So, you hook up your webcam (or other digital device) via USB and you open the software that operates it, but there is no indication that your device is connected. You turn it off and turn it back on again. The light is on (showing that it works), but your computer just doesn't seem to detect it. What do you do?
This is the exact camera I had at the time.
I had this exact problem a couple of days ago. I bought a jWin EZ-cam (Model # JC-AM800). I downloaded the software on the CD that it came with. The software was just a standard video recording software. It had nothing to do with the installation of the camera. I could not figure out what was wrong. I tried to Google the answer, but did not come across any information on it. Their technical support hotline sent me running around in circles. So, I had to find the answer to the problem myself. I asked a computer expert and they told me exactly what to do. Here is what they told me:
Step 1. Open "Control Panel" on your computer. (I am running a Windows XP Operating System)
Step 2. Open "System".
Step 3. Open "Device Manager".
Step 4. Find your device. If it is attached using a USB, it will be under "Universal Serial Bus Controls". Right-click the USB port that your device is connected to (if you have more than one, it may not be easy to find the right one. Most likely it will be the one with the yellow alert with an exclamation mark in the middle) and choose "Update Driver".
Step 5. Let it run through the process of updating the driver.
Step 6. Try operating your device again. It should work.
If this doesn't work, then go back to trying to contact technical support. I don't know what else to tell you. I'm not a computer engineer, this is just what worked for me. These instructions may not work if the software on the CD that comes with device is necessary to run the device and was somehow corrupted upon installation. In that case, perhaps you should try removing and then re-installing the software. After the re-installation it should ask you to restart your computer. After you shut down your computer, connect your device and then restart it. Hopefully, your computer will detect the device at this point. If none of these work, the possibility remains that the device itself is broken (however, if a light comes on on the device, then it should be working), in that case, try to return it or see if the warranty hasn't expired yet.
Good luck!
By the way, check out some of these great deals for webcams on Amazon.