TransWikia.com

Is it possible to use an old "Labtec webcam plus" (Labtec is now Logitech) on Windows 10 (both 32bit and 64bit)?

Super User Asked on December 27, 2021

This is how it looks:

enter image description here

Source: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-961399-0403-Labtec-Webcam-Plus/dp/B0009N53ZA

  • Labtec was bought by Logitech in 2001.

  • When plugged in, the device is understood as "Camera", but I cannot get the driver automatically. The name is USBVID_046D&PID_092B5&2cbeefac&0&3.

  • The last driver I accidentally see during short research is for Windows ME (and probably not available anymore, and offered on strange driver websites which I would rather not use at all).
    The most recent and last driver that still worked on Windows ME was probably "Labtec WebCam 10.5.1", see https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/using-a-labtec-webcam-with-windows-10/cfdb600c-d024-4446-bf01-d8bf827e2c8b, which would be based on Windows 98 ;))))

  • I have risked a download of "Labtec WebCam 10.5.1" from https://labtec-webcam.soft32.com/free-download/?nc&dm=2, it is clean according to Windows Defender, and the installation menu plausibly refers to Logitech. I got the message that the driver is not compatible with my current system. I use Windows 64bit.

enter image description here

Could it be that newer Logitech drivers can also be used, or is there any other workaround? I am interested in a solution for both Windows 10 32bit and 64bit.

2 Answers

EDIT2 (by the asker): The old <=2001 Labtec camera can be used on both Windows 32bit and 64bit in any program


You may try alternative drivers. You would have to identify the chipset your Webcam uses.

As an example, I have two old webcams (different brands) which use the chipset OV511. The latest drivers available are for Win XP, so I was out of luck. There are drivers for Linux, though, so there is still some possible use for them.

While looking for an answer to my issue, I came across a post from someone who had an old webcam with OV519 (too bad it was not OV511), for which there were no supported drivers. Nevertheless, he found drivers for other webcams, with the same chipset, that worked under Win 7. Quite a few people acknowledge in the comments below the post that the procedure resuscitated their old webcams.

It requires some digging.

Useful? : http://deviceinbox.com/drivers/1262-labtec-webcam-driver.html

EDIT: Maybe some of this, or similar Google searches, help you.


EDIT2 (by the asker): Though I have asked the question, it is best to report inside this accepted answer and add some screenshots. I used the help of the second link, the results are OK, it is worth the effort (!) and real "Arcade" fun (!!).

(I imagine that this could also be fun for children to play with, calling myself was already weird / surreal fun)

Perhaps calling in a serious meeting adds some fun as well without a high resolution cam. You even look younger and better, seriously :), because everything is smoothened and friendly. And you do not feel so much exposed in any detail anymore. This low level quality could even be better than high resolution for privacy reasons, it adds easiness. Some users might not like being recorded by a high-resolution camera for hours, and this is a funny workaround.

The steps:

Install the 64bit program. In the end, it says that the setup is not compatible with the system, but at that point, the program is already extraced with all needed files to C:Program Files (x86)LabtecWebCamWebInstall

After right-click on the setup.exe, in Properties, change to:

enter image description here

Only the compatibility mode of Windows Vista worked. Windows 98 / ME, Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows XP did not work. Surprisingly, Vista is the bridge between "old and new 64bit world".

Then you install the program by running setup.exe. You will not need any extra driver file or driver installation, it is all done by the program.

The program supports some selected programs.

enter image description here

Luckily, you can also use the camera outside of this selection, the zoom test meeting worked, https://zoom.us/test, inviting myself on my mobile phone, sound and video working fine (after configuring my micro with Boost microphone input, as a side-remark).

The old Labtec camera zooms in quite strongly, which is needed to reduce the effects of a too low resolution, the rest is OK. For the following picture, the lenses of the mobile phone and of the Labtec camera were right next to each other, this is a screenshot of my iPhone.

enter image description here

Result: Taking quite some time here has paid off for the community, hopefully more people will find out about this, many thanks to @sancho.sReinstateMonicaCellio. Happy playing!

Answered by sancho.s ReinstateMonicaCellio on December 27, 2021

There is no workaround.
There are many vendors that made webcams back in the day based on the same (or very similar) chipset. They all used the same basic drivers, rebranded for whatever brand sold the camera.
(I used to work for one of those back then.)

The Windows 95/98/Me drivers were very low quality and often unstable.
They used all sort of software shortcuts that "sort of" worked in Windows 9x but that were not possible in Windows NT based operating systems.

By the time Windows XP (the first widely adopted consumer OS based on Windows NT) was released (2001/2002) newer camera chipsets were already available that had better video quality/resolution and decent XP support straight from the chipset vendor.
It just wasn't economical for the vendors (of chipsets and cameras) to develop new XP drivers for their already obsolete products.

Even if there was a driver: Image quality is awful.
The resolution at 352x288 maximum is tiny on a modern computer. (The 640x480 still image is software generated by the driver and isn't "live" video.)
And the color quality is quite bad too. That didn't really matter back then when most people used a 14"or 15" CRT screen as monitor, but with todays LCD screens it will give you a headache just looking at it.
To give you an idea: The quality is comparable (at best, often worse) than looking at a 40 year old VHS video-tape on a modern TV.

Answered by Tonny on December 27, 2021

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question

Get help from others!

© 2024 TransWikia.com. All rights reserved. Sites we Love: PCI Database, UKBizDB, Menu Kuliner, Sharing RPP