I am going to show you how to add videos to your computer from your camcorder. Now of course some things may not be the same with different equipment and I am going to let you know what equipment I used but for the most part it should work with most computers and camcorders. I was able to add the videos with both windows xp and windows vista though there are some limitations with vista you can’t use the usb with the new version of windows movie maker, you will need to use a firewire cable which is a lot better quality and faster than usb so I would recommend utilizing the firewire cable if you have a firewire port.
Windows XP or Windows Vista
Computer with firewire port (optional on windows xp)
Usb port works with Windows Xp
Firewire Cable
Windows Movie Maker
My equipment
Dell Computer with Windows Xp with Windows Movie Maker
HP Laptop with Windows Vista with Windows Movie Maker version 6.0
Sony Handycam model # DCR-HC21
4 pin to 4 pin firewire cable
Now the first problem I ran into when I first started was when I connected my Usb to the camera and computer it wasn’t recognizing the camera, this took me the longest of all my problems so far and it was of course the simplest of problems. One of course was the drivers which it took me a very long time to find because I had all kinds of problems downloading it directly from sony because I don’t have the original disk and the serial #. Well if I had that I would have no need to download the drivers from their website that made me crazy, anyways I did find the usb drivers for sony dcr-hc21. The other problem after the drivers were download was I didn’t have the camera set to usb stream on the settings this really made me feel stupid after It took me hours to find the solution on google.
Ok now that I took my share of dum dum pills we have what we need to add the videos from the camcorder to the computer with windows movie maker version 6.0.
- Hook up your Usb or firewire cable to both camera and computer
- Open windows movie maker (version 6.0) and power on camcorder
- Import video screen will pop up you then can name your video and input it to a specific folder you want and save the format I save it as an avi.
- Now you can rewind to where you want to start importing and press play on camcorder then click the start import button on windows movie maker. Click stop importing when video ends.
- Then click finish and it will add the video to the folder you specified and also put into the windows movie maker and we will show you how to make changes in windows movie maker.
It is that easy once you know what the heck you are doing.
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Thanks for the info…
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After moving your videos from your camcorder to your computer, do you use any other programs for editing/video production or do you use your computer just for viewing the movies?
Hey Richard, I am just getting into videos so I haven’t done much beyond turning them into mpegs on the computer.
Thanks for the info…
Unfortunately, when I tried to install the drivers you provided for my Sony DCR-HC21 on my Vista Home Premium laptop, I got the following error message:
“USB Driver cannot be installed in the current version of Windows.”
System is still not recognizing the camera when using FireWire.
Any other suggestions?
Thx,
Brad
BTW this is my first time here and I like this post
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My first visit to the blog, just subscribed. Great guide, thank you!
the last line of this article says is all: “It is that easy once you know what the heck you are doing.” in a world of technically challenged adults, where would we be without useful video tutorials like this one? nice work. – Stephen
thanks for the info. Im also just getting into videos. I have posted a few on you tube and they took me ages. Good to see that you have some informative information to share.
thank you
It used to be more difficult when the camera came along with a cd and you had to install the driver on the computer just to plug in your camera. Now you can just download them. That’s good too because my cd drive has been broken for a couple years now lol.
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Capturing HDV from you HD cam to you pc requires the latest software. I found Sony’s Vegas Movie Studio 9 does an excellent job, although the price may turn off some people.
Hey Rich, I am just getting into videos so I haven’t done much beyond turning them into mpegs on the computer – Love your website!
Good tutorial although I am looking for instructions on how to convert HI8 tapes to DVD format rather than recoding them onto a VHS tape then pay someone else to convert it to dvd for me.
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My first visit to the blog, just subscribed. Great guide, thank you! Im also just getting into videos. I have posted a few on you tube and they took me ages.
I Always do uploading my videos from my camcorder to my computer and it really took me lifetime before I could finish it all, maybe I’m doing it the wrong way. I will try your way. thanks!
Excellent article for beginners who don’t know where to start. My father would like to read this because he’s always asking me these sort of things.
Thanks
this is one of the things that kind of drives me nuts about windows. it’s not the easiest thing to setup – this goes for cameras as well. most people want super simple in terms of setup and usage.
the other issue you have once you start doing all this is storage and backup. videos are just so giant that it gets unruly very quickly.
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Thanks for such A useful post A learned few new tips out here … thanks
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Thanks for great information. I may pick up a cam coder sometime and use your tips
This is a great tip. I find it very useful to get the video off of the recorder as soon as possible. I appreciate a post like this with a howto for getting the video off quickly and correctly.
Thanks for the information, i know there are a couple ways to get your movies onto the computer, but this one seems easier then the others i read. Do you also do your editing through the windows program or do you use a different program?
Thanks for the good step-by-step instructions. I was hoping USB3 would come along sooner. Then it should be a breeze to transfer huge video files from your camcorder to your computer.
Lot of thanks for the valuable information.I had some confusion about the transfer of videos from camera to computer. Now everything is as clear as water.
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Good tutorial although I am looking for instructions on how to convert HI8 tapes to DVD format rather than recoding them onto a VHS tape then pay someone else to convert it to dvd for me.
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Hi, nice tutorial. But if you can give more details like videos of the transaction, it would be great. I am expecting some video tutorials.
wow!
Like your detailed guide.. Like an idiot guide..
thanks for sharing.
Mine is digital camera with camcorder function…
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Thanks for your support its very helpful for me.But my camcorder stops working now I only shoots up and it can’t transfer videos to computer.
I have a kodak digital camera.When I take pictures then it works but when I select its video mode then it shows low battery but battery is full charged.what should I do to trouble shoot it.
This guide is exactly what I need since I have so much footage stuck on my camcorder from my last vacation.
This is a very good and informative how to article on transferring videos to your computer. You should make a how to video for it too…that would be great!
@ Richard Only If I had the time
Thanks
Nice article.
Youn can also copy from your camcorder to a stand alone DVD burner and then rip from the dvd to your computer. It is a slower process but if you dont have a TV card and the video is on a camcorder without a usb or is on tape it is a great way to digitalize your movies.
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I am not really a tech person and I don’t know if you, but is this method compatible with all pc?
i have a camcoder..but dint knw how to transfer them..but i liked the way u guided in this matter..great post thanks for sharing
now a days, getting videos or pictures form a camcorder or camera is easy.
firewire is still the best option to do.
thanks for sharing your ideas.
Great Tutorial on adding some video to a computer. Windows Movie Makers works well. I also like to use Quicktime Pro as well.
Hey, I’m a real amateur when it comes to using technology and especially cameras. This tutorial makes things a lot easier though. What I usually do when I cant work out how to do something is post a question on Yahoo answers – I find them really useful as well
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I just bought a brand new Lumix camera and it has a little SD card which plugs right into my computer. It makes downloading photos and videos so much faster! If you are shopping for a new camera, I’d definitely recommend you look for this feature – you laptop/PC will also need to have the right setup to be able to read SD cards…
It’s a faily easy process if you find the right USB drivers, the problem is to find one that will suit most camcorder brands.
That is very simple steps to follow. I’m glad to know this site.
Sounds like a great idea. Now I just need a new external hard drive to keep all my digitized movies!
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I am just getting into videos so I haven’t done much beyond turning them into mpegs on the computer. It makes downloading photos and videos so much faster! If you are shopping for a new camera, I’d definitely recommend you look for this feature.
Are there any windows 7 drivers available for this model?
Great step-by-step guide. I’ve never tried transferring my videos to my laptop before — from sheer laziness
— so it helps a lot to realize that it is quite simple to do so. I hope! 
This is a great blog for someone needing help with this! Very good step by step guide and easy to follow!
Helpful post. However, could be useful to update if these steps are compatible with Windows 7.
I use a FLIP and love it. The software makes it so easy to post videos and edit them. I am sure there are quite a few things it does not do but for the basics it is great.
Personally, I’ve been using the Flip Ultra HD for the past year and I love it. My only complaint is that the battery life is not long enough. I’d like more than two hours of video shooting capacity.
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Thanks i have been trying to do this with windows vista. I had same problem and needed to download drivers. I also had to download drivers for printer and anything else i wanted to use on this computer. I actualy think a older computer is easier to add videos after dealing with windows vista now.
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Nice post. Most people never realize they need to download a new driver. I found that if the computer or camera is older you need to download the latest driver. I seen people just give up and think they do not work and never look for the download.
Don’t know if off-topic but I had the exact same camcorder and it didn’t last a year until it died on me. I had it repaired and then it didn’t last another year until something else broke (this time the warranty had expired!). I used to be a sony fan but they don’t make things as they used to anymore. In any case, and probably on a more related note, do you know of any other affordable software to be used? (even though, the latest Windows Movie Maker is pretty neat, I must admit).
If you have the latest model of camcorders, transferring files from your camcorders going to your computer is easy. I am not a techie person but I’m able to do it by myself.
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@Angelique,
Yes these days, most things are almost as easy as plug in and watch. This post was written 2.5 years ago though and even in that short time frame, things have changed very much. Now I mostly just upload my photos, music etc straight from my phone into my computer. Or just share them directly to facebook.
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