After fighting with the Logitech software all morning, I finally uninstalled it. Then I decided to try another program that I already had installed, for doing screen captures. It’s called Debut and it’s free from HCH Software (there is also a paid Pro version that has additional features).  Turns out the camera works beautifully with this software, which records in .wmv, .avi, .asf, .mpg, .mov and several other formats.

It causes none of the problems that I had with the Logitech program. The video picture quality isn’t quite as good, but I can live with that.

deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

I bought the Logitech Pro 9000 webcam because many reviews say it’s one of the best. My objective was to be able to do short video demos to post to the WXPnews and VistaNews sites. The webcam is attractive and fits nicely on my big monitor, as shown in the photo below. 

I first installed the software on the disc that came with the camera. It appeared to install properly and I was able to open the program. There I was, on camera!  And a very nice, sharp picture it was, too. I was instantly pleased. I clicked to take a photo. Very nice.

Then I made the big mistake. I clicked Record Video. And got the wait cursor. Which did not go away. I had to use Task Manager to shut down the program. Then when I tried to open the program again, no deal. Nothing happens. Click the desktop icon, click the program link in the Start menu, click the program file in Explorer, doesn’t matter. Doesn’t work.

Okay, so I thought maybe it’s just the capture software that’s messed up. Maybe the camera will work in other applications. So I tried to make a video call in Windows Messenger. It displayed my picture, although the quality wasn’t nearly as good as it had been in the Logitech program. But the call wouldn’t go through (and it was to my husband, who was sitting in the next room, trying to answer it). And once again it was “stuck.”  I had to close Messenger, and then guess what – Messenger wouldn’t open again, either. Argh.

Okay, maybe it’s a Windows 7 thing. A reboot revived Messenger, but didn’t fix the Logitech software; it still wouldn’t open. I did some web se arches and found a forum post saying the camera could be made to work in Windows 7 by downloading the latest software from the Logitech site and installing it in Vista SP2 compatibility mode. So I did all that. I had high hopes – but alas, the same thing happened. I could take still photos but as soon as I tried to record, it killed the program dead. Program wouldn’t open again, but the process itself wouldn’t die; I couldn’t end it in Task Manager.

It’s such a darn shame, because I really loved the picture quality during the short time that the camera worked. I guess I’ll be giving it to Tom, who’s still running XP, to see if it will work with his system. And I’ll be looking for a webcam really is compatible with Windows 7.

 
deb@shinder.net    www.debshinder.com

I haven’t been keeping up with the blogging here very well for the last month. That’s because I was invited to blog over on the Amazon EndUser site, so a lot of my blogging energies have been directed there. I’ve posted a number of Windows 7-related informational and how-to articles, so please check it out. And check back here, too, as I’ll still be using this one to post on tech topics that aren’t related to Windows 7.

Also be sure to read my newsletters: WXPnews and VistaNews. The latter will be morphing into Win7News sometime this month, and we’ll start focusing in earnest on the new features, migration issues, and how to get the most out of the new OS. We won’t leave Vista users behind, though – we will still continue to address questions about Vista.

And don’t forget to look for my articles on the TechRepublic web site. Many of my contributions appear in Jody Gilbert’s “10 Things” section. Some recent examples include:

• 10 Cool Features to Look Forward to in Office 2010
• 10 Improvements in Windows Media Center
• Nehalem Now: 10 Reasons to Upgrade to the new Intel Microarchitecture
• 10 Things You Should Cover in your Social Networking Policy
• 10 Ways to Stay out of Trouble when You Post to Social Networking Sites

As always, thanks for reading!

deb@shinder.net   www.debshinder.com