Having recently bought a new Canon 830i video camera I wanted to transfer the video to the computer to edit and burn onto DVD. However, I found the computer did not have the required Firewire port. So, I purchased a 3 port Firewire (IEEE 1394) card which included Video Works 6.1 for video editing. Having installed the Firewire card, connected the camera, and started the software, all worked perfectly the first time. However, on all subsequent attempts when trying to run the software, and download video from the camera, a message appears saying ‘Camera not connected’. So, I cannot download any video from the camera. Removing the Firewire card and reinstalling has not fixed the problem. There is no mention of the Canon video camera in the Device Manager.

After a bit of searching I found the product which is bundled with your Firewire card is called Presto! Video Works 6 (www.newsoftinc.com). This has provided some initial guidance on troubleshooting the issue. We first need to ensure the Firewire card is correctly recognised by Windows, and then check whether the camera is recognised. With the camera disconnected from the computer (but with the Firewire card installed) go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Control Panel’. In the window that appears, open the ‘System’ control panel (you may need to first click the ‘Performance and Maintenance’ category). Click the ‘Hardware’ tab and the ‘Device Manager’ button. Expand the ‘IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers’ category and check your Firewire card is listed. It should be listed as something like ‘Texas Instruments OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 Host Controller’ or ‘PCI OHCI IEEE 1394 Host controller’. Should the ‘IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers’ category not be present, this means the Firewire card is not installed correctly and is not being recognised by Windows. In this case, you should shutdown the computer (and unplug from the power outlet) then remove the Firewire card from the computer. Once this is done, start the computer and then shutdown again. This will make sure Windows knows the Firewire is not in the computer at the moment. Finally, reinsert the Firewire card in the computer, then startup the computer. Hopefully, Windows should recognise the Firewire card and install the drivers. Once this has completed, go back into the Device Manager and verify the Fireware card is listed.

Assuming the Firewire card is correctly installed and recognised, we now need to check whether the camera is recognised by Windows. Connect the camcorder to the computer through Firewire, and then open the Device Manager. You should see the camcorder appear in the Device Manager under the ‘Imaging devices’ category. Expand this category to verify the camcorder is correctly detected, and working correctly. Should there be a yellow exclamation icon next to the camcorder entry, this means something is wrong with the device. In this case, right-click on the entry and select ‘Properties’ to determine the nature of the error. On the other hand, should there be a red cross next to the camcorder entry, this means the device is (for some reason) disabled. In this case, also right-click on the entry and select ‘Properties’ to re-enable the device. Should the entry just have a normal icon, it should be working correctly. This can also be verified by right-clicking on the entry and select ‘Properties’. The device status should say ‘This device is working properly’. In the event the camcorder does not appear at all in the Device Manager, it seems the device is not being recognised. In this case, ensure the camera is connected properly, has enough power (use an AC adapter for the camera if possible) and that the camera is in the correct mode (e.g. VTR mode or like) to allow connectivity with the computer.

If the camera is recognised properly by Windows, the issue seems related to the Video Works software not correctly communicating or recognising the camera. In this case, you should ensure the Video Works configuration is set correctly for the camera. Open Video Works and go to the ‘File’ menu > ‘Preferences’. In the General Options, make sure ‘Microsoft DV Camera and VCR’ is selected.

Should you still be unable to resolve the issue, your next option is contacting NewSoft technical support, as they will be best equipped to provide advice and assistance on their products. Visit their Technical Support page (www.newsoftinc.com/tech-Support/tech-Main.asp) and click the link ‘My NewSoft software came bundled with the hardware that I purchased’, since Video Works came with your Firewire card.