Only one webcam?

[FrutZle]

I've been trying to have webcam chats with a friend of mine for two days now, but for some reason once her cam is started up, mine won't connect anymore.
I know my cam works, because we now turn mine on in Yahoo Messenger and she turns hers on in MSN Messenger so we can still see eachother.

I know her computer is having some problems (it's a 3 or 4 year old IBM) because it keeps freezing the webcam after some time, and it tends to freeze her MSN Messenger once the cam's frozen and she tries to restart it again. But aside from that, can you think of anything that might be causing this problem?

I'm using a Pentium4 @ 2.6GHz, 512MB RAM, running WinXP Pro with all the latest patches and updates.
She has an oldie (don't know the exact specs... she's not exactly computer savvy) but I know she uses Win98.
We both use MSN Messenger 6.

[Jeff]

Roland, sounds like she needs an upgrade! Obviously your computer is working fine. I suspect her PC is underpowered, or possibly running into bandwidth issues. What is her connection speed? I presume you've tried connecting yours first?

Since she's not computer-saavy, you might ask her to run the remote PC diagnostics available at www.pcpitstop.com
This will identify possible configuration problems, not specifically with her webcam, but with her PC in general.

[FrutZle]

Well, we managed to start a chat where we both had our cams on the other day. I started mine first, then she started hers. Unfortunately the fun lasted for only two minutes; then her cam froze again.
Next time I see her I'll ask if she can do that PC Diagnostics test. That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that Thanks.

Her computer can (or should be able to) run Windows XP since we checked the system requirements, so if that test doesn't reveal any problems, she might buy a WinXP upgrade to see if it's because of Windows 98 -- you know 98 isn't the most stable version of Windows [:P] -- but I'm afraid she'll need a brand new PC, even if WinXP will run correctly (that'd be a waste of the XP upgrade too).

By the way, I'm connected through DSL (1536 down - 256 up), she uses dial-up. It can't be her connection speed as we can run both cams without problems if she uses MSN Messenger and I use Yahoo! Messenger. We tried with her using Yahoo! Messenger and me using MSN Messenger, but Yahoo! Messenger freezes when she tries to set up the webcam -- another reason why I think it's her computer.

Last thing we've noticed: she can't move too fast or the cam will freeze. So if she has to get a CD or answer the door, it's almost certain the cam will stop working the second she stands up. It's a brand new QuickCam Messenger, so it can't be the cam that's causing the problems.

By the way, nice smilies

[Jeff]

These kinds of problems are tough to solve. Even though her computer is 3-4 years old, she still should be able to use the webcam without lockups. My computer at home is an old PII-400, and it does fine.

However, the biggest source of problems on older computers isn't really the hardware, but the software and operating system crap that accumulates over the years. It can make a lot of sense to do a clean install once a year (some recommend every 6 months). The trouble is, the average computer user really doesn't have the skill or desire to do that.

Another slightly more costly solution would be to purchase a new computer. Even the low-cost, entry-level models will be more powerful than any 3 year old PC. Chances are she won't need to purchase a new monitor, making this a pretty low-cost solution.

Ahhhh....nothing beats that new PC feeling!

[FrutZle]

lmao... I'm pretty much out of ideas. She really needs more RAM, but I don't think that alone will solve the problem. A clean install isn't really an option because she can't backup her files AFAIK.
Guess I'll just have to be the bearer of bad news and tell her a new computer is the best/surest bet.


Thanks for your help Jeff. I really appreciate it.