Solving "Sentinel requires an installed VA11A" Message

Questions

When I start Sentinel Control Center, I get the message that "Sentinel requires an installed VA11A Video Capture Adapter" and it just closes when I click OK.

My VA11A is plugged in, so why won't it work?

Answer

There are several factors that can affect this. The most important is the correct installation of the drivers for the X10 USB Video Capture Adapter (model VA11A). Check in the Windows Device Manager (Start | Settings | Control Panel | System | Device Manager) under "Image Capture Devices." There should be a listing for X10 VA11A Video Capture, and it should be working properly--no exclamation mark, question mark or red "X" icons in front of it. If this is the case, try disconnecting the USB Adapter, re-starting your computer and plugging the adapter back in before running Sentinel Control Center. This should solve the problem. If you do not have the correct item listed in Device Manager, uninstall Sentinel Control Center software, and then reinstall.

It is important to connect the USB Video Capture Adapter before pressing OK or Next when prompted during installation. When you connect the USB Adapter, a new window should open that gives you the drivers. If it does not, and no other USB device has been used on your PC before, you might contact your computer's technical support for help in making sure the USB ports are working correctly.

Important note for Windows 98 users: If Windows asks you to insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM when loading the drivers for the X10 USB Video Capture Adapter, you must insert this disk for the installation to work. If you do not install the requested files, Sentinel Control Center may not work. If you skipped files during installation, unplug the VA11A and reinstall the software.

Sometimes Windows 98 and Windows ME do not recognize drivers that are already installed. When prompted for the disk, try the following:

• In the "Insert Disk" window, click the "Browse" button to look for the driver files.
• Go to your C: drive in the list and "Program Files," "Common Files," "X10," "DriverInstall," and finally "X10 VA11A Video Capture."
• Click the OK button to use the driver files in that folder. Follow the instructions on your screen to finish.