The Microsoft LifeCam VX-6000 ($99.95 list) is marketed as a way to capture those "special moments" in life—baby's first steps or what-have-you—from afar. It also adds a layer of intimacy to instant-messaging and makes video chatting with friends and family easy. The webcam produces 1,280-by-1,024 video and 5-megapixel still shots (interpolated) and works seamlessly with the newly released Windows Live Messenger. The built-in unidirectional microphone is convenient—no need for a separate headset, but it could do a better job of picking up sound at a reasonable volume.

The VX-6000 shoots video at 30 frames per second, and its 71-degree wide-angle lens lets multiple people crowd around the camera and participate in chats. It also offers pan and tilt control and 3X digital zoom. The webcam requires Microsoft Windows XP and works best with a broadband connection.

Setup is quick and painless. The VX-6000 will attach easily to most monitors. When you install the included LifeCam 1.0 software, you are asked if you would also like to install Windows Live Messenger. I recommend you do so, as I had the best results with the Live client, although the webcam will work with most other instant-messaging clients. You're then prompted to connect the VX-6000 to your PC via USB and adjust the sound, mic, and video settings, including brightness, contrast, and flicker. There are also some fun video effects you can play around with, including falling snowflakes and other whimsical fare.

I tested the VX-6000 with Windows Live Messenger, AIM, and (beta) Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. When using the webcam with Win-dows Live Messenger, I found the video quality to be good, and the 30 fps rate meant no jumpy video. I did, however, have some audio problems. When I tried out a video chat with a coworker, we couldn't hear each other speak until we cranked each mic's volume nearly all the way up, and then we both heard a significant amount of feedback. (We even tried holding the webcam right up to our faces, with no better results.)

To make a video call using the VX-6000 with Windows Live Messenger, you just press the call button on top of the LifeCam, choose from the list of current online buddies that pops up, and the call is initiated. You can control pan, tilt, and zoom, e-mail webcam photos, or upload them to Windows Live Spaces with one click. There's also a cool face-tracking feature—if you move around while you're talking, the webcam will follow you and keep your face in the middle of the frame. But don't worry, you can turn this off if you'd like privacy.

When using AIM, I noticed a slight delay in both audio and video. I had the worst experience using Yahoo!. The video was jumpy and grainy. Even after both I and the person I was speaking with adjusted Yahoo!'s settings, it didn't improve much.

Overall, the VX-6000 is a reasonably priced webcam with a nice set of features, but I wish the mic worked better.

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Build an XP SP3 Recovery Disc

Think you can use your original Windows XP disc to restore your PC? Think again.

Odds are your computer came with a recovery disc, a CD with all the programs and drivers that were installed on your PC's hard drive when it was new. And odds are you have absolutely no idea where that disc is.

The good news is that it probably doesn't matter. First of all, the recovery media most PC manufacturers provide is designed for a singular purpose: to restore your computer to the state it was in when you bought it. This process typically involves wiping your hard drive (say bye-bye to your spreadsheets and vacation photos) and then reinstalling Windows and the handful of programs originally included with your system. Unless you're simply preparing the whole kit and caboodle to sell on eBay, this is probably not something you will ever need.
Second, the hardware drivers on your recovery CD are almost certainly out of date, either made obsolete by newer and better versions available online, or simply irrelevant to new hardware you've subsequently installed.

Instead of fretting about the old recovery CD you lost (or perhaps never got), why not take a few minutes and make one of your own?

Ideally, a recovery disc should act as a safety net should anything disagreeable happen to your PC's hard drive or its data. (Think crash, virus, spyware attack, driver corruption, and so on.) A good recovery disc allows you to reinstall Windows to fix a minor problem or rebuild your PC from scratch to recover from a major one.

Here's the problem: Once you upgrade your XP installation to Service Pack 3, Windows won't ever allow you to install an older version (including earlier editions of XP) without either wiping the hard drive clean or installing to a different drive. Even if you do install "fresh," you'll still have to then endure a separate SP3 upgrade. The solution is to create a new hybrid installation disc from whatever installer CD you have and a special version of SP3, using a process known as slipstreaming (etymology: fluid mechanics, or the "Hope and Fear" episode of Star Trek: Voyager.)

Step 1: Take Stock

To prepare a recovery CD, you'll need only three things: a Windows XP install CD (any edition), a valid Windows product key, and about 1.5 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive. Of course, as with many recipes, procuring the ingredients is often the hardest part.

The install CD can be any version, including Service Pack 2, Service Pack 1, or the original release from 2001. If you already have a disc labeled "Windows XP with Service Pack 3" (as opposed to merely an SP3 update disc), then you don't need this procedure.

The CD can be difficult to come by if you bought your PC with Windows preinstalled, mostly because so many manufacturers omit Microsoft's installer CD these days in favor of some sort of customized "express install" recovery disc. (This is done for a variety of reasons, including to simplify customer support and also, in the penny-pinching tradition, to reduce Microsoft licensing fees.) Some PC manufacturers are service-conscious enough to send a true XP CD to any customer who asks for one, but if you're not so lucky, you can get a genuine disc on eBay for as little as $10.

The 25-digit key, of course, you should already have handy if you own a legal license to the software. If XP came with your PC, it's printed on a sticker somewhere on the PC case; if you bought XP, it's on a sticker on the CD sleeve. (You may also have been compulsive enough to save the hologram-laden Certificate of Authenticity, which should have the key as well.) If you can't find it, contact your PC's manufacturer or, barring that, Microsoft for a proper key. You might also try the simply awesome (and awesomely named), open-source Magical Jelly Bean Key Finder, a tiny little utility whose sole purpose is to find the registration keys hidden away in your Registry.

Step 2: Slipstream Service Pack 3

To create a slipstreamed XP SP3 CD, first create a new folder called XP in the root folder of your hard drive. Insert your original XP CD, start Windows Explorer, and then navigate to your CD drive. Highlight everything in the root folder of the CD, and copy all of it to the C:\XP folder you just created.

Next, create a second new folder alongside C:\XP, and name it SP3. Go to download.microsoft.com, type sp3 network install into the search box, and click the link for Windows XP Service Pack 3 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers in the search results. Download the 324MB file, WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe, and save it to the new C:\SP3 folder.

From the Start menu, select Run (or press Windows key-R). Type the following command at the prompt and click OK:

c:\sp3\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU /integrate:c:\xp

Type the entire command on one line with only a single space between ENU and /integrate—there should be no spaces surrounding the colons.If all goes well, the process should take a minute or two and then conclude with a simple "Completed" message box. Otherwise, if you see an error, here's what it means:

Failed to copy some or all of the files necessary for integrated install: This can happen for any number of reasons, most likely because you mistyped the /integrate command. But do make sure you have plenty of free hard drive space, and that all of the files from your older XP CD are present in the C:\XP folder.

…is not recognized as an internal or external command: Either you mistyped the SP3 update filename, or you didn't save it in the C:\SP3 folder.

…is not a valid Win32 application: This error usually means the file you downloaded is corrupt, or has not finished downloading. Delete the file and try downloading again.

…not the correct version: You're trying to slipstream the U.S. English version of the SP3 update with a non-English copy of Windows XP, or vice versa. Just return to the Microsoft download page, choose your language from the Change language list, and download the correct file.

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