I have wired servaillence cameras I want to test on my laptop. How can I do that? These are older servaillence cameras and I want to make sure they work before I sell them.

Batteries are new but are you sure that they are good? Did you test them for voltage and amperage? Weak batteries will often not work in older digital cameras because they needs lots of power from good, strong battery.

The drivers, made for older windows versions, won't work on a Windows 7 or up machine. Not even in compatibility mode. Microsoft needed to make windows more secure, so only allows drivers in there modern operating systems when they have a Microsoft certificate. For a certificate the manufactures must use Microsoft protocols, ask Microsoft for certification, and pay for the tests Microsoft does, to check the software is correct. So no manufacturer will ask for certification of drivers for hardware they no longer sell.
Long story, but unless you can write your driver yourself, or you can find an universal camera driver (not sure something like that exists) you won't be able to use the camera. Nobody does tell you, after you update your OS you also have to buy new hardware to.

start testing wires for power an make sure that grounds are good ,older trucks tend to rott at groung connections , are ther any plugs for
towing lights ? may be ? chafed wires ? shorted light socket or prongs
on bulbe grounding

Since the flash is working on test, it means the connection to the camera via the hotshoe is not working. With the flash on and ready light showing that the flash has charged, take a small thin copper wire and short between the the metal spring on the side of the hotshoe (in the slot) and the round metal contact tip of the hot shoe. This should cause the flash to fire if the internal connections to the shoe are working.
If the shoe is working then it must be the camera that is not working. Many modern digital cameras cannot fire older flashes directly, because the voltages on these older flashes are too high. This could damage the camera or if the camera has protection against the high voltage, that will make it impossible to fire the flash. In that case you need an adapter. These are available cheaply. You should try borrowing a modern flash to test that your camera is still working and has not been damaged, if it is a modern electronic camera.

Yes, on the older bikes, you have a black wire that is ground. A yellow wire that is for the low beam and two white wires, one for the high beam and one for the high beam indicator light. This the way the older bikes are anyway.

Take a test light and figure which one is which. Turn the ignition on where the headlight should be on. Make sure the light switch is in "LOW" beam. Use the test light to find the "hot" wire. The turn the light switch to "HIGH". One of the two wires that is the same color should go "hot".
The remaining wire is the ground wire.

I hope this helps,

Good Luck
Steve

I would recommend two solutions. Both are cost effective. First if you want to record the image of the person doing this go out to a sporting good store and buy a "deer camera". Many hunters use these to view wild game near their tree stands. This is a self-contained unit that uses an infrared motion detector to detect a moving object and then records it digitally. You would remove the "data chip" from the camera and then plug it into a computer to view the results. A second solution is to buy a remote wireless driveway alarm. Again the unit has an outdoor motion detector that you mount outside. It then transmits a wireless signal to a receiving unit that you plug into an electrical outlet inside your home. The receiver has a built-in chime that alerts you when someone walks or drives their vehicle up your driveway. One company that makes a driveway alarm is Optex. Both systems can be purchased from $75 to $150. Hope this helps and good luck.

There are some different specifications for SD cards out there, so make sure that you're using the proper type of SD card, particularly if your card is older than the camera. You might want to go online and look at the Wikipedia site on Secure Digital cards. There is a very good dissertation on the different types there. Look at the instruction manual for the camera, and note the specs for the card and try that type in the camera. If you have the right card, send the camera back for service. But before you do, you should test the card. A test, although not defifitive, is to plug it into your laptop (if available) and see if it mounts as a drive. (Laptops are good at reading all types of SD cards.) Good luck.

1. Test the CF card on your computer or another camera. If it works fine then it may not be the card. Make sure the card is not UDMA, 4GB or more in memory size since those new big cards are not compatible with the older cameras.
   
2. Look inside the CF port. Make sure that none of the contacts that connect the camera and CF card are bend of smashed flat. If so then the camera will have to be send off for repair. This is a rather expensive repair, $250 is not uncommon.
3. I it is neither of these then take the camera to a local camera shop and ask them to look at it. It may need to be sent off, but testing another brand card, or resetting the camera or checking for physical defects couldn't hurt at this point.
   

This camera is compatible with vista and you dont need any software for this camera to work on vista, its plug in play device. When you connect the camera to your computer it should show up as removable disc under my computer. If its not showing up please try connecting the camera into different usb port and make sure your laptop is fully charged.It will work.

1 Is the charger unit OK? Connect a voltmeter to the camera plug to test the voltage. While connected, wiggle the wire at both ends to test if it is broken. If not OK, replace charger unit.

2 Is the battery OK? Test battery voltage with voltmeter. Connect crocodile clip leads to the voltmeter probes and a good charger. (A cut paperclip can be inserted into the center connection of the charger.) Check that meter reading is positive, and then hold meter probes on the battery terminals, making sure polarity is correct! Voltage should drop immediately, and then start to slowly but steadily rise after after a few seconds. No change with a flat battery indicates battery failure. Replace battery.
3. If both charger and battery are good, then problem is with camera. There are no user serviceable parts inside the camera, and as with laptop computers, it will probably be more economical to buy a new product, and take advantage of the always cheaper prices of newer and better models.