Webcam drivers problem

I bought a cheap usb webcam from e-bay (shaped like a penguin! - it is for my daughter, honestly).

Somehow I have lost the cd that came with it and have no drivers for it. There are no makers marks anywhere on the device and when I plug it in, i get no indication of who made it.

Can anyone tell me if there are generic usb drivers available, or do i need the correct ones - or better yet, has anyone bought a similar device and can e-mail me the drivers?


Thanks

 

Grunty, how about doing a google search for "usb webcam penguin" or something to start off with, to see if you can identify your webcam that way? Then maybe we can hunt for the drivers from there. For instance, is it an actual plush penguin webcam (http://www.dvd-supply.com/cambuarpeplt.html), or is it hard plastic with a shape that's just reminiscent of a penguin?

 

Grunty, you don't say what version of Windows. If you have no luck, try removing the drivers in Device Manager. In 98se I have had some success by removing USB hardware, reinstalling or updating drivers.

Check for updated motherboard/chipset drivers. Installing those may make Windows reinstall the...errr... "Plush Penguin" drivers (can't help it) Edit: my daughter likes plush toys, I do my best to avoid them

Matt

 

Thanks for your replies,


The O/S is XP Pro. I had a look at the plush penguin site and it definitely isnt one of those, although if there are downloadable drivers I may give them a go. The one I have bought is a hard plastic model and is listed on ebay as "Cool Design USB WebCam 350K Pixel 640*480 Resolution D4 ". They also do a model that is shaped like a pink duck (aaaahh) - but i suppose the innards will be the same.

Because they are shipped direct from china, i suspect I will not have much luck, but if someone else has bought one, maybe they could send me them.

I did a search and only get pointed back to ebay.

I have never installed the device yet so it wont be listed in device manager, but sometimes the install process is clever enough to list the device manufacturer when it is first detected - not in this case though.