Hey Y'all,

I'm having trouble getting the PMB software that came with my DCR-DVD108 to install on my XP system. I've searched the net and the forum, read the few threads out there and tried about everything I could find over the last 2 months. I continue to get a "cannot connect to device" or "Device not recognized" (I can't think of the exact wording right now-brain is fried) when prompted by the installation wizard to connect the camcorder via USB.

The same USB ports work fine with all of my other devices, so I can't see it being a defunct port. I'm logged on as Admin, turned off my security apps, lit candles and turned on soft music, and finally sacrificed a TRS-80 to the computer Gods. I have been forsaken.

I just want to be able to do some basic editing and authoring to the video, put it onto proper DVDs and reuse the mini DVD-RWs for the camcorder without having to cough up another bundle of cash for the privilege.

Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated.

It isn't clear, but apparently you have already installed the PMB off the CD-ROM into your computer? Now, you're trying to transfer video to the computer over USB? Well, the USB connection is for transfering still pictures, with this type of camcorder. You need to use a FireWire (i-Link) connection, through a port or capture card on the computer, for the video. If you read all the printed and online manuals for the camcorder, this should be explained.

Another tip about your recording media: It would be best to keep all your original recordings, whether on disks or tapes. If you're using a harddrive or flash-memory camcorder, this is more difficult, or impossible. But with DVDs or tape, you may regret having written-over your previous recordings. I did this during my first year of videomaking and have always wished I still had the original, unedited recordings. With a DVD camcorder, I would use DVR-R mini-disks and always keep them as the best sort of backup. The removable media is fairly cheap, while the original recordings might be priceless. There is an advantage with using DVD-RW disks, as you can do in-camera editing out in the field, but I'd still keep them with intact recordings, despite the extra cost.