FAQS! FACTS! FAX!  487 (15/11/05)

Q

I assume it's been asked before but I can't find the answer. Can you use a digital camera or a camcorder as a webcam and If so, how?

Mike Crummy, via email

A

Actually I don’t recall this question but the answer is simple enough and that’s yes, probably… The facility has to be built-in and many budget and mid-range digital still cameras have it and it should be clearly marked on the box or sales literature. These cameras usually come with web cam software but they should also work with standard applications like Windows NetMeeting and MSN Messenger etc. All you need to do is load the driver software that comes with the camera then connect it to the PC using the supplied USB transfer lead.

Video cameras are slightly different. Some models can be set to output a live video feed and this can be connected to a PC using video or TV adaptor card or module. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to this method, including the fact that adaptor cards and modules cost more than a cheap webcam. The other more significant problem is that most camcorders will ‘time-out’ and automatically shut down after a few minutes if they are not either recording or playing back. (Leaving the tape hatch open can fool some models but this is not a good idea a dust and dirt could get into the deck mechanism). On balance I think your best bet would be to seek out a digital still camera with a webcam facility or get a proper webcam.

Q

What is the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R discs, and which discs should I use?

Artur Hecht, via email

A

This stems from a brief format tussle in the early days of DVD between two powerful groups of manufacturers. It has never been full resolved but the good news is that from a practical standpoint there are no significant differences between the two types of disc. They both record and playback computer and video data and the end result is the same, namely a disc that should play back on most recent PC drives and DVD players. Older single format DVD writers and recorders and some current models will obviously only work with one or the other type of recordable (or re-recordable) disc but again this is becoming less of a problem as more manufacturers use multi-format systems. Some discs may not play on older drives and players but neither format has an advantage over the other in this respect as compatibility issues affect both formats more or less equally. Both types of disc use organic dyes to record data and blanks cost about the same. The technical differences, such as they are, mostly relate to the way data is organised and the speed at which it can be recorded but these are of little importance to most users so if you are buying equipment don’t let it worry you.

Q

I have had to reformat one of my drives as my computer crashed and would not boot to that drive even in Safe Mode. I have formatted the drive but when I try to load Windows XP Home it says I have an invalid product key. It loaded fine when I first installed it and I have the Microsoft Authenticity Certificate with the holograms. I bought it from a reputable dealer and it was in the original packaging. Unfortunately the dealer is no longer trading. What do you think has happened and is there anything I can do about it? I have been on the Microsoft site and it shows some serial numbers, which are apparently dodgy but mine are nothing like those.

Sue Hamilton, via email

A

That’s a bit of a mystery. The usual reason for the invalid product key message would is that the disc and product key do not match. Since you cannot get past this stage it is unlikely that either are in any way dubious because the validity check doesn’t take place until Windows has loaded and you are asked to ‘Activate’ the installation. That leaves two possibilities. Somehow or other you have mixed up the key with another copy of XP, or there’s a problem with the disc. If you are certain that the disc and key belong together -- and there’s no way to tell just by looking at them -- then I suggest that you contact Microsoft Customer Support (http://support.microsoft.com/gp/assistsupport) and ask for a replacement disc, not forgetting to mention that the dealer who sold it to you is no longer in business.

Q

I have just bought a Dell Dimension 3000, 512MB memory (2x256), 160GB hard drive. I had installed on my previous computer (windows 98) a HP ScanJet 4300C. 

I installed this on the new computer using a downloaded program from HP, and after rebooting the computer says that it has recognised and installed the scanner. When I tried to open the HP PrecisionScan on my program list it comes up with a window saying 'Sorry, scanner could not be initialized. (Scanner not found)' Have you any ideas on what the problem is?

Pauline Baume, via email

A

There appears to be an extraordinary number of things that could cause this to happen, everything from Windows Service Pack 2 to interactions with Firewall and anti-virus software. The place to begin is the HP troubleshooting guide on its website here. Several other websites I have looked at whilst researching this problem mentioned a patch from HP that apparently can fix the problem on some scanners but I have been unable to track down a version for your model. If the HP site doesn’t help have a look at the following forums for some more suggestions:

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/1056124289

http://www.howtofixcomputers.com/bb/sutra288838.html

I would also try and see if you can access the scanner using a third party image editing program, like PaintShop Pro, which has it’s own built-in TWAIN and scanner drivers.

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© R. Maybury 2005, 0811