07-21-2008, 12:48 PM
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Desi Club Badshah
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,272
Thanks: 51
Thanked 251 Times in 65 Posts
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Re: ~ A Tip A Day ~
21 July 2008:
Find Drivers for Old Hardware
I have an old USB webcam that I'd like to use. When I plug it in, Windows recognizes it and prompts me for drivers, but then it tells me that the CD that came with the webcam doesn't have "drivers that match my hardware." What do I do?
It sounds like your webcam was made before Windows XP came out, and as a result, the CD that accompanies it doesn't include XP-compatible drivers. This is a really common problem, particularly among the glut of USB devices that hit the market during the Windows 98 era.
Since few companies will support every product from the original date of sale until the Morlocks roam the Earth, it's possible that XP-compatible drivers may simply not exist for your device. But it can't hurt to visit the webcam manufacturer's web site and scour the Support and Downloads sections for any drivers or information for Windows XP.
Of course, the manufacturer may no longer offer any drivers for your device. The company may have gone out of business or had its assets bought up by another company. In this case, you'll have to turn to others to find a driver. Start by visiting a driver repository (the web equivalent of an auto salvage yard), such as DriverGuide (DriverGuide.com (printer drivers, cdrom drivers, modem drivers, sound drivers, mouse drivers, monitor drivers, etc.) - DriverGuide.com ) or DriverFiles (DriverFiles.net Drivers Download ). No luck? Search Google for the word "driver" followed by the name or model number of your device.
If you don't find anything, it may be wiser to simply cut your losses. Instead of spending half a day trying to get a seven-year-old webcam to work with XP, just spend the $15 on a new webcam, and use the old one as a nifty toy for your cat.
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