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it has a usb jack but the computer wont recognize it ive tried everything and it just wont work. my comp doesnt have fire wire ieee1394 jack but i wonder if i install it my self will it recognize it then? i dont have the disc that came with the cam but vista says it already has the drivers for it .

it was a gift to me from my mom and i really want to get it functional.

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Brief expert note for (and others reading): older MiniDV Sony Handycam models commonly require an IEEE 1394 (FireWire / i.LINK) connection for full digital capture. The small USB socket on those camcorders often does not expose tape video as a removable disk, so a PC without a 1394 interface will frequently not "see" the camera for video import.

Practical checklist to resolve this without guessing:

  • Inspect the cam ports and the cable you have. Consumer camcorders often use a small 4‑pin i.LINK on the camera side; desktop FireWire cards usually expose a larger 6‑pin port. Use the correctly matched 4‑pin <-> 6‑pin cable when connecting.
  • If adding hardware to a desktop, choose a PCIe FireWire card with an OHCI‑compliant chipset (Texas Instruments chipsets have historically been broadly compatible). Install the card with the PC powered off, then connect the camera once drivers appear in Device Manager.
  • Before trying to capture, put the cam into playback/VTR mode and power it adequately (many models require AC power for steady data streaming). Use a capture app that supports DV-over‑1394 (built‑in Windows capture tools or third‑party video editors).
  • If the camera still does not appear, check Device Manager for unknown devices, uninstall any problematic USB/1394 controller entries and reboot so Windows redetects hardware.

If adding FireWire is not possible, fallback options are sending tapes to a transfer service or using an analog capture device (S‑Video/RCA to USB). Analog capture loses the original DV quality but will let you digitize footage without 1394. This expands on 's earlier suggestion about checking the camera documentation and should give a clear path to decide whether a FireWire card or an alternative is needed.

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Member Avatar for bertrum96

i hope i put this in th right forum:[

Member Avatar for Suspishio

You can download software from Sony AFAIK. And the user guide. I suggest you do that and set the camera up to the computer from the manual.

Having said that I would have exoected the switched on camera to be at least recognised as a USB hard disk. Anyway, please do as I ask and let us know.

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