How To: Make Logitech c920 cam work in Win8 CP

[NewbieTechGodII]

I recently bought a pair of c920 webcams for me and my SO. She's rolling with Win7 Pro x64 and I'm sportin' the Win8 CP x64.

When I went to install the Logitech software for my cam on my Win8 machine, the installer would tell me that the OS was not compatible, and it quit.

Logitech won't address this issue and will delete any thread which shows owners how to get the hardware they spent their own money on to work.

So without further delay, here is how I got it to work:

1. Get 7-Zip or other comparable product on your system
2. Right-click on the Logitech software and choose 7-Zip-> ' Extract to "(filename)\" '
3. Double-click on the new folder 7-Zip creates (it will be in the same folder as the installer and named the same)
4. Open the Setup config file with a text editor

NOTE: In my earlier post, I had completely left-out a section of the modified Setup config file. I have corrected myself here:

5. Locate this section (nearly at the end):

;Arial="Arial"
;-----------------------------------------------------
; Conditions:
;-----------------------------------------------------

[Never]
Evaluate = 0

[Is_NewerVersionInstalled]
Evaluate = (0==IsNewerVersionInstalled("13.40.1000"))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_NEWERVERSION_DETECTED
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError = false

[Minspec_OK]
Evaluate = ((ProcSpeed() > 1000) && (MemorySize() > 256) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 100) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 50))
AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[VFX_Minspec_OK]
Evaluate = ((ProcSpeed() >= 1400) && (MemorySize() >= 512) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 200) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 50))
AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[Minimum_Requirements]
Evaluate = (MemorySize() > 256) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 100) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 50) && (BatteryLevel() >= 20) && (VerCompare(2,"5.1.2600","2.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"6.2.0","0.0"))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_MINREQ
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[RestartCheck]
; checks for pending restart
Evaluate = !RegValExists("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce","<GUID>")
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_PENDINGRESTART
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[BPG_check]
; verifies BPG?
Evaluate = !( MSIProductInstalled("{97B56D25-365E-4BD6-BD70-2C3FAE3B279D}") || MSIProductInstalled("{02AA7A88-8E33-4E11-91D2-41FD559E11B6}") )
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_BPG
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[Supported_Languages]
Evaluate = true
;langcode == "CHS" || langcode == "CHT" || langcode == "DAN" || langcode == "DEU" || langcode == "ELL" || langcode == "ENU" || langcode == "ESP" || langcode == "FRA" || langcode == "ITA" || langcode == "JPN" || langcode == "KOR" || langcode == "NLD" || langcode == "NOR" || langcode == "PLK" || langcode == "PTB" || langcode == "PTG" || langcode == "RUS" || langcode == "SVE" || langcode == "TRK"
;AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[Chinese_only]
Evaluate = ((langcode == "CHS") || (langcode == "CHT"))
NonFatalError = true

[BattLevel_check]
Evaluate = BatteryLevel() >= 20
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_BATTLEVEL
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[FreeMemCheck]
; verify free memory is >= 50MB
Evaluate = MemoryAvailable() >= 50
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_MEMORY
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[HDDCheck]
; verify disk space on primary Windows partition >= 150MB
Evaluate = AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 150
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_DISKSPACE
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[OS_Future]
; detect future OS
Evaluate = VerCompare(2,"0.0.0","0.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"7.0.0","0.0")
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_NEWOS
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[OSCheck_xpsp2_thru_70]
; verify OS is XP SP2 through a future 7.0 version of Windows.
Evaluate = (VerCompare(2,"5.1.2600","2.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"6.2.0","0.0")&&(SystemEnum()<14))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_OS
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[ProcCheck]
; checks CPU >= 1GHz
Evaluate = ProcSpeed() >= 1000
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_SLOWCPU
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true


[USBCheck]
; detect support for USB devices
Evaluate = USBHubCount() >= 1
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_USB
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[XP_Only]
Evaluate = (SystemEnum()==7)||(SystemEnum()==8)

[Vista_Only]
Evaluate = (SystemEnum()==9)||(SystemEnum()==10)

[VID_Selected]
Evaluate = (1==Logi_checkbox_01)

and replace with this (save and close the file after you do):

;Arial="Arial"
;-----------------------------------------------------
; Conditions:
;-----------------------------------------------------

[Never]
Evaluate = 0

[Is_NewerVersionInstalled]
Evaluate = (0==IsNewerVersionInstalled("13.40.1000"))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_NEWERVERSION_DETECTED
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError = false

[Minspec_OK]
Evaluate = ((ProcSpeed() > 0) && (MemorySize() > 0) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 0) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 0))
AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[VFX_Minspec_OK]
Evaluate = ((ProcSpeed() >= 0) && (MemorySize() >= 0) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 0) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 0))
AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[Minimum_Requirements]
Evaluate = (MemorySize() > 0) && (AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 0) && (MemoryAvailable() >= 0) && (BatteryLevel() >= 0) && (VerCompare(2,"5.1.2600","2.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"9.2.0","0.0"))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_MINREQ
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[RestartCheck]
; checks for pending restart
Evaluate = !RegValExists("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce","<GUID>")
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_PENDINGRESTART
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[BPG_check]
; verifies BPG?
Evaluate = !( MSIProductInstalled("{97B56D25-365E-4BD6-BD70-2C3FAE3B279D}") || MSIProductInstalled("{02AA7A88-8E33-4E11-91D2-41FD559E11B6}") )
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_BPG
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[Supported_Languages]
Evaluate = true
;langcode == "CHS" || langcode == "CHT" || langcode == "DAN" || langcode == "DEU" || langcode == "ELL" || langcode == "ENU" || langcode == "ESP" || langcode == "FRA" || langcode == "ITA" || langcode == "JPN" || langcode == "KOR" || langcode == "NLD" || langcode == "NOR" || langcode == "PLK" || langcode == "PTB" || langcode == "PTG" || langcode == "RUS" || langcode == "SVE" || langcode == "TRK"
;AutoRemove=true
NonFatalError = true

[Chinese_only]
Evaluate = ((langcode == "CHS") || (langcode == "CHT"))
NonFatalError = true

[BattLevel_check]
Evaluate = BatteryLevel() >= 0
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_BATTLEVEL
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[FreeMemCheck]
; verify free memory is >= 50MB
Evaluate = MemoryAvailable() >= 0
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_MEMORY
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[HDDCheck]
; verify disk space on primary Windows partition >= 0MB
Evaluate = AvailableDiskSpace(programfiles) >= 0
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_DISKSPACE
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[OS_Future]
; detect future OS
Evaluate = VerCompare(2,"0.0.0","0.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"9.0.0","0.0")
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_NEWOS
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true

[OSCheck_xpsp2_thru_70]
; verify OS is XP SP2 through a future 7.0 version of Windows.
Evaluate = (VerCompare(2,"5.1.2600","2.0",SysVer(),ServPackVer(),"9.2.0","0.0"))
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_OS
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[ProcCheck]
; checks CPU >= 1GHz
Evaluate = ProcSpeed() >= 000
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_SLOWCPU
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE
NonFatalError=true


[USBCheck]
; detect support for USB devices
Evaluate = USBHubCount() >= 1
MessageId = #IDS_WARNING_USB
MessageTitleId = #IDS_WARNING_TITLE

[XP_Only]
Evaluate = (SystemEnum()==7)||(SystemEnum()==8)

[Vista_Only]
Evaluate = (SystemEnum()==9)||(SystemEnum()==10)

[VID_Selected]
Evaluate = (1==Logi_checkbox_01)

6. On the ribbon interface, open up a command prompt as administrator to the folder where this folder is located
7. Type MSetup.exe, and press enter, the installer should now complete all steps

Installation Notes:
-Earlier I mentioned that I didn't remember if I typed MSetup.exe OR Setup.exe. I have re-run the installer and confirmed it is MSetup.exe. (Don't type that final period after the .exe)

-Typing /sgc at the end of the command (i.e. MSetup.exe /sgc), is SUPPOSED to disable all checks, but it doesn't, hence the need to modify the Setup config file.

-If you're still running into trouble, reset your CPU back to its stock speed (if it's overclocked), empty all temporary files, and then shut your system down. Turn it back on and try again.

-I have decided to include the ENTIRE [Conditions] section of the modified config file just in case I might have missed something else!

c920 Usage Notes:
-If you didn't already know, setting your cam's resolution above 480 will disable some features and if you have it set to mirrored, it will revert to normal despite your mirrored setting. You will also will not be able to change between normal and mirrored in resolutions above 480 or use the visual effects. Logitech is apparently aware of this since it also occurs in Win7.

-Yahoo! messenger does not yet use the H.264 pin call, so when you broadcast on your cam and Yahoo! displays that little screen on your desktop, the video will lag like hell.


I hope this all works out for you guys...if you make some mistakes to the Setup config file, you can simply re-extract the files to the same folder and replace all.

BTW, if this works out for you, I would greatly appreciate any Kudos or having this selected as Best Answer, etc.!

 

[txzman]

Thanks for the solution. However I followed all the steps and got the installer to run. But for some reason it's giving me a warning message 3x that my system is below minimum requirements and then exits.

I am running an ASUS Rampage MB with core i7 and 6 Gb RAM. ANy ideas? Thanks!

JP - Dallas

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

I know exactly what you're talking about when you mention those three consecutive warnings about the system not meeting minimum requirements! I have a i920, 12GBs RAM, and three VelociRaptors in RAID0, and I was still seeing that! Sheesh!

I have figured out what happened- I completely left off a section of modified code- sorry about that! After I get this posted, I will redo my original post and make some further comments!

 

[txzman]

Thanks! Worked like a charm! Much appreciate your talent and fast response to help others out!

It's Amazing that a talented end-user can do what Logitech's entire software team cannot be bothered to do - even letting us have this in 'beta' form.


My 920 Webcam is working great with Windows 8 Consumer Preview - with some of the bugs you already noted. Cheers!

JP in Dallas

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Hey no problem...glad to have been of service!

I wouldn't blast Logitech too hard, but you're absolutely right on how they and others refuse to provide some work-around method, even if they claim blamelessness for any glitches.

This mod that I used is actually based off of one I used for my HP printer when Win7 was a simple RC (remember those days?); the software wouldn't even begin to install, but changing a couple of lines made it work perfectly! I wish I could remember what I did so that I can get my new HP printer to install in Win8!

But this is no time to rest on laurels; there are systems to be built, cases to be cleaned, Jager to drink!

[:lutfij:4]

 

[Brett928S2]

Hi

UMMM why are you having a pop at LOGITECH when it was YOU who installed a BETA operating system, and it was YOU who bought webcams that wont work in it ...

All the best Brett

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Hi

UMMM why are you having a pop at LOGITECH when it was YOU who installed a BETA operating system, and it was YOU who bought webcams that wont work in it ...

All the best Brett

Your putdown would have some bite to it if you understood the issue in its simplest form- Win8 CP is supposed to be identical to Win7 and even MS is making it a point to tell people that apps for Win7 will run under Win8.

So yes, I fully understand that this is a BETA and that there will be glitches (I'm still working on getting my BlackBerry desktop software to run). However, I wasn't demanding Logitech to write software and drivers for a completely off-the-wall OS (cough cough- linux). Nope, the software would not install merely because the version checking routine was not updated, as evidenced by my posting here.

I also did not 'take a pop' at them either; I was actually in contact with one of their senior people, via PM, on all of this. I told him what I was doing, how I got it to work, and some issues I was seeing. He expressed his gratitude, told me some off-the-record 4-1-1 about this whole thing, and even told me some other things to look out for.

Thanks for playing.

 

[Brett928S2]

Your putdown would have some bite to it if you understood the issue in its simplest form- Win8 CP is supposed to be identical to Win7 and even MS is making it a point to tell people that apps for Win7 will run under Win8.

So yes, I fully understand that this is a BETA and that there will be glitches (I'm still working on getting my BlackBerry desktop software to run). However, I wasn't demanding Logitech to write software and drivers for a completely off-the-wall OS (cough cough- linux). Nope, the software would not install merely because the version checking routine was not updated, as evidenced by my posting here.

I also did not 'take a pop' at them either; I was actually in contact with one of their senior people, via PM, on all of this. I told him what I was doing, how I got it to work, and some issues I was seeing. He expressed his gratitude, told me some off-the-record 4-1-1 about this whole thing, and even told me some other things to look out for.

Thanks for playing.

Hi

Who told you that 8 was supposed to be identical to 7 ??? lol

There would be little point in the whole operating system if it was....

I repeat ...its a BETA ...

Lots of things dont work in it....

All the best Brett

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Hi

Who told you that 8 was supposed to be identical to 7 ??? lol

There would be little point in the whole operating system if it was....

I repeat ...its a BETA ...

Lots of things dont work in it....

All the best Brett

Now why you wanna be hatin', hater?

Under the hood, Win8 IS practically Win7 and MS is making hay about it so that people won't have that hesitation like they had going from XP to Vista. Sure there are differences, but not so much as you claim.

What are all of these things that aren't supposed to be working? I am running it as my sole desktop with all of my software (minus a couple minor things), and I haven't had problem one.

 

[lilxcharlie999]

Hey, just a few questions.

First off Logitech offers both a "7Mb Smart Installer" and a "140Mb Full Installer" on the downloads page for the C920, which one were you editing?

Second question is when ever I attempt to open the installers (tried them both), by dragging them onto my Notepad or Wordpad icons, they just lock up and the program becomes non responsive. I even tried using MS Word just for the hell of it, no luck there either. Any ideas on how I can open these up?

If it matters, my system can handle sh-t more complex than this, so that should not be the problem. It's running the 64bit 8250 Preview, that I assume we are all using.

If anyone can assist me that would be great, Logitech support gave me a canned answer without any attempt to even try to help me out:
"Charles, as I understand from your email, you need a software for your Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920.
Unfortunately, the webcam is not compatible with Windows 8.
Click on this link and check the specifications: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam-communications/webcams/devices/9442
Have a wonderful day!"

....Yeah, I checked those specs out before I bought the damn thing, and there of no concern, thanks for nothing.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Hi Charlie...sorry about the issues your facing...let's go through a few things and we'll try to sort them out, mmmmm'K?

1. I downloaded the full installer, v2.40.850.0...I don't know or believe Logitech has changed it significantly since.

2. You said something about opening the installer with Notepad or WordPad and even Word...are you talking about using them to open the .exe installer that was downloaded? If you are, no wonder you're having issues! Use 7-Zip and right-click the installer (the .exe you downloaded), and choose "Extract to (filename)\". 7-Zip will create a new folder in the same directory as your .exe. Open that folder and look for a file called "Setup"...there are two of them- one is an .exe and the other is a configuration settings file. You need to edit the configuration settings file.

3. Once you do that, look for the section of code I mentioned and delete the entire section and replace it with the modified version I listed here. Save the file and close it.

4. OK...keeping Windows Explorer opened, click "File", and "Open Command Prompt as Administrator". Type DIR and press enter to make sure you're in the right folder. If you are (and you should be), type MSetup.exe and then press enter...your installation should work!

Let me know how it works out for you!

 

[cdavidac]

NTG - I've followed all of the steps you mentioned but cannot find a config file that I can edit. All I see is a setup and mssetup both of which are exe files. In the root directory where I extracted the files there is a setup ini and dll - but no config file. Can you help please?

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

NTG - I've followed all of the steps you mentioned but cannot find a config file that I can edit. All I see is a setup and mssetup both of which are exe files. In the root directory where I extracted the files there is a setup ini and dll - but no config file. Can you help please?

OK, cdacidac...let's see what we can do for you!

First, which version of the Logitech installer are you using? I downloaded the FULL version, v2.40.845.0.

Next, the Setup file should look like a piece of notebook paper with a gear on it; you can open it with Notepad. If you try to open it and Windows asks you which program to open it with (it shouldn't have to ask), scroll down the list and find Notepad and open it. WordPad (or any text editor, for that matter), should also work just fine.

Finally, in the Ribbon interface, Click on the 'View' tab and put a check in the box for 'Hidden Items'.

If you're seeing MSetup and Setup, then you should be seeing this file without having to do anything. There are 12 FOLDERS and 5 FILES created when the installer is unpacked. Make sure you're extracting the installer to its own folder!

I hope this helps!

 

[cdavidac]

Thanks much - you rule. I had the file the whole time I just didn't go down far enough into it to find the section to replace. Installed perfectly.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Thanks much - you rule. I had the file the whole time I just didn't go down far enough into it to find the section to replace. Installed perfectly.

Glad to be of service!

It sounds like you might have your folders in 'Details' view...I prefer medium-to-large icons, and then arranged by 'Type'. Makes things a little easier to find!

Enjoy your cam!

 

[bencounty]

Wouldn't it be easier to just run the installation in compatibility mode? This is how I got m m950 Win7 Mouse drivers to install on Win8.

Right click on driver install application (setup.exe) > Properties > Compatibility > Tick 'Run this program in compatibility mode for:' > select Windows 7 from the dropdown menu.

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

Wouldn't it be easier to just run the installation in compatibility mode? This is how I got m m950 Win7 Mouse drivers to install on Win8.

Right click on driver install application (setup.exe) > Properties > Compatibility > Tick 'Run this program in compatibility mode for:' > select Windows 7 from the dropdown menu.

For whatever reason, using compatibility mode would not work.

 

[truckdriver48]

worked great .. not a problem at all and all features work like they are suppose to .... thanks for the great information and giving it out just because Logitech will not put out the fix ... seems to me you pay big bucks for one of there best webcams you would think they would be first in line to get out a file so they can be the ones to be able to first in line for a product to sell and work with the new OS
and on a side note the compatibility mode is nice to use on some things .. but with this device it does not work right ... it will work but has issues like mentioned above and also some of the controls just freeze up
It is not M$ deal to make all devices work with there new OS .. just make it compatible till the day the company gets out the correct fix

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

worked great .. not a problem at all and all features work like they are suppose to .... thanks for the great information and giving it out just because Logitech will not put out the fix ... seems to me you pay big bucks for one of there best webcams you would think they would be first in line to get out a file so they can be the ones to be able to first in line for a product to sell and work with the new OS
and on a side note the compatibility mode is nice to use on some things .. but with this device it does not work right ... it will work but has issues like mentioned above and also some of the controls just freeze up
It is not M$ deal to make all devices work with there new OS .. just make it compatible till the day the company gets out the correct fix

I believed it worked perfectly without any mods when used with the RTM version of Win8. And as I mentioned, I didn't have to re-program the software itself; simply changed the version check to make things work. Can't believe the grief Logitech (officially) gave me over it.

 

[sbpetrack]

My problem is similar but not identical to the one you solve here; I would VERY much appreciate your opinion (i.e. best guess on whether a similar solution exists:

I just acquired a new Microsoft Surface, which runs Windows 8 RT and NOT the "full" Windows 8. Basically, this means that it can install and run apps from the Microsoft Store, but has no "Windows 7 desktop" piece. (There actually is a pared-down "fake Windows 7" available, but it only runs a few pre-installed apps such as Office, and accepts no installs at all).

My question is if you think that some version of your trick will enable me to install "enough" of the Logitech drivers that I will be able to use my C920 with Surface.

Of course I will try this myself when I get home and will be only too happy to report back the results, but perhaps you have enough experience with Win8 RT that you can already spare me unnecessary time-wasting.

Thanks!

 

[NewbieTechGodII]

My problem is similar but not identical to the one you solve here; I would VERY much appreciate your opinion (i.e. best guess on whether a similar solution exists:

I just acquired a new Microsoft Surface, which runs Windows 8 RT and NOT the "full" Windows 8. Basically, this means that it can install and run apps from the Microsoft Store, but has no "Windows 7 desktop" piece. (There actually is a pared-down "fake Windows 7" available, but it only runs a few pre-installed apps such as Office, and accepts no installs at all).

My question is if you think that some version of your trick will enable me to install "enough" of the Logitech drivers that I will be able to use my C920 with Surface.

Of course I will try this myself when I get home and will be only too happy to report back the results, but perhaps you have enough experience with Win8 RT that you can already spare me unnecessary time-wasting.

Thanks!

I don't know. WinRT and Win x86 are different beasts, and unfortunately, I am not that versed on the differences. I can tell you that Win8 x86 has a Camera app and when I plugged the c920 in, it downloaded an app for it. It wasn't anything really full-featured or anything, but it installed the Creative drivers on the PC and I used it through the Win8 app.

I am not sure if WinRT has the same app (I would think it does), but as I said, the only way to find out is to either ask Creative or plug it in. If I remember correctly, aren't the only apps MS allows on SurfaceRT the ones from the MS Store?

Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 

[SlayrSarah98]

Could someone please help me? I'm trying to use my logitech c920 for online use (like online webcams). And it will only show the webcam thats attached to the actual laptop. I tried everything..PLEASE help

 

[Zina__tarotbyzina]

NewbieTechGodII

You are a God!! I just bought this C920 about a month ago and I kept getting the message "Launcher_main.exe" . I could use the camera on other software (Cyberlink, and Moviemaker) but I wanted to use the actual software it came with.

I have been searching and searching for weeks for a fix for this and stumbled upon your fix!!
I am by no means as tech savvy as you are but I was able to fix this on my own with your help and directions.

You should really think about doing a youtube video of this on how to fix or setting up a website or something. Believe me there are many people out there trying to get these C920 webcams to work.

Thank you so very much!!