Sony DCR-HC42 not recognized by OS

[coeng73]

Recently got me a Sony DCR-HC42 Handycam to replace my old trustworthy Sony TRV-315.

Problem is that I can't figure out how to get my computer to recognize it via the firewire cable.

I use WinXP Home SP2 and I know the cable is good. When I connect it to my TRV-315, I get the audible indication from the OS that a device was connected. I even get WinDV and Adobe Premiere to recognize it.

When I take the cable out of the TRV-315 and plug it into the docking station of the HC42, it says "DV-in" on the LCD screen but no audible indication from the OS that a device had been detected. So it seems the cable is fine but the OS can't figure out what its connected to or even if it is connected to anything.

I know the firewire port of the docking station works fine because I used it to directly transfer D8 tapes from my TRV-315 to the HC42 via the firewire cable a few days ago.

What gives?

I did not install any of the software that came with the camcorder. Was this necessary? I don't recall ever having to do that to get the TRV-315 to be recognized.

Please help!

[InXess]

If there's no software to utilize this connection it will sit still. You need to fire up some editing program with capture interface or WinDV for that matter and see if you can poll your camcorder (you should be able to control tape transport via FW)

[coeng73]

If there's no software to utilize this connection it will sit still. You need to fire up some editing program with capture interface or WinDV for that matter and see if you can poll your camcorder (you should be able to control tape transport via FW)

Yeah, I did that. Both Premiere and WinDV say no device connected.

[Bjs]

Turn the pc off , set camera to correct mode , connect camera to pc via the required cable , fireup pc ... the only and proper way of using these camera's .
Disconnection is the reverse procedure , but use the xp's "disconnect highspeed device" tray icon first , then shut down the pc .

Connecting any other way can cause damage to either pc or camera , or both ... as noted by the camera manufacturer's advice ... incorrect connection procedure that damage's the camera will not be covered under warrantee agreement .

=======

The camera dose come with a disc which contains sony's idiot product for capturing , and contain's driver's especially designed to provide better support than those supplied within the xp os ... use them .

[InXess]

continuing... if your PC is 100% then other possibilities are bad cable or bad DV-out camcorder interface. Start with a different cable... and observe the procedure above (first connect then start a PC).

[coeng73]

Tried power cycling the PC with no luck.

This much I know for certain:

1) The 1394 cable works. I unplug it from the docking station and plug it directly into my TRV-315 camcorder and my OS detects it and WinDV detects a connected device.

2) The docking stating 1394 port works. I have a 4-pin to 4-pin 1394 cable that I connected between my TRV-315 and the docking station. I am able to transfer footage to the HC42 at the docking station with the TRV-315 as the source.

3) With the 1394 connected from the PC to the docking station, the LCD screen says DV-In which indicates the camcorder knows its connected.

4) This morning I tried connecting a USB cable from the PC to the docking station's USB port. This did not work. Yes, I made sure the USB switch on the docking station was set to ON.

What I really think I am experiencing here is an OS issue (Win XP Home SP2). And from what I can gather by Googling "DCR-HC42, not detected" I am not the only one that has this issue. I can't seem to find an answer anywhere in any of the threads on different forums.

[aedipuss]

try plugging the firewire cable directly into the 42. also make sure the cam's firewire port is set to dv-out.

[coeng73]

There is no firewire port located on the HC42. You need to use the stupid docking station.
Unless there's a secret trap door that I'm unaware of.

[InXess]

you're saying that you have FW from Sony to docking station and then USB2 to PC? How strange... In this case USB2 cable/interface/docking station is as suspect as FW.

[coeng73]

Yesterday I posted the following on www.camcorderinfo.com and am reiterating it here. I'm hoping someone on this forum has heard of a solution to this problem.

[regarding #2 in my earlier post]
I just went home for a lunch break and wanted to make sure that I could still connect the older TRV-315 to the HC42. I had not attempted this since before the first time I tried to connect the HC42 to my computer.

The connection no longer works......I get "DV-in" displayed on the LCD screen but no footage is received by the HC42.

I guess that rules the OS out. Seems that the 1394 port WAS damaged in some way. But this still doens't explain why the USB port won't work.

So, I decided to immediately call Sony Customer service since I only purchased the unit in Dec 2006 it is still under warranty.

Speaking to customer service, they told me to call Repairs to find out what I need to do to get it repaired. Since my HC42 has "limited" ability I asked if I could get a new camcorder sent to me, at which point I would send the defective one back. They told me that was not possible.

Frustrated, I got to thinking...if I send the unit back and have it repaired, what will prevent the problem from occurring again? The evidence stronly suggests a systemic defect. Replacing the port would not "fix" the problem. The problem being that I'm not able to capture any video to my PC.

So....I asked to speak to Tech Support to see what they know about the issue and if a permanent fix was available or being pursued. Not much as it turned out. However, I was able to plea with them to speak directly to a engineer. They transferred me to a Sony camcorder engineer in Texas (I'm a SW engineer myself).

The engineer I spoke to was very interested in what I had to say and really wanted to find the solution to the problem. I explained the 1394 issue, what I observed, and what I have read about the HC series on this site as well as other sites. He gave me an address to mail to (directly to his attention) and his direct phone number. This pleased me.

I also told him about this site (since he asked me) so that he would be able to further investigate issues related to the 1394 port problem.

I will be sending my camcorder tomorrow to him tomorrow. I will keep you all posted on any progress that is made.