Surveillance WebCam Help Documentation
Technical Support
Technical Support Options

Surveillance WebCam Software Edition

Installed Windows XP Service Pack 2
Surveillance WebCam program may exit after running thinking it is not licensed. In that case just re-register your copy of Surveillance WebCam software at our Software Registration Page.

Using XP and Hauppauge VFW Driver 3.11 and Video Freezes
Seems to happen a few XP systems.
Replace this driver with the Hauppauge WDM Driver or Universal WDM Driver.

Remote Viewing Live Video Streaming Configuration
Click on the following links to obtain extra information on how to configure Surveillance WebCam for doing remote viewing over the internet. Remote Access Configuration, and Learning How to do Remote Viewing. 

Registering Surveillance WebCam Software
After purchasing and installing Surveillance WebCam Software, please note: one needs to register their software at our Software Registration Page. - it is free no extra cost or charge.  After which a software activation key will emailed back to you. If at any time you need to re-register the software please do so at our Software Registration Page or find the link to it on our main Home Page. Thank you. 

How to Test if Video Surveillance WebCam Software by FG Engineering  is compatible with your own video capture device.

Windows Media Player Playback Speed
If Windows Media Player plays back the video captured files too fast for your liking: one can change the Playback Speed, under menu item Global Settings. Note it only effects newly created files, not older files. One can also use another video player. Download www.irfanview.com video player has adjustable playback speed, and more - might still be free software. www.snagit.com has a good video editor to grab still pictures from your video capture files and save to disk or print. Use older Windows Media Player e.g. 6.4 has good video frame positioning slider - to make active on your computer do from Windows TaskBar, Start, Run, mplayer2, then select View, Options, Formats, Select All - to make it default player on your computer.

Increase Speed of Video Capture
Video seems to run slow when capturing. The video compression codec you are using makes all the difference - use Windows Media Video 9 or MS MPEG V1 codec - installed with Surveillance WebCam. Also one can adjust Switch Faster, and Record more slider bars. 

Routers and Remote Access
To access your Surveillance WebCam program remotely through a router you might have to open ports on your router e.g. 80 or 90 for web browser access to Surveillance WebCam program and Web Server. Port 8080,8081 for video streaming depending how configured program i.e. see Configure Live Streaming in help documentation. See Surveillance WebCam Help Documentation - Remote Access Configuration - for more information.

Surveillance WebCam startup errors
When the program is first installed you get error message - that is OK, just clear the error message until program is up and running then configure the program.

If you change drivers and program hangs it may be because the the program is trying to set the video format from the old driver to the new driver. Use command line option /f

Check that your video capture drivers are installed and working.

Select Video Driver - menu item. Sometimes when a driver is installed the correct name for the driver is not displayed. Windows sometimes does not register the correct driver name under Video For Windows (VFW). Instead Windows loaded the driver under another name for the driver or replace an existing driver but kept the old driver name. Therefore when using menu item, Select Video Driver, be sure to try all the video drivers listed, to find the driver you want. Example, you loaded the Logitech driver, but Windows lists its name as a Microsoft WDM driver, yet if fact the Logitech driver is being used. Also try using menu item Video Source, select the video driver if necessary.

Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player cannot connect to the Live Video Stream. This may occur using remote web page command, Stream live video , with config file: 1. Cause - Windows Media Player is not configure correctly for making internet or intranet connection. Solution (1) make Windows Media Player 6.4 the default player. From the taskbar select Start, Run, type mplayer2, click OK. From Player 6.4 window, select View, Options, Format Tab, select All, click OK. Result Player 6.4 will be used instead of problematic Player 8, or 7. Solution (2) Configure Player 8 or 7 for Internet Connection if you can. See http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia/support.asp  article Q272487.  Using Windows Media Player 9 is also a solution here - under options set to use internet. 

Connecting to Live Video Stream
If you try to connect to the live video stream from the web browser, and the links in the Media Player do not work. Check network is configured right. Also entered your router's address in the Surveillance WebCam Program.

Video Compression Box Pops Up
when Monitoring or Recording and stays open. Solution select the right Language Settings.

Surveillance WebCam Program Stops Capturing Video or Detecting Motion
Turn Windows, Screen Saver - off i.e. set to None. Done from Control Panel, under Display. Result video will keep running. Else if Screen Saver on then video can stop. Generally. Control Panel, Power Options, Monitor can be turned off - result: screen is saved and video runs, otherwise leave monitor power on. Power Options set to always on, never sleep or hibernate. Windows XP, turn off auto log off from User Accounts, uncheck, Use the Welcome Screen. Use Switch User, or use Lock Computer to log off so program can still run and do video monitoring. See Configure Computer.

Outlook Express 6.0 or Windows Mail Settings
Under menu item Tools, Options, Security, uncheck "Warn me when other applications try to send mail as me". This will allow the Surveillance WebCam program to send an email alarm for unattended operation of the program. Otherwise Outlook will wait for you to enter ok before releasing  the email alarm.

Windows in General

Surveillance WebCam cannot Save Configuration or Write to Error Log
Re-Install Surveillance WebCam program under a primary user account on your operating system e.g. from the Administrator account. Or From Window's Explorer change security settings for EveryOne or Users, to Full Control, for the folders, c:\monitor1.

Video Freezes
Check motherboard and bus chip sets. Intel is best. Non-Intel consider getting the latest ROM BIOS upgrade for your motherboard from the manufacturer. Check video board and driver manufacturer for fixes. Or video capture card web site for fixes. Another possibility is the state of the operating system - a fresh install has helped resolve this issue twice in the past.

Use latest version of DirectX, downloadable from Microsoft web site.

Multiple Video Capture Cards or Devices
If your having problems with your VFW drivers, or your video drivers work then don't work, or get Surveillance WebCam program Err 70 InitMonitor -8, then it is possible that your video drivers and video capture devices are conflicting with each other. Loading one video driver often knocks out or renders a pre-existing one semi-inoperable. Solution: (a) disable other video drivers from Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager, Sound Video and Game Controllers, select driver, right mouse click, Disable, then reboot computer.  Especially WDM drivers and cards if using VFW drivers. You may want to consider doing a fresh reload of the driver you want to use after. (b) You might consider removing other video capture cards and drivers from the computer if still having problems. If using WDM drivers only the last WDM driver installed, will be listed under menu item - Select Video Driver. Also try using menu item Video Source, select the video driver if necessary. Generally only have one video capture device installed on your computer at any given time - avoids multiple video drivers overwriting each others files.

Windows XP

Using Hauppauge VFW Driver 3.11 and Video Freezes
Seems to happen a few XP systems.
Replace this driver with the Hauppauge WDM Driver or Universal WDM Driver.

Installed Windows XP Service Pack 2
Surveillance WebCam program may exit after running thinking it is not licensed. In that case just re-register your copy of Surveillance WebCam software at our Software Registration Page.

Windows 2000 Server

Hang on exit program if using Logitech Driver 5.5...
Occasional occurance. Cause Windows ntdll.dll deadlock - possible problem with Microsoft code or Logitech Driver 5.5.0. Solution do not use Windows Service Pack 2, since tests showed not a problem on SP1 or with no SP at all. Hauppauge driver 3.11 works fine with any service pack.   

Windows Me,98

Video Freezes after a little while with the WinTV Go PCI card. Download and try installing the older driver version 2.4 solves the problem.  Or try the Universal WDM Driver if using Surveillance WebCam.

Windows 95

ws2help.dll
Error Message, ws2help.dll not found. Message box at program startup. Cause Windows Socket 2 needs to be updated. Solution, search www.microsoft.com for Q182108 get Windows Update file w95ws2setup.exe to upgrade Windows 95.

MAPI not Installed
If try to send test email and get this error message. Cause MAPI not installed. Solution install Windows Messaging, from Windows 95 CD. Control Panel, Windows Setup, check Windows Messaging. And/or install Microsoft Outlook Express with Internet Explorer  Version 5 or greater.

Video Multiplexer

Cannot Get Mux To Switch
If using Windows 95,98 or ME, be sure to disable or remove other drivers or programs occupying or sitting on the parallel port, so the video multiplexer can access the parallel port e.g. printers or zip drives.

InstallVidMux Software
When using Windows 95,98, or Me some of the menu items for InstallVidMux software are disabled. That is OK only the menu items required for the particular operating being used are enabled. Read Help Documentation for the software.

Distorted Video
If there is any video distortion or loss of color on the displayed video through the video multiplexer, try using a  different camera - use of CCD type cameras are recommended for the video multiplexer. Some CMOS low power cameras do not work well with the video multiplexer, as well CMOS cameras produce low quality video images to start with. Use good quality CCD cameras, since most all video monitoring systems use CCD type cameras, as well CCD cameras produce excellent quality video images. Always use Regulated Power Supplies for your cameras. Use 75 ohm coax cable for cameras for best results.

Surveillance WebCam System

No Video on a Video Port
See a Blue Video Window - this means that no camera is attached to the currently selected video port which the Surveillance WebCam program is using. Can happen if using only one camera with the 4 port video capture card. If using 1 camera with our 4 port video capture card, plug the one camera into the video connector closest to the s-video video input connector on the 4 port video capture card. In the Surveillance WebCam program under menu item Global Settings, set Default Camera = 0. 
       If get blue video window when doing remote live video streaming through a web browser - just switch to a video port on which there is an attached camera. From the Surveillance WebCam Program, web  Admin Page - use command, Switch to Camera Number - to switch to an active camera attached to one of the ports of the video capture card. Then you should see video through attached camera. Otherwise if just using one camera try plugging it into another video connector on the 4 port video capture card.

Windows 2003

Loading Video Capture Drivers
If video capture driver does not get installed after you reboot the computer, go to Windows Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager, (1) highlight Multimedia Control with question mark, right mouse click, select Update Driver and follow prompts. (2) highlight Video Control with question mark, right mouse click, select Update Driver and follow prompts. Click OK if says driver does not have Windows Logo. If using drivers supplied on CD insure both the Video part of the driver gets loaded, and also that the Audio part of the driver get loaded - each gets loaded as a separate process by Windows Wizard.

Enabling Sound or Beep on Detection
You may have to enable sound on Windows 2003 if there is no sound. From Windows Control Panel, Sounds and Audio Devices, enable audio device for Windows 2003. Under Sounds, select Windows Default, under Program Events, Default Beep, set sounds=ding.wav, then save.

Windows Pocket PC 2002