I got a 4 to 4 pin firewire cable for $3 off eBay for my XL2 & laptop. The firewire works with my laptop just fine until after a few seconds of transferring video, it freezes. My XL2 works with my desktop and 4 to 6 pin cable just fine.

Here are the specs for the firewire:

High quality (non-OEM) Firewire IEEE1394 4 pin M/M .
Data Transfer Speeds: 100/200/400 Mbps
Fully Firewire and i.LINK compatible.
Length: 4 feet
Compatible with model : PC, Window, Linux

Thanks in for your help.

Well, if it works for a while and then freezes (having worked fine with another pc) it ain't the cable.

Something is ailing your laptop, period.

Guess you better fix whatever ails the laptop then.


CS

It could be the cable as Caleb is using a 4-pin to 4-pin on the laptop and a 6-pin to 4-pin on the desktop.

It could.

However, if the failure mode is always the same, ie: - works, first time, every time, with the laptop, then stops during transfer (assuming the camera, cable & laptop are at rest and not being waived around the room) then the chances of it being the cable are pretty remote.

It seems far more likely there is something in the laptop (going into standby/ sleep mode, anti virus software, the list is almost endless) that is causing the transfer to hang.

Without more information (PC/ Mac?, same OS?, same transfer/ ingest app? etc etc) I can't narrow it any further.

Of course, Caleb COULD always go and buy yet another 4 pin to 4 pin Firewire cable ($3 isn't exactly a Kings ransom) and see if it still behaves the same, then we'd all know for sure.


CS

The laptop I'm using is an HP Pavilion Entertainment PC.
I'm using premiere elements 8 on the laptop and desktop.
I transfer video to my laptop the same way I transfer to my desktop.
I'll try another cable and see if that works.

Thanks for your help!

Of course, Caleb COULD always go and buy yet another 4 pin to 4 pin Firewire cable ($3 isn't exactly a Kings ransom) and see if it still behaves the same, then we'd all know for sure.

It would be the easist thing to do :) Once it determined that the cable isn't at fault then, you were right!