My laptop's win 7 desktop did not show any web camera icon so can't snap a photo and save it.

My only suggestions relate to going to the web site for your Apex camera and contacting support for help, or looking for a download location on their site for drivers, specifically for Win 7. And for looking to see whether the application itself has a compatibility option to make it 'retro-fit' to an earlier version of Windows, like XP.

Unfortunately, there are a number of types of hardware of many different brands which never got compatibility with Win 7. Microsoft has a Hardware Compatibility List which you can find by doing a search on their web site. You might want to check the list to see whether the camera can be made compatible.

So, begin with the web site and see what you can find.

Then try for the compatibility option:

You must right-click on the icon for the application for the Apex camera, then click on properties to see whether there is an option to change the compatibility to an older (XP) version of Windows. That may make the camera work. You will know pretty quickly because if you right click on the icon, and click on properties, there will either be a "compatibility" tab or not.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

-a.

if its windows 7 you may need to try "compatibility mode" right click on the icon and go to properties and select the compatibility tap and then try different ones until it works.... you may need to go to the software makers web site and look for a patch for the software to work with win 7

Downloading means you retrive any files and save to your PC/Laptop from any web source!
Installing means you install any software/programs to run on your PC/Laptop.

As for your software "Photo Explosion 2.0" could not run on Win 7 due to software "Compatibility Issues".

You can try, using "Win 7 compatibility mode" installing older software read this LINK

NOTE**
"There is no guarantees older software will work using Win 7 compatibility mode!"

Hope it helps.

Set Up and Use the VX-3000 personal web camera

1 Install the software using the included CD and plug the LifeCam into a free USB port. For desktop use, place the LifeCam on a clear spot on your desk that's free of other objects, including cables. The camera should not be more than an arm's length away from you. For LCD (or similar object) use, push the center part of the camera's base upward, place the camera on the LCD and close the base around the monitor to secure it.

2 Open the device software by clicking the Microsoft LifeCam icon on your Windows desktop. If no such icon exists on your Windows desktop, click "Start," click "All Programs" and locate the Microsoft LifeCam program in the list of programs there. After launching the LifeCam program, look at the image that appears. If necessary, adjust the camera to more precisely reflect your appearance. For best results, try to center the camera image on your head and shoulders.

3 Click the video camera icon on the bottom panel of the LifeCam program to begin video capture. Video will begin recording, and you will see a "Recording Video" message beneath the live video image. To stop recording, press the same icon (the icon will have a red square with a blue background during recording).

4 To begin audio capture, click the microphone icon on the bottom panel. To stop the audio recording, click the same icon (again, it will have a red square with a blue background during recording). To snap a photo, click the camera icon on the bottom panel.

5 Access any of your captured video, audio or image files by clicking the folder on the bottom panel. The VX-3000 also provides the ability to edit video or image files using supported software. After snapping a photo or capturing video, click the "Edit" icon that appears beneath the thumbnail of the captured content.

INSTRUCTIONAL STEPS

Click "Start," then "All Programs" or "Programs," and select the "Toshiba" folder.

Click on "Utilities," then "Web camera application." The application will open, although it may minimize automatically to one edge of your screen. If this happens, hover your mouse over the utility to make it open.

Click the icon that looks like a camera and video camera to start up the webcam. This will turn the camera on and show you what your image looks like. Click the camera icon to capture a still image, or click the video camera icon to record a video.

Click on the icon that looks like a camera with a series of sliders underneath it to open the settings panel. Adjust the brightness, contrast and other settings by clicking on the vertical tabs for each setting and sliding them left or right.

Click the icon that looks like a camera with a paintbrush to add special effects. You can enhance contrast, add frames to your image, or select a screen cover that will appear if you want to temporarily hide your image with a photo. Return to this screen and select "off" to remove the screen cover.

Click the icon that looks like an ID card to set the face-recognition software that automatically unlocks your computer when the camera recognizes your face. This software is not available on all models of Toshiba laptops, so you may not have this icon. Follow the on-screen prompts to set this feature.

Click the icon that looks like a wrench below your image on the video/photo screen to set other properties for the camera, such as the folder where you want images saved and the format you want them saved in. You can also click the resolution menu to adjust resolution.

Exit the web camera application by clicking the "X" in the upper-right corner of the window.i hope this post we be helpful,dont forget to leave your comment by saying how helpful this post is

Indeed there is no software for the webcam for windows 7. To manually open the camera, for use other than the messenger, you will need to go to my computer and locate the webcam icon. Once you locate it, you simply make a shortcut to your desktop.

It may be a Windows 7 issue
Try using the software in Compatibility Mode
Right click on the webcam icon on your desktop or the webcam file from 'All Programs' - select 'Properties'
Select the 'Compatibility' tab
Select 'Compatibility Mode'
Use the dropbox to show the OS you have successfully used before
Click OK
Restart your computer

Go to control Panel ----Hardware and sound----- View Devices----- Select the Camera and double click to Open

the camera Image view will open, locate the snap botton and take your snap.

Upload the save photo to your profile

If you have QuickPlay installed on your lap.
1). Run this application
2). Click on Music/CD/Camera icon
3). Double Click on your web cam from list
it will open your web cam, the light of cam wil lit
4). Click on Camera icon on bottom
it will take your photo

Note: if you want to record Video then click on CD icon instead of camera icon. To stop video recording click on stop button.

Thanks
Iqbal

I've never used a "program" to download my photos, and I've been able to download them on any computer whatsoever. Plug the mini-B into the camera, then plug the USB into your desktop while it is off. Turn the camera on with the switch in View mode. Turn your computer on. Go to Windows explorer or My Computer. Your camera should show up as if it were a data drive with an icon of a camera. Double click that icon and you can view photos at will. Right click any photo to save, or use pull down menus above to save multiple photos at once to other drives.