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#1
CREATIVE webcam screws up windows and task manager
Hi, my Windows 7 64-bit PC has been running fine until I decide to attach and install the necessary drivers for the CREATIVE Live!Cam Connect HD webcam. Once I did this and opened Skype, I noticed it opened another window allowing me to change Livecam settings and so on, except that it kept freezing both it and Skype. I then found that Skype crashed and was completely unable to quit it; task manager was unable to kill the process. I also found that audacity was affected too; I was unable to start it and every time I tried, a new process would appear on the task manager (I ended up with five running before I gave up trying to open it) which wouldn't close. I was also unable to sign back into Skype again because I was apparantly already logged into it on this computer. I'm guessing that both Skype and Audacity were affected because they were both configures to use the microphone attached to the webcam.
Anyway, I did a system restore that seemed to fix the problem, until I try configuring Skype to use the webcam again (this time without all the extra junk that I had installed from the disc, hoping that it would help, which it of course didn't) and Skype and Audacity played up in exactly the same way again. But this time, I suffered a BSOD. I rebooted into safe mode and deleted absolutely every file associated with this webcam and was able to use Skype again.
Does anyone know what could be causing this? I've never been unable to kill a process before and it all seems to be related to a webcam (with attached microphone) that I paid good money for. I have a good mind to take it back and request a refund and/or replacement. I don't understand how difficult it is supposed to be for a webcam to just plug in and do its job, rather than corrupting my machine with junk I don't need or want.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar or has any ideas? Thanks.