How can I view my webcam in vista?

"Since it looks like the functionality you are expecting is not available in Windows Vista, you can use VLC to open the camera as a ""Capture Device"" and then take snapshots using VLC. The VLC FAQ explains tells us that to take a snapshot:

How can I take screenshots?

To take a snapshot of the video
displayed by VLC, you just need to
press the pre-defined snapshot hotkey:


Windows / Linux / Unix: Ctrl+Alt+S
Mac OS X: Command+Alt+s


To change it, go to Preferences ->
Interface -> Hotkeys settings, check
Advanced options, and set Take video
snapshot.

You can also take a snaphot via the
menu Video -> Snapshot.

To change the snapshot format or
directory, go to Preferences -> Video.

Where are my screenshots?

If you haven't changed the snapshot
directory in your preferences, your
screenshots should go to:


Windows: My Documents\My Pictures\
Linux / Unix: $(HOME)/.vlc/
Mac OS X: Desktop/


To change it, go to Preferences ->
Video -> Video snapshot directory."

"Use Yawcam, AmCap or Debut Video Capture for this.
All these are free and simple. Yawcam requires Java, however.

EDIT: OK, here is some more info re. above apps.

Yawcam can capture both photos and videos, and can be used for motion detection too.
(capture video only if movement is detected)

I have not used AmCap much, but it is a often used and popular app.

RE Debut Video Capture, it used to be a Trial, but now it has a free version too, so you can use it without paying (for non-commercial purposes). It has more features, for example besides being able to capture webcam photos/video, it can also make video recordings of your Windows desktop/screen.
It does this very well - you can specify the captured video file format, and also capture all or just part of the screen, and also it is great for software demos, as it shows left/right mouse button clicks in the video, plus shows a yellow spot around the mouse pointer."