Just looking at your comments again and now understand that what you are really saying is that you purchased a firewire cable to couple your camcorder into the laptop only to find out that the laptop wasn't fitted with a firewire socket, if this is the case then you have to have USB video streaming software installed in your laptop or you wont be able to transfer video, the video streaming software nearly always being provided along with the camcorder at time of purchase. (or do you actually have this installed?) The other point I am not sure about is, are you saying that you did initially manage to stream some video, but now even although you haven't altered anything you find that it wont work now? Maybe you could indicate exactly what you updated, as to enable anyone to assist you really have to mention the names of what you are using, but if by any chance you dont have the proper video streaming driver installed if you Google it you will find plenty of "free" sources.

Apart from a number of possible reasons for your problem it also depends on whether or not your picture package has a "video capture" facility? as you haven't mentioned if it has or what the package is. Another problem some people experience is because of incompatibility between the camcorder and the firewire board fitted in the PC, and with the only way to discount that possibility being to try and import your video into someone else's PC that also has a firewire input.