Check to make sure in preferences that your correct "preview device" is selected. Simple but check it anyway.

JJK

If you mean Preferences - Video Device - Device then it is set to OHCI Compliant IEEE 1394 DV.

But underneath I get the following message:

This device supports recompression
Hot pluggable device
Device unavailable

What software did you install just before the Firewire ports stopped working? Sometimes burning software, audio or video drivers affect the Firewire ports. You might try rolling back your Audigy drivers to Win default. Also, if you installed an external Firewire drive or have another Firewire component on one of the ports, that could affect it. Lastly, disable your virus protection and see if that helps.

To be honest I now cannot remember what software was installed before the Firewire ports stopped working.

I am now beginning to feel that my best option is to re-install W2K and keep a check on what I install and if all Firewire ports still work.

It's not something I want to do but it may be my best option at this point.

Thanks for help

I don't know if Win2K allows a repair install like WinXP. But, if it does, you might try that.

I tried a repair but that just messed everything up completely so I went for a W2K re-installation.

Now I have installed most thinbgs that I had previously before Video Capture stopped and still I cannot capture on my PC with any of the 6 firewire ports. I simply get a message in The capture app in the Video Section that reports No Capture Device.

Soon I will be tearing my hair out - any suggestions, please. About the lack of capture, not my hair.

1 - Firewire Cable. Crimped the cable? Old? Cheapest way to double check is to buy a new one.
2 - Camera interface bad. Have a friend with a Firewire camera that you can test it with?

Sounds like you took the long road in determining the PC is fine. There is a possibility that the firewire motherboard processing is broken, though.

Try the above. If it still doesn't work, try to test the camera capture on a friend's PC.

Have you disabled 1394 bridge in your Network Connections?

maybe the firewire port on your camera is blown. You can check by using a different firewire device, or using that camera on another working system.

"When I plug the camera into a firewaire port on the new card I get a DV In message appear on the camera display "

Sometimes when we start troubleshooting we can have a tendancy to overlook the most obvious. I don't know your particular camera but it seems to me if you get the above message in your camera's display then your camera is set to recieve input. In other words, your camera is set to 'camera' mode and should be set to 'vcr' mode or whatever mode your camera needs to be in to view the tape's video on the camera's display.

If this has already been mentioned or if you feel insulted by such a simple suggestion then please accept my apology.

Blues

I think you are onto the right answer here... but it isn't related to whether the camera is in VCR or Camera mode... it's about wether the camera is setup to send the DV Input to the Analog output.

I know that when I need to do print to tape via my camera to a VHS deck I have to configure a menu to "DV Input".... and that tells the camera to push what is coming in via DV to the Analog outputs.

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice.

Firstly, Blues Jam: I have already tested this idea. The camera does have a setting 'A/V-DV OUT' abnd this is set to on. I have actually set it to Off then back On again. and, no, I am not insulted by your suggestion.

The reason I mentioned the DV In that is shown on the camera display was purely to show that the Firewire must be working to some extent.

fldave: I have a brand new cable that came with the Firewire port so that eliminates a cable problem.

As I do not have another PC with a Firewire port or another camera I will have to test it obn a friend's PC in the next few days.

Spot: 'Have you disabled 1394 bridge in your Network Connections?' I do not know about this - how would I go about it and why should this need to be done?

At the moment I am re-installing W2K yet again and will try to capture after only installing the MB drivers and the Video drivers. If that works then I will gradually re-install everything but testing the capture each time.

THis is long-winded but maybe neccessary to assertain the cause.(s).

Thanks again everyone and I will write back here as soon as I have tested things more.

Cheers

One further thing...

Am I correct in assuming that even without a camera connected that when you run the Sony Capture program you should still have at least one device shown in the Video menu.

I have re-installed just the video and MB drivers and the .net required for Vegas 5. I have run the Capture program and simply get the display 'No Capture Device'.

After plugging the camera in to a Firewire slot and re-running the capture program I still get the same message.

Surely this eliminates a camera fault?

But why should I not get device shown when I have two on 1394 ports on the Sound card, one on the MB and three on the Firewire card?

I am totally baffled but maybe it is something so simple I have overlooked.

1 -You need to connect a different 1394 device and make sure your computer can recognize that something is connected.
-- this will determine whether it's your 1394 card/computer. If it notices the new device... this tells you it's your camera. If it does not... it's your 1394 card/computer.

2 - Connect your camera to another computer's 1394 and see if it recognizes it.

3- For a flat fee ($269 or something) Sony will repair the 1394 connection on your camera. You'll have to contact Sony Camera Support for that.

Although your problem is not simple... the troubleshooting surely is. You should NOT have to reinstall your OS!

"Firstly, Blues Jam: I have already tested this idea. The camera does have a setting 'A/V-DV OUT' abnd this is set to on. I have actually set it to Off then back On again. and, no, I am not insulted by your suggestion."

On our camera, setting the 'A/V-DV OUT' to 'on' routes the analog input to the camera thru the Analog-Digital-Converter and directly to the DV OUT. This must be set to 'off' unless you want to use your camera as a pass-thru converter from an analog deck (VHS, etc.) or as a web cam, bypassing the tape and transport in your camera.

I assume this is a moot point since you said you turned it off and back on again but didn't say if you actually tried it in the 'off' position.

Again, I'm looking for the simple here since you've tried all the complex already.

Blues

After writing my reply I re-read the manual and realised that this should be set to off and have now done so. It has made no difference.

My next step is to use the cam on a friend's PC but that can't be done for a few days:(

Cheers

VidCap reports no DV capture device becuase it cannot find a VCR. A 1394 port is NOT a capture device, just a data port. Connect a device to that and then you have a capture device.
SPOTs comment about 1394 bridge device is only applicable to WinXP and you're running Win2K, I think you can ignore that.
To be honest rather think it's the camera that's at fault, we've had several have 1394 ports fail.
Now this is going to sound like the dumbest suggestion yet but are you certain you've plugged the cable into the camera?
No, I'm dead set serious. Two days ago I'm trying to get a DSR-30 to work with VidCap, VidCap keeps saying to device and it was right. On this deck the 1394 connector is inside a moulded well and what I thought was the plug going into the socket was in fact the body of the plug jamming in the surround. Got a difference cable witha smaller plug so the thing actually made contact and I was away.
I this is the first time you've plugged in a 1394 cable to this camera maybe, just maybe, you haven't got the plug all the way in.
Normally Windoz (even Win2K) will give a Ding and announce it's found a new device when then pins make contact.
Bob.

I've not been able to get to my friend's PC yet but I have tried to Print To Tape and notice that when I plug the Firwire cable into the PC & camera I get the message DV IN on the camera yet, I get the Device is not connected when I attempt to Print To Tape.

This is confusing me. Surely, if I get the DV IN message then the Firewire connection is working OK but clicking on record on the camera has not effect.

The capture and PTT on the camera prveiously worked as I have done both.

Some Sony cameras have an output jack that looks almost like the firewire jack for output to a tv. Make sure you are not trying to plug into that jack instead of the firewire.

JJK