Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

ADMINISTRATION & HELP => COMPUTER TECH HELP FORUM => Topic started by: Shawn on August 02, 2010, 02:57:16 pm

Title: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 02, 2010, 02:57:16 pm
Before I took my trip to Alaska all my usb were working. When I came back I plugged in my camera and the computer will not read teh cameras, both still and video. I get a "communication error" on the camera. The video camera error says unknown device. I checked the drivers and all is ok. I uninstalled the programs and reinstalled and still nothing. I deleted all usb hubs and controllers and reinstalled and still nothing.

When I was in Alaska my friend downloaded the photos to his computer and everything was ok.

Any suggestions? If I cant get it to work I cant post the pictures of my vacation  :'(
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Kathyp on August 02, 2010, 04:20:03 pm
do you have a card reader?  try pulling the card and see if it reads the card.  that's at least a temp fix.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: beemaster on August 02, 2010, 04:36:54 pm
Don't forget too that ANY USB device is a drive in the MY COMPUTER section. This means opening the drive thru my computer SHOULD show the DEVICE. If it doesn't show it there, your driver is not installed right - that is if you CAN see and ACCESS the VIDEO and IMAGE FILES.

I like managing and viewing files through MY COMPUTER and see which drive it is. If you see no video or images, but you can see into every folder of the cameras storage, then there are no files there. Sounds like it may be ALL INTERNAL MEMORY? As Kathy mentioned a card or disk or tape, digital is such a unique media.

DOES the content play on the camera ok?? If its any of the above devices, except internal memory which has to get plucked from the camera.

I HAD THE OPOSITE PROBLEM: when my wife and I got married, it was sort of an elope getaway thing to our favorite city, Madison, Wisc. My camera was a pocket 110 but took great photos, it wasn't a cheap camera. Unknown to me, the mechanism which cause the lens to popout when the flash is raised malfuctions, and NOT ONE SINGLE PHOTO out of 5 rolls came out - not one of my marriage under the state cappitol, read to us by the highest ranking judge in the state - wild city of College Kids, makes us feel young :)

Married was and is fine, but NO MEMORIES to look at. It was then I bought my first digital 1998 a Sony Mavica (images on floppy disks) and things got better from there. I'll never even guess if a image came out good, why look at it when you can take 5 others to be sure - tons of freakin room on a digital memory chip/

Good luck, let us know. Wish I could tell you more, likely you knew that alread, but some people don't.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 03, 2010, 03:58:58 pm
Ok I took out the sd card and plugged it into the printer. It came up with 196 photos to transfer. I plugged the camera back in and still nothing. I was eading on google and found USB once assigns an IRQ (I believe) and if you unplug that item and plug it in else where the computer wont read it. I have tried plugging the camera in all usb ports and nothing. The camera still works I just cant download the photos. I had my son try to download the photos to his laptop and nothing. Maybe Ill just try wiping the harddrive and start again.

I really think there is a software conflict or a conflict with the IRQ's
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: beemaster on August 03, 2010, 04:46:16 pm
Surely your computer (or you son's) has an SD Card slot? Just create your own folder, transfer images there on a pc. About the USB Ports being assigned, very true. Everyone should the same USB port for any item installed using that USB port.

I Still believe it is a software problem, there is a driver not reading the camera correctly. I doubt it is a camera issue. Why not install the camera software on your son's computer to see if the media is currupt through the camera then - if not, you have a driver issue on your computer.

But I'm lst, you used the SD port on the printer because none of your computers have SD slots? If a printer can see them, I'm sure any computer can, Yeah, I don't know jack, but something wont let the driver speak to the usb ports, especially the one you set it up on.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: slacker361 on August 03, 2010, 08:32:03 pm
maybe the usb cable is bad it doesnt happen often but they can go bad
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 23, 2010, 05:27:21 pm
Ok I wiped my hard drive, reinstalled everything, hooked up the camera, hooked up the video camera and guess what.
NOTHING. It is still saying communication error and windows does not recognize the device. I click on the help and it says the drivers are not installed. If the program is installed than where are the drivers? I have a usb all in one printer that is working, IPod is working, but no camera will work. ANy otehr ideas?
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: hardwood on August 23, 2010, 06:02:45 pm
Can you download the driver(s) from the manufacturer's website?

Scott
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 23, 2010, 06:12:16 pm
I tried that by downloading the newest version but still nothing. It almost seems to me like there is something missing from the cameras it self. Not sure if that is possible. The last time they worked I had not yet gone through airport security.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: hardwood on August 23, 2010, 06:39:37 pm
Did you try pulling the cocaine back out of the camera now that you have successfully cleared security? :-D
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 23, 2010, 07:07:18 pm
If it were that simple. Almost done with all the updates then Ill see what else I can try.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 23, 2010, 11:21:30 pm
Ok I have updated all my drivers, updated all software, and updated everything I think I can. I donwloaded driver detective and it showed I have out of date UBS drivers and some other things. I have a Gigabyte motehrboard AM2+ but can not find any new updates for it. Im at a loss.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: slacker361 on August 24, 2010, 09:42:31 am
try a new cable they sometimes go bad
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Kathyp on August 24, 2010, 10:27:00 am
when i run out of ideas on something i just start doing google searches.  good chance that someone else has had the same problem and there will be an answer.  try your google question different ways until you start getting responses that are what you need.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 24, 2010, 08:30:29 pm
Ok I downloaded my photos from the digital camera by taking out the sd card and putting it into the printer to transfer. I tried that with the video camera SD card but no luck. It says the card is not formatted. I can play back the videos on the camera so I know they are there. I tried a different cable for both camera and video and still nothing. I searched google and have not found any asistance yet. 
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: buzzbee on August 24, 2010, 08:52:37 pm
My guess would be  a problem with the camera not transfering data,not a problem with the computer.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: slacker361 on August 24, 2010, 08:59:11 pm
sorry for the simple question but is the camera turned on when you are trying to transfer?
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 24, 2010, 09:05:44 pm
yep the camera has to be on the view mode but for laughs Ive tried it at every switch possible.  buzzbee that is what I am also thinking. I also noticed the last set of pictures of my son at the state swim meet were all blurred, maybe another hint in the trouble of things.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Kathyp on August 24, 2010, 09:11:39 pm
maybe the card is bad? 
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 27, 2010, 01:47:52 pm
Ok I forgot I had an extra card for my camera and plugged it in. Same thing! Nothing! I found some new firmware for the program, FinePix, and nothing. I downloaded a newer USB driver, nothing. My conclusion is going through the x-ray at the airports was not a good one for the cameras. I think Ill just order a card reader to install in the computer so I dont have to worry about the drivers. I hate technology.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Kathyp on August 27, 2010, 01:50:11 pm
try newegg or tiger direct.  seems i just saw a good one on sale.  doubt it was the xray, but a card reader is a good thing to have anyway.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 27, 2010, 02:00:03 pm
Thanks everyone for taking the time to listen to my rants. It seems when I have a good thing going something goes wrong, Hum... kind of sounds like beekeeping!
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on August 27, 2010, 02:18:54 pm
Found this one at Newegg, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223103&cm_re=card_reader_internal-_-20-223-103-_-Product (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820223103&cm_re=card_reader_internal-_-20-223-103-_-Product)
It looks ok, price looks ok, and lots of good reviews. I just dont know much about card readers. All my computers were built as gaming computers and now I dont even have one game on them  :'(.
Title: Re: USB cameras not working
Post by: Shawn on October 19, 2010, 10:43:39 pm
Update: I brought home a new camera, not mine, and plugged it in to see if it would work. Plugged it in and it worked. So I guess my question now is: Is there something stored internally on a camera that lets the computer recognize it? Everything works except for the same two cameras that went through the airport security.