Panasonic PV–GS19 firewire connection - computer can't read it

[rbenjamin]

My computer suddenly can't locate my camcorder after working fine for about a year. I've been reading about possibilities of the firewire port being broken but it's hard to imagine this would happen to so many people and the product would be so faulty. I've used it maybe 15 times in 18 months so not much opportunity for it to break. I've been reading archives here and some people mentioned the possibility of a problem with an upgrade from SP1 to SP2, and I've reinstalled/reformatted a few times. Was this ever resolved for people?

[Bjs]

Welcome rbenjamin

Well , in your travels , you should have come across the correct way to connect the device to the pc , in order to avoid common issues ... its in VERY small print ... hidden in cameras manual ... about halfway through .

1: Camera connected to its own power source ... batteries run down .
2: Set camera to correct mode and connect ieee cable .
3: Pc is off , then connect ieee cable attached to camera , to firewire port on pc .
4: Startup pc .

Removal of device is after pc shutdown .

Other ieee / usb devices are known to cause device conflicts .
Connecting device in the incorrect manner can damage camera / pc firewire port .

Mostly caused by electrical current discharge when connecting to pc .

Pci card = Try replacement
Built into motherboard = Intergrated ieee chipset is bad news
( Builtin = Get a pci ... disable onboard ieee chipset in bios)

As for the os , some help can be located here on firewire : http://kadaitcha.cx/index.html#Index

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Will reinstalling os fix problem = No chance if hardware is at fault .
Will problem be resolved in the future = Knowing ms , highly unlikely considering their past record .
Dose ms release updates that screw with systems = Yes .

Good policy : If problem stikes , use system restore (one set prior to last group of updates) , only reinstall os as last resort .

[fredfillis]

Any chance you can get hold of another firewire device (camcorder, ext hard drive etc) to verify the issue is your PC and not your camera?