[JanSchofield]

I have a handycam (tape) camcorder and I want to transfer a video of our daughters wedding from the camcorder to my pc. I tried to install the software but it was not compatible with Windows Vista. I was re-directed to Sony site to downloads the picture motion browser and USB drivers which I downloaded and installed. I connected the camcorder to the PC but it keeps on saying that it cannot find the handycam tape. Can anyone please help?

I also see from looking at some past threads that you can use windows vista movie maker with this camcorder. How do I get that?

Sorry for all the questions. I am desperate to share the wedding ceremony with friends and relatives who could not make the wedding.

Thanks.

[glesgaguyav]

You don't mention what your pc specs are but you will need a firewire port on your pc and a cable to capture video from a tape based cam, you can't capture video from usb to usb
If you don't have one on your PC then they are cheap to buy and there are several gismos that you can plug in via usb that will capture video from tape based cams, just do a Google search or visit your local PC world

Windows Movie Maker should be in your programs menu in Vista, it's basic but should do what you need.

Also concerning the supplied software, have you tried installing it in "compatability mode" in vista, use the Help function in Vista and type in "Compatability mode" it will guide you through the process

[JanSchofield]

Hello glesgaguyav, and thanks for your quick response. I am ashamed to say I don't know what firewire is? If it is not possible to capture tape based videos via usb why do they give you the software with the camcorder then? This really confuses me.

[JanSchofield]

I have a firewire port on my laptop and think I will need a 4 to 6 pin cable. Off to PC world tomorrow.

I tried windows movie maker but as the PC doesnt even recognise the camcorder I cannot make it work. Thanks for your advice.

[senu]

Originally Posted by JanSchofield

Hello glesgaguyav, and thanks for your quick response. I am ashamed to say I don't know what firewire is? If it is not possible to capture tape based videos via usb why do they give you the software with the camcorder then? This really confuses me.

Firewire , ilink, IEEE1394 or DV ports are generally better known with DV video so not knowning about it till now is fine.
There is a sequence by which you connect though as apparently itis possibly to "fry " the" camcorder ports if you are unlucky
USB. Some camcorders can transfer Dv video by USB but they are far and few and USB is usually for transfer of stills or lower quality video
Firewire cables are available in places other than PC World..

JanSchofield-

Hi, my name's Cody, and I'm a member of the Windows Vista Outreach team. We're always interested in helping folks with any questions or concerns they might have about Vista, so hopefully I can point you in the right direction towards solving this problem with your camcorder. I'm certainly no technical expert on the subject, but I at least hope I can get you off on the right foot here.
The issue you are having could very easily have something to do with a driver, or even the device’s compatibility with Vista. A good place for you to start might be by looking at Microsoft's new Windows Vista Compatibility Center, which you can find at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/com...y/Default.aspx You can do a comprehensive search there to make sure that your specific camcorder is compatible with Vista. As Sony is saying that your camera should work with Windows Vista Movie Maker (included with every copy of Windows Vista), you might just need to make sure that all your drivers up to date. This site I linked to should also provide you with links where you can get the most recent drivers for your camera if they do need to be updated.
Let me know if this is of any help to you, and if you are still having trouble, drop me a line back and I’ll see if there are any other options we can look at to try and get this transfer up and running so you can share this event with everyone you’d like!

Thanks,
Cody
Windows Vista Outreach Team

[JanSchofield]

Thank you Cody. I just picked up your message today and will try the link that you recommended and get back to you.