How can I download from my Mini DV camcorder to Vista?

This is a recurring problem for Mini DV users, although the later mini DVD and flash memory mini camcorders are mostly trouble-free in this department.

It is worth bearing in mind that apparent incompatibility with Vista is usually not a Microsoft problem, and can be solved quite easily by downloading an updated driver from your camcorder’s manufacturer’s website.

Another common misconception is that downloading via the USB port can provide acceptable results for Mini DV camcorders. USB may not control your camcorder’s downloading functions properly, and the flow of information may not be sufficient for full DV/AVI file transfer. If your mini camcorder has an i-link connector, you
should be able to use a firewire/i-link/ieee 1394 cable to connect to your PC’s firewire port.

Other common fixes to try range from the ridiculously simple idea of shutting down your PC, connecting up your camcorder and turning it on, then rebooting the computer (if this works, you may have to do this every time!),  to the more complex.

Some possible fixes are:

• replacing the firewire card. Some chipsets are less compatible with mini DV camcorders than others.
• combined firewire/USB cards have been known to give problems, so if you have one of these it may be worth trying a separate firewire card.
• using Windows Move Maker instead of the bundled video capture software provided with your mini camcorder.
• using the firewire port at the rear of your computer if your PC also has one at the front; bizarrely enough, some front firewire ports on PCs are not connected up.
• trying the (free) WinDV utility; this is an application using a large buffer queue, designed for the reliable capturing of videos from a DV device into AVI files.
• trying the hotfix from Microsoft for PAl-format cameras; some of these are incorrectly detected as NTSC format, which can cause corrupted video output.

If problems persist – Windows 7 is here at last….