Pinnacle PCTV stereo suddenly stopped working, black screen in Virtual Dub

[Johnick]

Ive tried uninstalling the driver in the device manager but when I do it totally disappears from the list of devices, when I restart the PC windows just re-installs the original driver but it still doesn't work. The card it a PAL PCTV Stereo but the drivers say its NTSC, however they worked fine for years up until now. I'm using the latest drivers from Pinnacles site,

http://cdn.pinnaclesys.com/SupportFiles/PCTV%20Drivers/ReadmePCTV.htm

its considered a legacy card (Im using XP and there are no windows 7 drivers) but its always worked fine for me.

I just get a black screen now when I try and capture, I realise the card is old but it does what I want, and not to offer a sob story but I just got laid off so cant exactly splash out on a Hauppauge HD PVR just yet.

Thanks in advance

[laserfan]

Hmmm I can't tell what happened from your description, but your best bet is to try a System Restore to a point before the card stopped working.

It's been so long now since this card was current that there probably isn't even any discussion on the Pinnacle boards, though it seems to me there was an archive kept somewhere. Lemme look...well their Forum still exists and I get lotsa hits on PCTV--have you given that a try?

http://forums.pinnaclesys.com/

[Johnick]

Card was working fine one minute, I even capped this video from my 360

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_cuMp7c-Zc&feature=player_embedded

Turned off my PC that night, went to work, came home and tried to capture some more footage but just got a black screen :(

[laserfan]

...your best bet is to try a System Restore to a point before the card stopped working.
Or don't you have this turned on.

[Johnick]

Or don't you have this turned on.

Afraid not

[Mounir]

If it's a pci card you must connect it on the 1st pci slot (upper) right after the graphic card generally

[laserfan]

If it's a pci card you must connect it on the 1st pci slot (upper) right after the graphic card generallyBut he said it was working, and then it stopped working. Nothing about having tried to move it around...

The only other thing I can suggest is a complete uninstall (not just the driver in DM) and then reinstall from scratch.

And turn-on System Restore! ;)

[Johnick]

But he said it was working, and then it stopped working. Nothing about having tried to move it around...

The only other thing I can suggest is a complete uninstall (not just the driver in DM) and then reinstall from scratch.

And turn-on System Restore! ;)

The software that came with it isn't installed as it never seems to work properly, I always have to jump through a few hoops when Ive had to install it on this and my previous PC. So aside from uninstalling it in the Device manager, how would you go about uninstalling it ?.

[laserfan]

The software that came with it isn't installed as it never seems to work properly, I always have to jump through a few hoops when Ive had to install it on this and my previous PC. So aside from uninstalling it in the Device manager, how would you go about uninstalling it ?.Like you'd un-install any other software?

I can't help you since you haven't said what software you're using--I assumed it was Pinnacle's.

[Johnick]

Like you'd un-install any other software?

I can't help you since you haven't said what software you're using--I assumed it was Pinnacle's.

Sorry if ive confused you, Im not using Pinnacles software because it never works, I just install the driver from there website via the device manager or found new hardware wizard and it works. In the past all Ive done is uninstall it from the DM

[Mounir]

As far as i recall pinnacle wdm drivers aren't that good. I had a dvb-s card from pinnacle worked ok with bda drivers on XP.If the reinstall is successful (card detected) you might wanna try Dscaler as an alternative softwre which use its own drivers. Old but still relevant software , i don't like the recording part though, that's the only grief i have.

[laserfan]

Sorry if ive confused you, Im not using Pinnacles software because it never works, I just install the driver from there website via the device manager or found new hardware wizard and it works. In the past all Ive done is uninstall it from the DM
But there must be an application that you use to make recordings...from what application do you get the "black screen" from Post 1?

[Johnick]

But there must be an application that you use to make recordings...from what application do you get the "black screen" from Post 1?

Virtual Dub, tried Adobe Premier as well and got the same result

[laserfan]

Virtual Dub, tried Adobe Premier as well and got the same result
Argh, I saw VDub in your Subject header just now when coming-in here. Sorry.

I can only think that you have acquired a conflict between the driver you were using and something else that you recently installed to your PC, or maybe-just-maybe an automatic Windows update file perhaps.

If it were me I would try to ID all the files associated with the PCTV driver you were using, and eradicate them from my hard drive i.e. just uninstalling via Device Manager doesn't get rid of the driver, it still likely lurks deep in your Windows dir, just waiting for you to plug-in the card again in which case it will reinstall itself from whatever location its in. So I'd try to delete it, and (maybe) re-install it from scratch, although I'd look to see if there was a newer driver to be had for your XP OS.