windows xp downlaods for vista

[Guest]

i have windows vista, and i'm looking to buy a webcam for my computer. but as
i read the description of the webcams, they say 'minimum: windows xp'.
what im basically asking, is even if the stuff i install on here, was
designed for a maximum of windows xp... can i still install it on a vista
computer, and it still work?

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Erik;
Probably.
But you should ask the manufacturer, you may need Windows Vista
drivers.

You could post specifics of a particular camera to the
windows.vista.hardware newsgroup.
Someone there may have 1st hand experience with your particular
camera.

 

[BigJim]

I would find a webcam you want to purchase and go to the manufactures web
site to see if there are drivers for vista before you purchase it.

 

[Guest]

thanks, to be honest, im not too good on the names of computer items....

what exactly is a windows vista driver?

 

[Guest]

whats a driver...

I would find a webcam you want to purchase and go to the manufactures web
site to see if there are drivers for vista before you purchase it.

 

[xfile]

Hi,

My 2 cents:

device driver
n. A software component that permits a computer system to communicate with
a device. In most cases, the driver also manipulates the hardware in order
to transmit the data to the device. However, device drivers associated with
application packages typically perform only the data translation; these
higher-level drivers then rely on lower-level drivers to actually send the
data to the device. Many devices, especially video adapters on PC-compatible
computers, will not work properly-if at all-without the correct device
drivers installed in the system.

Source: MS Computer Dictionary, 4th edition (very old one).

So you need to check if they provide drivers specifically for Windows Vista.

Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Guest]

To be completely sure, before you buy it, check on the webcam box for a
Vista Logo..

 

[dean-dean]

I would look for one that specifically states it will work on Vista.
"Minimum: windows XP" is vague and evasive at this stage of the game. Vista
has been out long enough for the manufacturer to have updated the hardware's
description, if it were truly compatible with Vista. It's only html, after
all. Find a manufacturer that seems to keep abreast with relatively current
software (driver) for their webcam (device).

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

A piece of software that interfaces between the hardware and operating
system.
Just about all manufacturers have drivers available on their website.
You need to be sure a Windows Vista driver is available.
If the website says nothing about Windows Vista, assume the camera
will not work with Windows Vista.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

whats a driver...

Here's a simplified description:

A driver is a piece of program code that provides the specific support
for a piece of hardware.

I'll use the example of a printer driver. There are many thousands of
different printers manufactured, by different companies, and each of
these printers needs to be communicated with using the specific code
it was designed for. If all of these thousands of different pieces of
code were incorporated within Windows, Windows would be many times
bigger than it is now, and would also constantly be going out of date
as new printers hit the market.

So that's not what happens. Windows doesn't talk directly to the
printer but to a little piece of software sitting between Windows and
the printer itself. That piece of software is called a "driver." Each
printer manufacturer writes a driver for Windows when he releases the
printer, and each user of that printer has to install that driver. So
you have the driver installed for your printer, brand A, model X, and
I have the driver installed for my printer, brand B, model Y. The
interface between Windows and the driver is the same, but the
interface between the driver and the printer is different for each
printer.

But it's slightly more complicated than that. I said that the
interface between Windows and the driver stays the same, but that's
only for one version of Windows. If you change the version of Windows,
you need a driver capable of talking to that new version of Windows.
So each piece of hardware needs several drivers, one for each version
of Windows it can work with.

Generally when a new version of Windows comes out, the hardware
manufacturers write new drivers to make their devices work with it.
But if you have an old printer (or any hardware device), when a new
version of Windows comes out, the Manufacturer may not bother writing
a new driver because so few people still use it. Conversely, if you
have very new hardware, the manufacturer may not have yet written a
driver for it to be used with the latest version of Windows.

A piece of hardware without a driver for your operating system is
useless.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

i have windows vista, and i'm looking to buy a webcam for my computer. but as
i read the description of the webcams, they say 'minimum: windows xp'.
what im basically asking, is even if the stuff i install on here, was
designed for a maximum of windows xp... can i still install it on a vista
computer, and it still work?

Maybe, but there's definitely no guarantee that it will. Unless the
manufacturer/vendor specifically states that the device and software is
fully Vista-compatible, I wouldn't buy it.


--

Bruce Chambers

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