Hi all, I've got a ZR100 which I'm trying to connect and transfer video from. The issue is, I just can't get it to be recognized at all on either of my laptops. One laptop uses Vista, the other uses XP. I am attempting to connect using a 4-4 1394 firewire cable. I've tried various methods of what order to boot the devices and what order to plug them in. The camera is set to VCR. Both laptops see no hardware changes whatsoever, as if I never plugged anything. No unknown devices, not after manually scanning for hardware changes in the device manager. According to Microsoft's website, this is a compatible camcorder for both Vista and XP, but they require driver downloads. They provide a link to Canon's website to the ZR100's support page, but Canon offers no drivers for either operating system, just software packages and updates. I really feel my problem isn't a driver issue though, or at least I haven't made it to that point yet, because nothing at all shows up in the device managers. Am I missing something obvious here, or is does anybody have any ideas on something I could try? Thanks in advance!
Ok, to add to it, I've decided to ohm out the cable (4ft long btw). Every one of the pins has 2.6ohms, which I would assume is acceptable. But, the question is, on the outside/metal casing part of the plug, is this suppose to produce a reading as well? Logic says yes, but my meter says no. I understand that there is no power going over a 4 pin 1394 cable, but I would still think that it serves some purpose as a ground/shield.
I have gone thru 3 minidv camcorders. Seems the firewire just dies. My latest one was a Sony DCR-HC52. Had it one week. Took it to Best Buy and they confirmed the firewire was toast. Go an DCR-SX40 flash camcorder. So far, I like it alot......
While that may be possible, I just can't buy that yet. This camcorder may be old, but it's rarely been used, and the firewire has never been used at all since day one. It was first attempted when I tried. Does anybody have a 4-4 firewire cable they can test and compare their results with me on. Thanks
Alright, well, it turned out to be the cable. I took my camera, cable, and DMM to Frys today. I tested one of their cables on the shelves, and sure enough the metal casing of the connector measured 2ohms across the cable. So I took the camera, my cable, and their cable over to their laptops on display. I hooked the camera up with mine, same problem I've been having, then I hooked it up with their cable... PROBLEM SOLVED. It was indeed a bad cable. I'm back at home now transferring video. Maybe this thread will help somebody else in the future...
