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another computer question

Started by irv_b, October 03, 2010, 06:46:56 PM

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irv_b

Hi guys
I try to make as much sense as possible but I'm not that up on computers.
My computer doesn't have a firewire connection or a slot on the motherboard to put one in. So can I buy and use an external hdd to transfer the video from the camcorder to the hddd the transfer the file to the computer. I saw this model hdd (http://www.dabs.com/products/buffalo-drivestation-combo-500gb-usb-5CPC.html?refs=47120000-47180000) which has a firewire and usb connection, at a relatively cheap price- is the idea feasible.
Thanks Irv
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Oldboy

Yes, that will do what you want, but I don't think it's very good value for money. Have a look at this one: http://www.dabs.com/products/buffalo-2tb--2-x-1tb--drivestation-duo-2-bay-sata-150--usb2---firewire--5CPM.html, as this has 2TB of storage and will allow you to backup all your files in a raid setup.  ;D

Colin

Irv, Unless your camcorder allows you to drive the external storage then it won't do what you want imho. Just connecting the camera by firewire to the drive won't do anything unless you have a way of telling the camera to copy its contents to the drive. There are some usb to firewire adapters available but you will only get usb transfer speed. Google or eBay or Amazon for these. Then you could just plug one of these adapters into a usb port and connect your camera that way. Maybe use this as an excuse for a new PC  ;) ?

Mick

#3
Irv, how old is your PC and what spec is it??  

Are you sure it doesn't have a little (IEEE 1394) firewire socket unused on the motherboard?  If you have a spare PCI slot you could try a cheap PCI-Firewire card, as pictured below.

If the PC is very low spec then it's going to be difficult to do anything with the video (editing etc) once you finally get it on to the PC.

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spinner

#4
Colin is correct. Unless the camcorder has a)the ability to generate enough power to perform the transfer and b) some type of standalone software in it's firmware to broadcast the transfer having the physical connection isn't enough. Think of the PC as a vacuum and it sucks the data off of whatever media that is plug into it, memory card, external drive, camcorder etc. That's why the camera people supply software to install on PC's, although Windows or Mac's native software does it too.

I'm pretty sure the 'software' they talk about on the ad page is to be installed on the computer first.
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Oldboy

Vista PC have Mircosoft's Movie Maker installed as default. Window XP may also have this, as well as a stand alone program like Power DVD CyberLink Movie Maker installed. You can also find free programs on the net. If you select start, help and support and type in camcorder it will tell you how to do it. You will need power on the camcorder to run the transfer so a freshly charged battery is a must. When I connected a camcorder to my old XP PC and switched the camcorder on, Power DVD started up and asked me if I wanted to import the files.  :tup:

irv_b

I knew this wouldn't be as easy as I thought -
1) there is a firewire port on the front of the tower but it cant be connected, because I have plugged in the cable attached the camcorder and windows movie maker to no avail
2) as far as I can see there is no way to 'drive' the file to the ex hdd   :(
"Think of the PC as a vacuum and it sucks the data off of whatever media that is plug into it, memory card, external drive, camcorder etc."
didn't think of it like that  :tup:
3) it's a 4 year old Mesh computer  and it doesn't have any spare pci socket but it has one that has a card in that says  phone line  that we don't have anything plugged into it could I remove that?
Thanks for all your ideas :beer:
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spinner

Quote from: irv_b on October 04, 2010, 07:49:26 PM
I knew this wouldn't be as easy as I thought -
1) there is a firewire port on the front of the tower but it cant be connected, because I have plugged in the cable attached the camcorder and windows movie maker to no avail
2) as far as I can see there is no way to 'drive' the file to the ex hdd   :(
"Think of the PC as a vacuum and it sucks the data off of whatever media that is plug into it, memory card, external drive, camcorder etc."
didn't think of it like that  :tup:

I like to use analogies, it's easier than explaining data flow rates, serial vs. parallel people's eyes glaze over. ;)

Quote from: irv_b on October 04, 2010, 07:49:26 PM
3) it's a 4 year old Mesh computer  and it doesn't have any spare pci socket but it has one that has a card in that says  phone line  that we don't have anything plugged into it could I remove that?
Thanks for all your ideas :beer:

Not a brand name I'm familiar with. Is your Internet connection via an ethernet card? If so that card is a redundant phone modem and yes you can remove and replace it with one like Mick posted the pic of. Make sure it's Firewire ports on the card, you shouldn't need any extra drivers for it if you're running anything from WinXP up. As O.B. says once the card is installed and recognized by the OS it's a simple matter of plugging in the camcorder and turning it on for something to happen. That 'something' is entirely dependent on what's already on the machine and you may actually get several different options.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/spin498/

Mick

#8
Quote from: irv_b on October 04, 2010, 07:49:26 PM

1) there is a firewire port on the front of the tower but it cant be connected, because I have plugged in the cable attached the camcorder and windows movie maker to no avail


:hmm:   Before spending any dosh I would check that first and see if it is connected.  ;)  It might not be doing anything because it can't see the video camera.   Had this  exact problem with my Panasonic camcorder, the firewire port just seemed completely dead.  Had to change the firewire driver to a microsoft Legacy one.  Works well now.  ;)  
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Oldboy

Quote from: admin on October 04, 2010, 09:45:29 PM
Quote from: irv_b on October 04, 2010, 07:49:26 PM

1) there is a firewire port on the front of the tower but it cant be connected, because I have plugged in the cable attached the camcorder and windows movie maker to no avail


Before spending any dosh I would check that first and see if it is connected.  ;)  It might not be doing anything because it can't see the video camera.   Had this problem with my Panasonic camcorder, and had to change the firewire driver to a microsoft generic one.  Works well now.  ;) 

As Mick says, it could be a faulty driver or it has just locked out. On the Taskbar there should be an Icon for safely remove hardware, just move you mouse over them until you find it. With the camcorder cable plug-in to the firewire port and switched on, double click this icon, from the list select the one for the firewire port and a window will open and list all the ports, select the one for the firewire port, and at the bottom click on the stop button. This should now change to a start button so click that and see if it starts. If not, then click the properties button, in the new window click on change settings, and click the driver tab, at the top of the new window, and click on the update driver button and from the list select the driver you want. If no list is displayed it should give you the option to search for a driver on you harddisk.   :tup:

irv_b

Quote from: Oldboy on October 04, 2010, 10:36:25 PM
Quote from: admin on October 04, 2010, 09:45:29 PM
Quote from: irv_b on October 04, 2010, 07:49:26 PM

1) there is a firewire port on the front of the tower but it cant be connected, because I have plugged in the cable attached the camcorder and windows movie maker to no avail


Before spending any dosh I would check that first and see if it is connected.  ;)  It might not be doing anything because it can't see the video camera.   Had this problem with my Panasonic camcorder, and had to change the firewire driver to a microsoft generic one.  Works well now.  ;) 

As Mick says, it could be a faulty driver or it has just locked out. On the Taskbar there should be an Icon for safely remove hardware, just move you mouse over them until you find it. With the camcorder cable plug-in to the firewire port and switched on, double click this icon, from the list select the one for the firewire port and a window will open and list all the ports, select the one for the firewire port, and at the bottom click on the stop button. This should now change to a start button so click that and see if it starts. If not, then click the properties button, in the new window click on change settings, and click the driver tab, at the top of the new window, and click on the update driver button and from the list select the driver you want. If no list is displayed it should give you the option to search for a driver on you harddisk.   :tup:


Thanks Mick and oldboy
I have tried what you suggested OB but with the camcorder connected it doesn't even show up on the safely remove hardware list. Is there a way I can find out if the port is connected to the motherboard (Asus P5L-MX) - I have looked on Device manager for anything with IEEE 1394 on it but no luck and I cant get the front cover off the tower without stripping half of the insides out to see if the port has a wire coming out of it
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spinner

Irv, do you have a manual for the motherboard? If so, it should have a schematic map of the board indicating where the various plug ins go. Check for a port for firewire and see if there's something plugged into it. If there is, go to Device Manager and open it up. If there is something physically connected to the board that is having driver issues it will show up in Device Manager as a Yellow flag. Hopefully it will partially recognize the device and yellow flag firewire port. Otherwise it may show as yellow flagged unknown device. If it shows as a Red flag it might mean the device is damaged. Unfortunately, a bit of dust build up will short a port out.
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
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http://ddsdigita4.wix.com/ddsdigital
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irv_b

Hi Spin
I haven't got a manual or wiring diagram for the mother board the closest I could find was this from a site with the spec on it and I don't think there is a socket on there
http://www.motherboardpro.com/ASUS-P5L-MX-Socket-775-New-Motherboard-p-74.html
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Oldboy

Quote from: irv_b on October 05, 2010, 09:49:03 AM

Thanks Mick and oldboy
I have tried what you suggested OB but with the camcorder connected it doesn't even show up on the safely remove hardware list. Is there a way I can find out if the port is connected to the motherboard (Asus P5L-MX) - I have looked on Device manager for anything with IEEE 1394 on it but no luck and I cant get the front cover off the tower without stripping half of the insides out to see if the port has a wire coming out of it
On my computer it's listed above keyboard as IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers. If you have firewire it should be listed here? Open Control Panel and select Add New Hardware. This runs the hardware wizard. Click Next, make sure the Search for and install the Hardware Automaticly option is ticked, then click Next. The computer will list all the hardware devices on your PC. If IEEE 1394 is listed, then click on that and it should install drivers for it. If it's not listed then you haven't got IEEE 1394 Firewire port or it's not connected to the motherboard.  :tup:

Oldboy

Quote from: irv_b on October 05, 2010, 03:37:25 PM
Hi Spin
I haven't got a manual or wiring diagram for the mother board the closest I could find was this from a site with the spec on it and I don't think there is a socket on there
http://www.motherboardpro.com/ASUS-P5L-MX-Socket-775-New-Motherboard-p-74.html
No it isn't on that motherboard, but the makers of your computer may have installed a card that has this option. If you have a firewire port, which you think you have, then try what I suggested above.  :tup:

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