20 Most Recent Panasonic Palmcorder PV-GS15 Mini DV Digital Camcorder Questions & Answers

Take the tape out to keep it safe, then remove the battery for 24 hours.

1. The software is not required - if you have Windows Movie Maker that will work just as well.
2. It does require the DV (firewire) connection. USB connection creates a master-slave interface for "copy and pasting" or transferring low-frame video content (web-cam) or significantly compressed video w/ special drivers. This camcorder records digitally and requires a digital to digital peer-to-peer interface which the firewire connection allows for.
3. For those looking for Vista USB drivers - there are none from the manufacturer. Vista and XP have adequate native drivers for plug and play - camcorder should work just by plugging it in. If it's not recognizing, it could be a number of things:
-bent or broken USB pins
-inactive USB controller
-erroneous system drivers for USB
-camcorder is not plugged into AC power or is not on
-hotsync manager software from cellphones and PDA interference.

My PV-GS15 was calling for the "RESET" button to be pushed, playing with blue stripes, or even playing an entirely blue screen with multiple tapes. Giving it a good smack on the bottom while trying to play a tape got it working again. This indicates a poor solder joint to me. If you're about to trash it or send it off for repair, don't be afraid to beat on it a little bit. "Impact adjustment" is a well-known temporary fix for televisions. The smack reconnects the solder for a time.