Microsoft KB Archive/310433

= Using IEEE 1394 (FireWire) Devices with Windows XP =

Article ID: 310433

Article Last Modified on 12/1/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional
 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

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This article was previously published under Q310433



If this article does not describe your hardware-related issue, please see the following Microsoft Web site to view more articles about hardware:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/w98?sid=460



SUMMARY
This article describes the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 1394 standard and how to use IEEE 1394 with Microsoft Windows XP.

NOTE: Apple Computer FireWire is a common implementation of the IEEE 1394 standard.



IEEE 1394 Capabilities
The IEEE 1394 standard defines a high speed serial interface that can be used to connect peripheral devices, for example, printers, scanners, and cameras, to your computer. Some common features of the IEEE 1394 standard are:
 * A simple plug and socket connection. This connection is visually similar to universal serial bus (USB) connections, although USB and IEEE 1394 are not compatible.
 * The capacity to have up to 63 devices connected serially (in series) to a single port.
 * Data transfer speeds of up to the rate of 400 megabytes (MB) per second. (The maximum speed is presently 200 MB per second.)
 * Thin wire cable.
 * Hot plug and play capability. (You do not need to turn off a computer to connect and use a peripheral device.)
 * The ability to chain devices together in a number of different ways without terminators or complicated setup requirements.
 * The ability for IEEE 1394-compliant devices to connect together without the use of a computer (for example, when you are dubbing video tapes).
 * Asynchronous communication for batch or packet data transfer and storage.
 * Isochronous communication for real-time voice and video transmission, and any other program that is better-suited for streaming data transfer.
 * Devices as far apart as 4.5 meters (nearly 15 feet) can be connected.

IEEE 1394 on Windows XP
Windows XP has built-in IEEE 1394 support. To use all the capabilities of the IEEE 1394 standard, your computer must have an IEEE 1394 adapter installed. If your computer has a FireWire adapter, the adaptor is IEEE 1394 compatible. Some of the capabilities of a Windows XP-based computer with the IEEE 1394 standard are:
 * Instant network connectivity by plugging two or more computers together (no additional hardware or software required).
 * End-to-end throughput of over 50 Mbps with plenty of digital bandwidth remaining for demanding audio-visual programs.
 * Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) over IEEE 1394. This feature makes it very easy to share a single Internet connection when you connect one computer to the Internet and then connect more computers to the first computer. The Windows XP built-in Internet Connection Sharing feature provides the necessary software support.

NOTE: Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) and other networking protocols are not supported.
 * The ability to use IEEE 1394 drivers for peripheral devices. These drivers are provided by the manufacturers of the devices.