Tarotoast’s Stuff

So, I have this Logitech QuickCam® Messenger™ that I bought last summer, it’s a dual pack combo so I can put the other back at home. I recently upgraded my computer to Vista and guess what I find out:

This Camera will not work with Windows Vista. Please see our list of newer Vista compatible cameras.

This is the exact phrase I see when I tried to download driver from Logitech’s . So my first thought is that, ok, maybe it wasn’t working properly so they’d call it “will not work”. I decided to download its driver for XP and see if it will install. Following the instruction of the (32.2MB) installer, I need to restart my computer for it to finish the installation. Sure, will do. After restart, hmm, Windows still can’t find the drivers it wants, ok maybe Logitech is right, this is not working for Vista.

My laptop is running Windows XP so I don’t really bother trying to get the webcam working on Vista. The (32.2MB) file just sits there and do nothing. I later installed WinRAR because I wanted to open some supposed to be lame video a friend sent me. Guess what, since now that I have WinRAR installed, I can right click on the driver installer (qc848enu.exe) and choose to extract to folder. I don’t need a stupid little icon on my taskbar just to make sure I am aware that a webcam is installed anyway.

Now that I have WinRAR installed (I really didn’t want to install it actually), files extracted, I can try installing drivers manually. Windows Vista has more steps than XP to get to the browse-for-your-driver page. After I am there, I point the Wizard to look under the Drivers folder within the extracted files of the installer (qc848enu.exe). Guess what, Vista found all the drivers it needs and this webcam is working now.

Yeah, it should right? You can pretty much use XP’s (32bit) driver in Vista (x86) anyway. My FastTrak 376/378 driver is for 2000/XP/2003 and it’s working like what it should under Vista. Now it makes me wonder why Logitech says it won’t work?

• Geeksquad can show the message to an old granpa or grandma and charge them part and labor for getting a new webcam.
• Some know-where-to-download-driver computer newbie sees that message and will decide to get a new webcam.
• It’s technically way too difficult to have a properly written installer for this particular webcam.

Maybe, but I think this makes the most sense:

• Just say it won’t work and don’t even bother upgrading the installer so people who can’t install it will have to buy a new webcam. Yeah, go get that $120 Logitech QuickCam Orbit MP, it not only tracks your move, you also get a Vista driver installer (85MB)!!!

Well, I guess this is how you push forward to “encourage” upgrade, maybe?

Update (5/17) : Thanks for Shawn to point out that there is now a Vista ready driver that was in question.