Earlier this year, I purchased this camera for a Win98 machine, and was very pleased. I had it up and running in five minutes, and for the price, the clarity and performance under less-than-optimal lighting conditions were remarkable. The bundled software was a good value, too. So then (the plot thickens) I bought it for a Win2K machine, not realizing the camera, in August of 2001, wasn't Win2K-ready. The website provided Win2K drivers which allowed the camera to work (I tested it with Netmeeting and a demo version of Webcam32), but the performance was greatly disappointing. The camera flickered like a dying monitor, and the focus was muddy. I reluctantly returned the camera (feeling at loose ends due to the negative reviews on Amazon of nearly every other webcam except the discontinued 3Com!).
The Intel website notes that the software package for Win2k will be available on Sept 17. I liked this camera so much on the Win98 machine that if the software really does become available, I might buy it again from a company with a respectable return policy (like Amazon), and hope that the flickering was truly a mechanical problem and not a permanent Win2K conflict. I may also look for an updated video-card driver, just in case an old driver compounded the performance issue.
Conclusion? If you have Windows 98, go for it. Excellent quality for the price, and a no-brainer to set up. If you have Windows 2000 and you're interested in this camera, wait til Intel delivers on producing its software bundle for the Win2k platform, then buy it from a place that has a consumer-friendly return policy.
Earlier this year, I purchased this camera for a Win98 machine, and was very pleased. I had it up and running in five minutes, and for the price, the clarity and performance under less-than-optimal lighting conditions were remarkable. The bundled software was a good value, too. So then (the plot thickens) I bought it for a Win2K machine, not realizing the camera, in August of 2001, wasn't Win2K-ready. The website provided Win2K drivers which allowed the camera to work (I tested it with Netmeeting and a demo version of Webcam32), but the performance was greatly disappointing. The camera flickered like a dying monitor, and the focus was muddy. I reluctantly returned the camera (feeling at loose ends due to the negative reviews on Amazon of nearly every other webcam except the discontinued 3Com! ). The Intel website notes that the software package for Win2k will be available on Sept 17. I liked this camera so much on the Win98 machine that if the software really does become available, I might buy it again from a company with a respectable return policy (like Amazon), and hope that the flickering was truly a mechanical problem and not a permanent Win2K conflict. I may also look for an updated video-card driver, just in case an old driver compounded the performance issue. Conclusion? If you have Windows 98, go for it. Excellent quality for the price, and a no-brainer to set up. If you have Windows 2000 and you're interested in this camera, wait til Intel delivers on producing its software bundle for the Win2k platform, then buy it from a place that has a consumer-friendly return policy.