SKJM Forum

Support => iCam Support => : allen456 August 27, 2009, 06:02:26 PM

: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 27, 2009, 06:02:26 PM
I click the icon and get the Preferences window.  The HP Pavillion Webcam is selected as is "No Audio" (I tried the sound card too but it made no diff).  When I click the start button I get the blue light indicating that my webcam is working then after a short wait I get the following message:

iCamSource.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close.  We are sorry for the inconvenience. 

When I look at the error signature it says:

AppName: icamsource.exe      AppVer: 0.0.0.0     AppStamp:4a8480d7
ModName: qedit.dll      ModVer: 6.5.2600.5512      ModStamp:4802a0ff
fDebug: 0       Offset: 00026891

The error report says it's an exception, code 0xc0000005

This happens every time.  I'm running XP, SP3.  Yes, I have rebooted.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 28, 2009, 01:10:31 AM
Is your webcam a built-in, and have you installed the latest drivers?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 28, 2009, 07:58:47 AM
Yes and yes.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 28, 2009, 04:17:22 PM
I am assuming that the webcam works with other applications, correct?

You could also try installing these iCamSource prerequisites to see if that has any affect:

Visual C++ Redistributable Package: http://skjm.com/icam/vcredist_x86.exe
.NET Framework: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=333325FD-AE52-4E35-B531-508D977D32A6&displaylang=en
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 29, 2009, 07:18:14 AM
It works with Amcap. HandyAVI, SparkCast and DeepSkyImaging.  I have already run the C++ Resdistributable Package.  I have not run the .NET Framework update because I am already running .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 with two Hotfixes.  Re-updating would not be a trivial action as MS says you should do a complete removal of the old installation first and I have concerns about messing things up for my existing applications (I do a lot of video astronomy).
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 29, 2009, 11:04:55 AM
Thank you for that additional information.

When you say that it stops working "after a short while" how long is that approximately? Do you ever see the video stream show up in the iCamSource preview window? How is your webcam described in the Video drop-down list, and are there any other items in that list? Are there any other applications that are attempting to use the webcam at the same time, possibly causing the iCamSource to "fight" over it?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 29, 2009, 12:49:02 PM
The wait between clicking the Start button and getting error message is about 10 sec.  When I click the Don't Send button on the error message, the app closes immediately.  I never see a video stream (although the blue light for the webcam does come on) but the view screen does turn from gray to black.  The webcam is described in the drop=down list as "HP Pavilion Webcam", same as in other apps.  The only other thing in the box was "Hauppage WinTV PVR USB2 Encoder" but depowering it and taking it out had no effect.  Windows Task Manager only shows Mozilla Firefox and iCamSource Preferences 1.3.5 running and, unless I click Start, the blue light is not lit.  I do notice under Procesesses (in Task Manager) that there are three instances of iCamSource.exe running.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 29, 2009, 12:51:47 PM
I closed the app, killed the three processes and tried the app again.  Same problem but when it closed the processes disappeared as it should have.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 29, 2009, 05:46:26 PM
That sounds odd ... Are there multiple iCamSource processes running when you have launched only one instance of the iCamSource?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 29, 2009, 08:03:41 PM
Like I said, after the app closed I still had 3 processes.  I killed them and then tried again.  This time I only got one process and when the app crashed it closed like it was supposed to.  In other words I couldn't repeat the 3 process condition.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 30, 2009, 09:18:29 AM
If you have updated your drivers and installed all your Windows updates, your .Net and Visual C++ Redistributable are up to date, no other application is trying to use the camera at the same time, and it isn't an external USB camera that is plugged into a hub or extension, then that eliminates all of the common causes of problems with the iCamSource.

I wonder if you tried uninstalling that version and installing this older version if you experience the same crashing issue? - http://skjm.com/icam/iCamSetup.exe
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 30, 2009, 10:42:04 AM
I uninstalled using Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs, rebooted and ran the install from the link.  It went off without a hitch but when I opened it, my name & password were already entered and it did the same crash when I clicked Start.  Next I tried uninstalling using the uninstall.exe in the icamsource folder but when I tried to reinstall it says  it can't continue because I have an earlier version installed.  I tried again, this time deleting the folder that was created but got the same message.  Is something stuck in the registry?  Is there an ini file somewhere?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 30, 2009, 04:14:22 PM
BTW, the setup file that I got from the link says iCamSetup.exe, not iCamSourceSetup.exe  I don't know if that's relevant.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 30, 2009, 05:09:50 PM
Thank you for trying that.

If you have installed an older version and then attempt to install the latest version again, it should be able to install / upgrade over it. (It sounds like the installer was getting confused for some reason.)

If the old version was also crashing for you, then you might as well revert back to the latest version, since that is what you are going to want to ultimately get working anyway.

The iCamSource also uses DirectShow ... Is your DirectX up-to-date as well?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 31, 2009, 11:15:54 AM
OK, now you've got me.  How do I determine where and what version of DirectShow/DirectX is on my PC?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 31, 2009, 12:56:24 PM
Uninstalling is leaving a lot of stuff untouched in the Registry.  When I reinstall I have the same problem.  Is there any solution other than doing a line-by-line surgery of the Registry (always a bit risky)?
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 31, 2009, 02:56:07 PM
OK, now you've got me.  How do I determine where and what version of DirectShow/DirectX is on my PC?

Is you go to Start > Run and enter "dxdiag" and click OK you will open a DirectX diagnostics tool that should, under the System tab, tell you what version of DirectX you currently have installed. You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft at: http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/aboutgfw/Pages/directx10-a.aspx
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 31, 2009, 03:04:33 PM
Uninstalling is leaving a lot of stuff untouched in the Registry.  When I reinstall I have the same problem.  Is there any solution other than doing a line-by-line surgery of the Registry (always a bit risky)?


Are you having trouble re-installing the latest version? If so, then it is an issue with either Windows or the installer software we use to package the iCamSource. Please let me know if this is the case. We may be able to put together a zip of the files you need to run the iCamSource.

If you are able to get the iCamSource 1.3.5 running again I would like you to try to connect to the following public network camera MJPEG URL instead of your Built-In webcam: http://pendulumcam1.eng.auburn.edu/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi

There is no camera login or password. Doing this may help us understand what the cause of the issue is by removing your webcam and its drivers as a possible cause.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 31, 2009, 03:18:45 PM
No I can reinstall the latest version but it still shows my old name & password (i.e., it's reading info from the Registry) and it still crashes.  I tried pasting in the URL you gave me but it leaves the Start button grayed out.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 31, 2009, 05:03:06 PM
No I can reinstall the latest version but it still shows my old name & password (i.e., it's reading info from the Registry) and it still crashes.  I tried pasting in the URL you gave me but it leaves the Start button grayed out.

I understand. The application info (your login, password) that the iCamSource saves shouldn't have any affect on it crashing when you click the Start button.

As for trying the Network camera, did you have an iCam Login and Password entered? That should enable the Start button. (You just don't need a Login or Password for the Camera itself.)
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 31, 2009, 07:34:32 PM
I didn't think that the name & password would crash the app, just that something else in the Registry might be having an effect.  There's a lot of iCam stuff in there.

I copied and pasted the URL for the camera into the URL box on the Ethernet/Wi-Fi tab.  The Camera Login I left blank and I selected the radio button for MJPEG.  I did not check the boxes for Auto-start or Port Range.  I have my Login and Password entered.  The Start button is still grayed.  I opened the URL in Firefox and can see the picture but it isn't moving even though the clock is incrementing.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 August 31, 2009, 08:24:08 PM
I check DirectX and it seemed that it was not the latest (ver. 9.0c) so I downloaded what was supposed to be the latest (Ver. 9.26.1590) and ran it.  It completed without error but dxdiag still shows 9.0c even after the reboot.  I'm starting to feel snake-bit here.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan August 31, 2009, 09:08:28 PM
I didn't think that the name & password would crash the app, just that something else in the Registry might be having an effect.  There's a lot of iCam stuff in there.

I copied and pasted the URL for the camera into the URL box on the Ethernet/Wi-Fi tab.  The Camera Login I left blank and I selected the radio button for MJPEG.  I did not check the boxes for Auto-start or Port Range.  I have my Login and Password entered.  The Start button is still grayed.  I opened the URL in Firefox and can see the picture but it isn't moving even though the clock is incrementing.

The registry entries that the iCamSource application explicitly uses can be found in HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/SKJM, LLC/iCam ... You can delete that folder and re-run the iCamSource to reset the saved settings. All the other entries that include "iCam" are either part of the installer or the operating system.

I am confused as to why the Start button would still be greyed out when entering an MJPEG URL and an iCam Login and Password. I just tried it with the latest version (1.3.5) on a relatively fresh install of Windows XP and the Start button became enabled and the iCamSource was able to connect to it.

If you could e-mail a screenshot of your iCamSource when you have the MJPEG URL and iCam Login and Password entered to support@skjm.com I would appreciate it. There may be something fundamental that we're missing here, so a screenshot might help.

Thanks for your continued patience. :)
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 September 02, 2009, 05:54:51 AM
Wow, progress.  It turns out that I do get an active Start button, it just takes a long time to show up.  This time I waited it out and I got the image.  I could even watch the clock incrementing.  This should narrow things down a lot.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: allen456 September 02, 2009, 10:57:27 AM
I think I've found something.  I installed an HP Photosmart Printer recently and when I installed the drivers they installed a bunch of other junk that I really didn't want.  I see that there is now an app called "HP Webcam" in the HP folder of Start>Programs.  This app (which is a Vimicro app) works and gives me a preview screen when I click on it.  The old icon, called "HP Pavilion Webcam" which is in its own folder in Start>Programs no longer works.  When I click the old icon, the blue light comes on and then there is a Video Preview Error saying to Please check the device connection and make sure that the device is not being used by another application or user.  The icon shortcut points to "HP Webcam 1000", a device in My Computer.  Opening it directly gives the same error.

The problem is that in all my other imaging apps (DSI, Amcap, HandyAVI, etc.) they show "HP Pavilion Webcam" and, from inside the app, it is working.  I don't know why this is so, but they predate the printer install and that may have something to do with it.  I am loath to start deleting things because I don't want to mess up my other apps.  Is there a way of editing the device selections in iCamSource to point it to the working executable?  Contacting HP Support is an all-day affair with little hope of resolution.
: Re: iCamSource activates light for built-in cam, then crashes
: Stefan September 02, 2009, 03:46:17 PM
Thank you for those updates.

If you are able to view the network IP camera then the issue is most likely with your webcam driver, as the additional information you have provided seems to support.

It seems as if the HP Printer drivers have somehow affected your built-in webcam. I would suggest going to the HP website and re-installing the drivers specifically for your webcam, as there seems to be two instances of the webcam installed, and one of them works for some things, whereas the other one does not.

The iCamSource doesn't use an executable to access the webcam ... It queries the operating system for a list of webcam devices and puts those devices in the list. The devices that the operating system returns depends on what device drivers are currently installed.