Issues with Lifecam vx-3000 with v1.4 software

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tony Gravagno
  • Start date Start date
T

Tony Gravagno

XP SP2 32bit

I can easily install and run my vx3000. The problem is when I pulldown
the menu and select Audio and Video Settings. The camera is on and
functioning fine but selecting either option brings up the message:

"Plug your LifeCam webcam into a USP port, and then adjust the audio
and video settings. On the LifeCam menu, click Audio and Video
Settings. In the wizard, select a microphone and a Microsoft webcam."

Note again that I'm already using the device, so the idea of plugging
it in is silly and just means it can't detect a device it was just
using. And to get to this message I already did click the settings as
directed. When this message comes up the camera is disabled and I
need to close the app and restart to start the camera again.

Further, selecting Properties from the menu doesn't bring up a
properties page, but sometimes it does leave an artifact of the menu
on the form. When that happens the application goes unresponsive,
though the camera is still enabled, and the app needs to be killed
brutally. When this is done, visual artifacts are left on the desktop
and can only be removed with a reboot. Sigh.

And once that's done LifeCam Help launches whenever the app starts.
After rebooting a form displays about configuring the webcam - though
as I said I can't get to any configuration settings. The popup can
only be disabled by removing LifeCam from the Run key in the registry.

As you can see, I've been working with this for a while, have rebooted
many times over time, have reinstalled a few times, etc.

I'm not amazed so much that the problems exist but that they continue
to exist in a v1.4 application. Sure, vx3000 may be superceded by
vx6000 or whatever, but this is still a relatively recent device on a
supported platform. I'm really surprised Microsoft didn't rework the
menu to follow standard conventions, and that some of these basic
catch-22 type errors (can't change settings if we can't get to them)
haven't been resolved a later release.

Any ideas folks?
Thanks for your time.
 
Maybe another option,download WM encoder + its utilities,the encoder can
capture audio/video,as the WMCAP does also,+ itll convert the data.
 
Thanks for the response. That's a good option, but the idea of simply
not using one bit of Microsoft software and jumping over to another
bit of Microsoft software isn't giving me any warm fuzzies. I'm
hoping to get resolutions to the problems rather than simply avoiding
them. We got a couple of these devices at the same time and for one
reason or another simply haven't used them. So now that I'm actually
trying to use one, I'd like to know if the issues are system-specific
or if the software is just crap and I need to use WM Encoder or some
other app for the other systems too.

The way this software is packaged you can't tell the difference
between driver issues and app issues. I wish they had a 117mb
download for LifeCam and a 2MB download just for the device drivers so
that we can load some other app. As it is, if I uninstall LifeCam I
believe the drivers are removed as well - need to check that.

I forgot to mention that when my system shuts down, without fail I get
a dialog that the CameraManager (vx3000) can't be shutdown. Any of
the developers of that code ever hear of try/catch blocks, query
unload, or other methods of getting software to shutdown gracefully?

Sigh. Is there a v1.5 beta in the works?
 
Hi Tony.. having similar problems with compatability issues with vista laptop
and desktop xp home with sp2.. just curious..the usb port that your cam plugs
in to..is it ' 2.0...if its not...the cam will not function...not a tech..but
this something that i picked up from another thread... I did however download
the 1.4 software update ..117 mb..but all it seemed to do was install windows
live call...was this the intended update..as I only use windows live
messenger 8.5
 
Tomturbo6713 said:
Hi Tony.. having similar problems with compatability issues with vista laptop
and desktop xp home with sp2.. just curious..the usb port that your cam plugs
in to..is it ' 2.0...if its not...the cam will not function...not a tech..but
this something that i picked up from another thread...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the response Tom. The camera works fine. The problems
are:
1) Can't get to configuration without app seizing up.
2) Setup notice displayed on system boot until it's removed from
registry.
3) App doesn't shutdown properly.

All of the above point to something stopping proper configuration from
occurring, and subsequent warnings/errors from improper configuration.
I just wish I knew what LifeCam was tripping on, what it needs to
complete it's configuration and allow subsequent changes, so that
boot, property changes, and shutdown were all cleaner. If I can't get
this with LifeCam then I need some other software.

I did however download
the 1.4 software update ..117 mb..but all it seemed to do was install windows
live call...was this the intended update..as I only use windows live
messenger 8.5
Click to expand...

That's another issue - it's a massive installation but with very
little bang as a reward.

T
 
Follow-up with v2.04:

The camera works fine. The problems are:
1) Can't get to configuration without app seizing up.
2) Setup notice displayed on system boot until it's removed from
registry.
3) App doesn't shutdown properly.

All of the above point to something stopping proper configuration from
occurring, and subsequent warnings/errors from improper configuration.
I just wish I knew what LifeCam was tripping on, what it needs to
complete it's configuration and allow subsequent changes, so that
boot, property changes, and shutdown were all cleaner. If I can't get
this with LifeCam then I need some other software.
Click to expand...

I now have LifeCam v2.04.542.0 loaded.
Issues are mostly the same:
1) I can get to Properties but the Audio/Video Settings button doesn't
launch anything.
2) Setup notice continues to display, need to tweak registry.
3) Consistently get dialog on shutdown: "CameraManager(VX3000)" So I
always need to wait for this error then End the program manually,
otherwise the PC doesn't shutdown. That's a real issue!

The issue (below) with visual artifacts being left on the screen seems
to be gone.

About v2.04 for anyone considering an upgrade:
- The UI is more polished, like MediaPlayer.
- They removed the little downarrow from the titlebar and replaced it
with a little button that apparently means "Settings" - why on earth
did they choose to move from the standard menu or toolbar design - and
then stick with it in v2??
- There are a lot more effects - oh joy - which I'm sure is great for
many people but I'd prefer to have functional software first, and
fancy effects second.
- Face Tracking and zoom only work with lower resolutions (160x120,
320x240) not 640x480 or 1.3MP.
- The zoom is painfully slow as it needs to complete one zoom
operation before it starts the next. In other words you can't do a
quick zoom in from setting 0 to 4, you have to go 1,2,3,4 at 2-3
seconds per refresh.

As of now my position is roughly the same. Fix it or dump it. I'll
try contacting Microsoft Support and do this the official way, but
let's be real, we know Microsoft employees for these products are
watching this forum. It would take a few minutes for one of them to
post a note of encouragement here, but it will take me a couple hours
to get through to someone in Bangalore who doesn't have a clue what
I'm talking about. (Yeah, been there, done that.)

I'll be happy to load new beta builds for diagnostics or to check a
possible fix. You have a knowledgable and willing volunteer here.
Take advantage.

Thanks.
 
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