Windows 9-1-1: When You Can't Connect Your New Digital Camcorder

Every day, one of us goes out to purchase one of the stunning new digital cameras and camcorders - many of which feature a special connection called IEEE 1394 (also called Firewire on a Mac) - only to discover there is no obvious way to connect them to their Windows PC. This happens not just with cameras, but with external drives and some of the other types of today's hottest equipment.

But before you throw up your hands and take the purchase back, understand that an additional purchase, one far cheaper than a whole new PC, should get you up and running with that great new camera. The cost can be as low as $10-15 and usually about 10-15 minutes of your time. Compare that to your time spent camera shopping and this extra investment is a breeze.

While many Windows PCs today come with IEEE 1394 ports, not all do. Budget systems are the most likely not to come with the necessary hardware, but you can find systems in all price ranges that still don't offer the technology.

Yet, as long as your PC was manufactured in the last three or four years (older ones may be able to handle the addition if you can download an update to your BIOS, or the programmable part of your motherboard), you should be able to add an IEEE 1394 adapter to give you the needed ports to connect cameras and other IEEE 1394 devices. An adapter is a special printed circuit board that installs to one of the available expansion slots located on your PC motherboard. This means you have to go inside the PC to install the adapter. Even if you have never gone inside the case before, the job isn't too difficult. You just need to follow instructions and pay attention to detail.