• Select the cdloader2.exe program file (under %userprofile%\Application Data\mjusbsp\, or wherever the Run registry key has for this program).
• Set security to Disallowed.

Alternatively, if you use a HIPS (host intrusion protection system) program, it can also block programs from loading so that would be another method of preventing cdloader2 from loading when you login.[/lsit]As mentioned above, I got rid of cdloader2 from loading when I login and instead run magicjack.exe (instead of MagicJackLoader.exe) for the shortcut which I also put into the Start menu. I started thinking about how I could get the MJ devices easily out of the way when I wanted to use Nero without the long wait until Nero's window showed with the subsequent disconnect/connect of the USB drives for the MJ device. Then I read http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=311272 which mentions devcon which is a command-line version of Device Manager that would let me disable and enable the MJ device. The KB article has a download for the program (which I saved under my C:\Tools path) so I used it in some shortcuts. I added a toolbar to the Windows taskbar just for MagicJack and in it put the following shortcuts:

"Start MagicJack" (duplicates the Startup menu entry)

• Target: "%userprofile%\Application Data\mjusbsp\magicJack.exe" /foreground /lf log.txt /scf _magicJackPersonalDataRoot "<d:>\magicJack"
• Start in: "%userprofile%\Application Data\mjusbsp\”

"Disable MagicJack devices"

• Target: C:\Tools\DevCon\i386\devcon.exe disable *magicjack*

"Enable MagicJack devices"

• Target: C:\Tools\DevCon\i386\devcon.exe enable *magicjack*

So when I want to use a utility that goes polling around to find removable media devices, like Nero (which I can find no option to exclude the MJ drives), I just click on the disable shortcut and then use the utility. When I'm done, I click on the enable shortcut. Ah, but because autoplay is still enabled on my host (and I really don't want to disable it), I run into the problem of MJ's autorun.exe doing the install and mjsetup again. While this doesn't hurt (the CLCV0 service remains disabled and cdloader2 is blocked from loading by policy), I really don't want to waste the time to run autorun.exe which loads MagicJackSplash.exe which loads MagicJackLoader.exe which runs install.exe and mjsetup.exe again and finally get magicjack.exe to load. So I do the same thing with autorun.exe that I did with cdloader2.exe: block its load using a software restriction policy. I simply define a new Disallowed policy (similar to above) where I browse to the E:\autorun.exe program (my MJ virtual drives are E: and F:). So when I enable the "*magicjack*" devices using devcon.exe, the autorun.exe program doesn't autoplay. This does mean that I need to manually restart MagicJack and why I added the "Start MagicJack" shortcut to my custom toolbar added to the Windows taskbar.

So I end up with:

1. UTSCSI.exe won't load because its service has been disabled. If I ever see it gets re-enabled, I'll use a software policy to block its load.
2. cdloader2.exe was disabled from the Run registry key using msconfig.exe but a software policy will block it whenever MJ tries to reinstate that Run key.
3. I use magicjack.exe to load MagicJack which eliminates the install and setup phase and displaying the splash screen, so MJ starts much quicker. This shortcut is in my Startup menu (to replace cdloader2 in the Run key) plus I have a quick-access button in a custom toolbar in the Windows taskbar.
4. When I know that a program will interfere or be interfered by MJ devices, the disable toolbar button lets me quickly remove the MJ devices so they cannot be found. After I'm done with the conflicting program, I have the quick-access toolbar button to re-enable the MJ devices. Of course, that means I have no VOIP service while the MJ devices have been disabled. I'll probably have to come with a reminder window when magicjack.exe is not running to remind me to re-enable the MJ devices and reload magicjack.exe using the custom shortcut in my toolbar or on the desktop.