Two-step fix. There's a simple workaround to this problem. In WinXP, click Start, then Control Panel. Double-click System and click the Hardware tab and then Device Manager. WinXP will have most likely flagged the unknown device with a yellow marker. Right-click Unknown Device and select Uninstall. WinXP will remove that USB device. You can now install the software that came with your Web cam and then reinstall the Web cam.

Q: I can't load the driver for my Web cam.

WinXP driver problem . When you install a Web cam, you might see a prompt for WinXP drivers that provide the ability to use a Web cam. Unfortunately, WinXP does not understand Web cams quite as easily as a digital camera or printer. The problem is that some Web cam products (most notably those from Orange Micro and older models from Logitech) would sometimes fail to install if certain WinXP drivers were not available. The solution is to obtain updated drivers for the Web cam and use those instead (check the company Web site, such as Logitech.com, for updates).

Q: My Web cam has always worked, and now it doesn't.

Check the cables . Once you have a Web cam working, it will usually keep working unless you accidentally remove a driver or a required program. If your Web cam stops working, the first troubleshooting step is to make sure that the camera's USB cable is still firmly connected. Also, if you are using a Web cam with a powered USB hub, make sure the hub is still plugged into a power strip or wall outlet. You should also reboot your PC, just to start up WinXP again and see if there was a simple driver conflict. Rebooting a PC often resolves such conflicts

Reinstall the software. After a reboot, if the Web cam is still not working, try reinstalling the software that came with the camera. Also, open the Device Manager to see if there are any driver conflicts (In WinXP, click Start and Control Panel and then double-click System and click the Hardware tab and then Device Manager). If you see any red or yellow markers, right-click the driver that's causing the problem and select Uninstall. Now, reboot.

Adjust settings. If you don't see any conflicts, the next step is to check the settings in the program you are using for a video chat. For example, in MSN Messenger 6.2, select Tools and then Web Camera Settings and see if Messenger detects the camera. If a videoconference program doesn't recognize the Web cam, you don't see any driver conflicts, and you know all the connections are secure, try using the Web cam on a different computer. If it still doesn't work on a second computer, the camera might need to be replaced.

For iSight users. If you are using a Mac with the Apple iSight camera, make sure the camera is on by twisting the lens slightly to the left (which opens the white lens shutter).

Q: Audio during a video chat sounds distorted.

Step away from the Web cam . Many Web cams include a microphone in addition to the lens that transmits the video signal. Typically, distortion occurs because the recording volume is set too high in the videoconferencing program you are using. Here's a quick fix to this problem: Try moving the Web cam farther away from you so that it doesn't pick up your voice quite as strongly.

Recording level. If this doesn't help (the person you are chatting with says your voice still sounds distorted), you may need to tweak the recording volume level in your chat program. For example, to solve this problem in MSN Messenger 6.2, select Tools and then Audio/Video Tuning Wizard. Step through the configuration screens (where you can select your Web cam and adjust video settings) until you get to the screen that lets you adjust microphone volume. Drag the Volume slider to the left so that when you speak, there is no yellow or red in the Volume Indicator meter.

Headset adjustments. You can also adjust the volume level for a headset that includes a microphone attachment, such as the Plantronics SP 500. On the WinXP system tray, double-click the Volume icon. Select Options and then Properties. Click Recording and then click OK. You'll see the Capture volume control. Drag the slider down to adjust the recording level and click OK. Now try going back to your video chat and see if the sound quality is less distorted.

Q: Video looks choppy on the receiving end.

Hard to believe, but a choppy video signal is rarely caused by the Web cam itself. Most Web cams are CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor)-based and use one lens sensor to capture video. Such cameras are more than capable of providing a clean and smooth video signal. More expensive Web cams, such as the Logitech QuickCam Pro 4000, use a CCD (charge-couple device) that comes with multiple sensors for capturing smooth video. Also, the speed of computer is, surprisingly, usually not the cause of choppy video either. In fact, the frame rate (which determines whether a video looks choppy) that most of today's CPUs can muster is usually high enough for television-quality video.

Hard drive or broadband problem. Instead, the most likely cause of choppy video your Internet connection. It should run at 128Mbps or faster for a clean video feed. DSL and cable broadband users should have no trouble maintaining this speed, although network congestion or other network maladies can slow you down. You can test your connection at DSLreports.com (even if you use a cable modem).

Dial-up users. In general, a dial-up connection is too slow for smooth video. That doesn't mean you can't use a Web cam with a dial-up connection. It just means the video will probably be somewhat choppy.

Q: Video looks dull and dark.

Adjust video chat software settings . Web cams are designed for simplicity and do not provide the features of a digital video camcorder. For example, you can't adjust the brightness level of the camera simply by pressing a button on the Web cam. (In fact, most Web cams do not provide any buttons at all.) But you can use software controls to make the video look brighter. Just look for the Web cam properties setting in your IM client or videoconferencing program. Here's an example, using Yahoo!'s instant messenger.

To adjust your Web cam properties for Yahoo! Instant Messenger, start the program, select File and Preferences, and then click Web Cam. Click the Camera Settings button. The Web cam's Properties dialog box appears. (This dialog box will appear anytime you access Web cam properties from just about every videoconferencing program.) Here, you can adjust the Brightness, Contrast (the degree of difference between black and white), Gamma (gray levels), Saturation (color boldness), Shutter Speed (how quickly the Web cam captures frames), and a few other options. You can also use the Add Backlight Compensation option to simulate a brighter environment. If you enable the Flickerless mode, the video may look smoother.

Other options. To dramatically increase your Web cam's video quality (and even improve frame rates), consider these tips. First, place a bright lamp close to you. The video feed should look a better because the Web cam can now record more information with help from the brighter lighting. Another trick: Place a white sheet directly behind you. If the Web cam doesn't have to work as hard recording all the intricacies of a bookshelf or background scene, the video will look smoother.

Q: How can I use two Web cams at the same time?

WinXP has no problem processing video from two Web cams. You can even run Yahoo! Messenger in one window and MSN Messenger in another using two video feeds. However, the two Web cams must be different brands. If you try to use two Logitech Web cams, for example, the drivers will conflict. Mac users can run two iSight cameras as long as they have to FireWire ports available, one for each camera.

Q: I'm using a USB 2.0 port, but my video signal doesn't run very smoothly.



It might seem odd, but the first leg of the journey your video takes from the Web cam to your computer is not critically important. USB 1.1 and 2.0 both move data at adequate speeds to process smooth video. There are only a few USB 2.0 Web cams on the market. The real bottleneck is the Internet connection between your computer and the person you are chatting with. Increase the speed of your connection (at least 128Mbps) or that of the user on the other end, and you'll see smoother video.

Q: How do I use an IP Web cam?

A growing market has developed for IP Web cams. Typically used for security surveillance, they serve as simple monitoring cameras (for a sleeping baby, for example) or to see if a conference room is available at work. Models such as the D-Link DCS 5300W provide a few more features than a typical desktop Web cam. For example, you can control them from a Web browser and click buttons to rotate cameras that use a swiveling base. Another advantage: They work independently of the computer altogether, so there are no drivers to install or programs to load.

Install tips. Most IP cams use 802.11b networking, so you'll need a wireless network to use an IP Web cam. To configure the Web cam when you first use it, you'll have to hook up the device to your network using an Ethernet cable or directly to your computer using a crossover cable (one that transmits and receives data to and from the computer). To configure the camera, you'll type its IP address (something like 192.168.0.1) into Internet Explorer. Then, once you access the camera, enter the SSID (service set identifier) name of your wireless home network, which is usually something like Wireless or NETGEAR by default. (Chances are you've changed that information for your wireless network, so use whatever SSID you created for it.) Click save and disconnect the camera, and you're done. Once you install the Web cam, you can access it simply by typing that IP address in your Web browser to see the live Web cam video feed.

Wi-Fi trouble. The catch with IP Web cams is that, if you ever change the name of your wireless network, you'll have to connect the camera to the network again (using an Ethernet cable) and change the SSID name the camera uses. Also, Wi-Fi networks are notorious for interference from nearby networks, portable phones, and even microwave ovens. If there's a lot of interference on the network, you might not be able to see the video feed. You can eliminate (or at least reduce) this problem by moving the IP cam closer to your wireless router, moving the devices causing interference out of the 300-foot radius of the Wi-Fi network, or by rebooting the network and the IP cam to get a fresh signal connection.

Q: My Apple iSight Web cam doesn't work.

If you're having trouble getting your iSight cameras to work, try these tips.

Wrong iChat version. Make sure you are using the latest version of iChat, available at www.apple.com/ichat. The latest version supports the iSight camera and videoconferencing. Without iChat, your Mac won't know the Web cam is even attached.

Cable problems. FireWire cables pump video at high speeds, but they sometimes don't fit as snuggly in their ports as USB cables. If your iSight Web cam is not transmitting video, make sure the cable is firmly plugged into the port connection. Also, if you are using a PowerBook or desktop Mac with two FireWire ports, make sure you unplug any other FireWire devices attached to the computer because they may interfere with the iSight Web cam.

Because Web cams rely on WinXP to process a video feed, they are relatively error free. As you can see, most Web cam problems have to do with the operating system and other hardware that you use when you videoconference. As videoconferencing becomes more and more popular, that may change. The Web cam itself may include more features and settings that could require troubleshooting. Until then, tweaking Windows and making sure the environment and ancillary software and hardware all works together is the ticket to video chat success.

by John Brandon