Pinnacle

[kurtS]

ok im using pinnacle sudio 8 se for my digital video editing and when i plug my camera into my fire wire my computer/software wont regognize that its plugged in, and i kno the problem is probly with my camera b/c i can plug other cameras in and they work fine with it

im using a sony handicame (hi/8)

can any one help me

[Platypus]

I assume you mean you have been using this camera successfully previously, and it has stopped being detected now?

If it needs specific driver software, I expect you have tried re-installing that?

If you have and it made no difference, or if it's one of the models that is simply detected as a removable drive by the OS, and Studio talks directly to it for downloading, unfortunately it may indicate that the Firewire chip in the camera has been blown. We see this quite often at work, sometimes the top is blown right off the little Firewire interface chip.

Firewire is hot-pluggable, but it's not safe to do while the camera is powered up from its mains adaptor, which is usually how it will be for downloading. The computer system is grounded, and the camera when run from its mains adaptor will float at some indeterminate potential, as the adaptor is double-insulated. If the Firewire connection is made and the camera is sitting at a fairly high potential, the sudden grounding of that potential can spike the chip in the camera. (To avoid this, always connect the lead between camera and computer, then plug in the mains adaptor & power up the camera, or use battery power.)

To confirm if the problem is the Firewire output from the camera or something in the computer, can you get access to another computer with Firewire to find out if it can see the camera?

[NooNoo]

Some cameras will not enumerate properly, that is they get half way through installing the driver and then stop, this leaves the subsystem driver (usually a number) sat there unable to do anything.

What windows are you using?