Philips PCVC665K - Manual (Page 13)

7 Tips and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
7.1 TIPS
The camera installation
• Always use the Philips installation CD-ROM to install the correct camera drivers as described below. Do
not connect the camera to a USB port before installing the Philips drivers. If you do this, Windows98 will
try to install its own drivers, which might be less compatible with the camera than the Philips drivers. You
must have Windows98 running and have the Windows98 CD-ROM at hand.
• Your USB controller should be working correctly. You can check this in the Windows98 Device Manager
{Click on the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click Properties, then click on the Device
Manager tab). An icon with the name 'Universal serial bus controller' should be visible. Click on this icon
and Windows98 will tell you if this part of your computer system is operating correctly.
Camera performance and system requirements
In VGA resolution this digital USB PC Camera provides a very large data stream that needs to be processed in
real-time by the application you are using. Although the camera will perform satisfactorily on a Pentium 166 at
the lower resolutions, we recommend a more powerful computer, e.g. a Pentium II with 32 MB RAM, for
optimum performance at the highest resolution. We regret that optimum camera performance cannot be
guaranteed if the computer meets only the minimum system requirements.
Using more than one camera
If two or more Philips cameras of the same type - or of the same camera family - are connected to your
computer, only one of these cameras can be used at the time. Cameras that use the same Philips driver
software can not be used simultaneously on one computer!
USB
You can connect the camera to any USB port on your computer. You do not have to switch off the computer.
USB ports are 'hot-swappable', which means that you do not have to restart Windows98 every time you
connect a new USB device. The USB driver will detect the camera as new hardware. It can be used within a
few seconds without the need to restart the computer.
If you unplug the camera while it is actively providing a video stream to an application on your computer, the
computer may crash. To avoid problems, first close all applications that use video from the camera before
unplugging your Philips USB PC Camera.
Driver software check
You can determine if the camera is installed correctly, and if it is being recognized by the operating system by
checking the Device Manager menu in the System Properties.
1. Access this menu by right-clicking the 'My Computer' icon in the top left-hand corner of your desktop,
then click on Properties. Alternatively, click on Start / Settings / Control Panel, then double-click on
System to access this menu,
2. Click on the Device Manager tab to see the list of installed devices.
If the USB PC Camera has been installed correctly and it is plugged into a USB port, you should see the
following device in the list (double-click on the device to see its specifications);
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