Copying from Canon MV650i to laptop using Windows 7

[jacquio01]

I am trying to transfer tape from Canon Mv650i camcorder to desktop. Have all the correct drivers. Have an IEEE 1394 port, have tried 2 different firewire cables but still the computer will not see the camcorder. I'm now at my wits end. Anyone help?

[redwudz]

Have you tried WinDV for the transfer? Have you checked 'Control Panel>Device Manager>IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers'? Checked for motherboard updates for FW?

Have you tried a different camcorder or FW device to see if the MB controller is working properly?

Just guessing, but some motherboard FireWire ports may have a problem with a particular camera. If all else fails, try a PCI FireWire card.

[jacquio01]

Windv will be of no use if the camera is not being recognised by the PC. The problem seems to be with Windows 7 as it has been working with Vista.

[bendixG15]

How about a firmware update for the MV650i ??

Canon Europe site has some updates ...... don't know if they are any good for you.

[ranchhand]

You probably aren't going to like this suggestion... but if you still have your Vista key license, get an old hard drive (or a cheepie from Newegg) and load Vista on it. Import your videos, and save to a thumb drive, then boot W7 and import into your editor, or whatever you want to do with them.

[jacquio01]

You're right! Don't like this. Don't have key anymore and want to stay with Windows 7. There're must be a way of getting this camcorder recognised by Windows 7.

[ranchhand]

Ok, two others, no guarantees go with them. Make sure all your updates in W7 are current, sometimes M/Soft may update recognition for older legacy hardware such as your camcorder. And look into an add-on capture card that may act as a "pipeline" that will enable W7 to recognize your video format. I once had an old camcorder that used tape cartridges, and I tore my hair out until someone here put me on to an analog-to-digital capture card. Once my computer "saw" the video the rest was easy.