Mini DV Camcorder Disconnects from Vista/Movie Maker SOLVED!

[dsigma6]

I'm just trying to get this Samsung Mini DV set up so I can transfer videos to the computer and burn them to DVD. Baby is coming, and I don't need this issue once he/she is born!!

I bought a firewire card and cable for my computer. It installed, and it's compliant with Vista. When I plug the camera in, it's immediately recognized, and it appears in device manager as Samsung DV.

It prompts to import video automatically, and no matter what option I choose (import all, import and burn, import selected scenes), I get an error like "The device was disconnected, please reconnect and try again" after about 20 seconds. Usually when I click NEXT on the options, it goes to NOT RESPONDING for a bit. The camera is sitting still the whole time, I even turned the firewall off just to see. It does show video from the camera on my PC, and if it says it's rewinding tape on the PC, the camcorder is. So it's not like it doesn't have a connection. If I plug the camera in and do nothing, it stays connected.

I've checked for drivers and software from Samsung, but what I have installed is the most current version (according to Vista driver update).

Any ideas? Please!!

[GomJabbar]

I would suggest trying a different brand of Firewire card. If you get one at a local 'brick and mortar' store, it will be easier to return if it doesn't work out.

I have never messed with Firewire myself, but if there are available powered Firewire hubs, you might want to try one of those. BTW, are both the computer and camera operating on AC power? Possibly could make a difference.

[dsigma6]

Thanks for the reply.

Of course the PC is plugged in ( ), and I tried the camera on battery and AC. Maybe it's because of the 250W power supply on my PC, running an 80GB 7200RPM drive, 2 DVD burners, a wireless PCI card, and the firewire card?

I think that could be a problem...the things we overlook.

Maybe if I disconnect the DVD drives and the wireless card it'll have more juice. Does it seem likely that it'd work and then fail without adequate power? Seems to me it wouldn't work to begin with if there was a power problem.

The firewire card is a cheapy, but I've never had problems with them before. It was $10, vs. probably $50 at Best Buy, or more. A card with its own power supply would probably be a good thing to try.

edit: I'm thinking I'll try disconnecting unneeded items from the PC, and it that doesn't work, I'll get a 450-500W PS.

[GomJabbar]

A long time ago, I had a problem with a Parallel Port card I installed in my desktop PC. It would work fine with the printer, but it would not work with the webcam that I was trying to set it up with. A different parallel port card solved the problem. Your problem might be similar.

If you go to Best Buy and get the other card and it works, then your problem is solved. If it doesn't work, just return the card.

Whether power is the problem, I cannot say. But do know that power issues do occur with USB.

[GomJabbar]

Here are a couple of Microsoft Knowledgebase articles that might apply.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/932382/en-us

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927827/en-us

[qviri]

Of course the PC is plugged in ( ), and I tried the camera on battery and AC. Maybe it's because of the 250W power supply on my PC, running an 80GB 7200RPM drive, 2 DVD burners, a wireless PCI card, and the firewire card?

Are you burning two DVDs while trying to use Firewire? Optical drives don't use power when you're not using them...

[dsigma6]

Are you burning two DVDs while trying to use Firewire? Optical drives don't use power when you're not using them...

I'm just trying to figure something out. There's also a video card too, so this power supply has to be straining.

One of the IT guys here at work said it's probably just the Vista drivers, so I'll try that too.

GomJabbar- Thanks for being so helpful.

[qviri]

Well, I'll spare you a long post (I'm a bit of a hardware geek), and settle for this: if you want to rule out PSU problems and reduce the risk of the (probably no-name) current PSU blowing and possibly taking out your other components with it, get this 400 W Fortron PSU off Newegg. It's fairly cheap, it's more reliable than no-name, it can actually deliver the 400 W it's rated for (which many no-names can't), and chances are it'll be quieter, too.

Make sure your computer uses a standard ATX power supply before purchasing.

If you'd like to hear more about PSUs (I don't really know what's causing your Firewire problem, sorry), feel free to PM.

[dsigma6]

qviri- thanks for your insight, and I probably will follow your advice. What do you think of this one?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817153023

I found an old cloned XP drive and tried it out. It worked, although not perfectly. I was able to copy an entire Mini DV to the HD, but had intermittent luck copying just random clips. I think I can work that out.

Problem: Vista is pathetic! Vista installed drivers by itself for the firewire/usb pci card, and so did XP. XP works, Vista does not...

[qviri]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Thermaltake, and some of their other power supplies are pretty [censored]. (There's a review of a different model that died a terrible death even before reaching rated output.)

This one, however, seems to be fairly solid. One thing I'd point out is the power distribution: the Thermaltake has one +12V "rail" at 18A, while the Fortron has two at 18A and 16A respectively. The other rails are pretty comparable, 3.3V is 20A for Thermaltake and 22A for Fortron, and 5V is 30A for Thermaltake and 21A for Fortron.

Most power in modern computers (as in built after 2004*) require most of their power from the 12V rails. That includes the processor, the graphics card, and the majority of the power drawn by hard drives. Notably, PCI cards, like your Firewire, use 5V - but 21A means a hundred watts, and no single card is going to come anywhere close to that, almost by an order of magnitude.

In essence, that means that Fortron, despite being a 400W unit as opposed to a 430W unit, is rated to output almost twice the power that will actually be used to run your computer. (Conservative rating is a Good Thing.) The price is the same. That, coupled with my personal dislike for Thermaltake, would lead me to recommend the Fortron. I do admit that the Thermaltake is shinier (but consider that it will be inside a case anyway), and it will probably do the job as well.


* Intel Pentium 4 and newer; AMD Athlon 64 and newer; some, though not all, AMD Athlon XP systems.


edit: I may have spoken too soon. A year ago, the Thermaltake unit was was not able to reach rated load, dying around 380 W. (The standard behaviour for an overloaded PSU ought to be to shut down, not die altogether.) It may work in your computer but I'd recommend staying away as the Fortron is a much better unit for the price.

[dsigma6]

the Thermaltake is shinier (but consider that it will be inside a case anyway).

Funny you mention that, since my current PS sits on top of my exposed computer, with the old PS still inside and screwed in.

The machine is an eMachines T1220 (I believe), so it is probably 2002-03 ish. I should probably purchase the Fortron- by the looks of it, it seems to have all the cables I need.