Running knoppix 6.2 on my everex desktop machine. I can use my Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Fusion webcam with both the cheese and fswebcam applications.

If I boot the machine with the webcam plugged in, all is fine.

If I boot the machine without the webcam plugged in, and then plug it in, it never works.

If I boot the machine with the webcam plugged in, unplug it, and plug it in again, it never works again until reboot.

Both of those applications require the existence of /dev/video0 node.

The node gets created during boot if the camera is plugged in. The node gets deleted by the system whenever the camera is unplugged. The node doesn't get recreated when the camera is plugged back in.

Manually recreating the node makes the camera work again.

Problem persists over lxde, gnome, kde desktops.

Any ideas, fixes, workarounds?

According to the rules, here's my lspci -v output:

00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/VN800/P4M800CE/Pro Host Bridge
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device 5000
Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 8
Memory at e8000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=128M]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: agpgart-via

00:00.1 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/VN800/P4M800CE/Pro Host Bridge
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:00.2 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/VN800/P4M800CE/Pro Host Bridge
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:00.3 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. PT890 Host Bridge
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:00.4 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/VN800/P4M800CE/Pro Host Bridge
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:00.7 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/VN800/P4M800CE/Pro Host Bridge
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 0

00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237/VX700 PCI Bridge (prog-if 00 [Normal decode])
Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 0
Bus: primary=00, secondary=01, subordinate=01, sec-latency=0
Memory behind bridge: f4000000-f5ffffff
Prefetchable memory behind bridge: f0000000-f3ffffff
Capabilities: <access denied>

00:0a.0 Communication controller: Agere Systems Lucent V.92 Data/Fax Modem
Subsystem: Agere Systems Device 0621
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 10
I/O ports at d000 [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>

00:0f.0 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller (rev 80) (prog-if 8f [Master SecP SecO PriP PriO])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VM400AM(F) Motherboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 20
I/O ports at e200 [size=8]
I/O ports at e800 [size=4]
I/O ports at e900 [size=8]
I/O ports at e000 [size=4]
I/O ports at e100 [size=16]
I/O ports at d400 [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: sata_via

00:0f.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06) (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 20
[virtual] Memory at 000001f0 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8]
[virtual] Memory at 000003f0 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [size=1]
[virtual] Memory at 00000170 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8]
[virtual] Memory at 00000370 (type 3, non-prefetchable) [size=1]
I/O ports at e300 [size=16]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: pata_via

00:10.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 21
I/O ports at e400 [size=32]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

00:10.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 21
I/O ports at e500 [size=32]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

00:10.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 21
I/O ports at e600 [size=32]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

00:10.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81) (prog-if 00 [UHCI])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 21
I/O ports at e700 [size=32]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: uhci_hcd

00:10.4 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 86) (prog-if 20 [EHCI])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Mainboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 21
Memory at f6000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: ehci_hcd

00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237 ISA bridge [KT600/K8T800/K8T890 South]
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VT600 Motherboard
Flags: bus master, stepping, medium devsel, latency 0
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel modules: i2c-viapro

00:11.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 60)
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VAX Onboard Audio (Realtek ALC650)
Flags: medium devsel, IRQ 22
I/O ports at d800 [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: VIA 82xx Audio
Kernel modules: snd-via82xx

00:13.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology GA-7VM400M/7VT600 Motherboard
Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 18
I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
Memory at f6001000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=256]
Capabilities: <access denied>
Kernel driver in use: 8139too
Kernel modules: 8139too, 8139cp

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. CN700/P4M800 Pro/P4M800 CE/VN800 [S3 UniChrome Pro] (rev 01) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
Subsystem: Giga-byte Technology Device d000
Flags: bus master, 66MHz, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 16
Memory at f0000000 (32-bit, prefetchable) [size=64M]
Memory at f4000000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=16M]
[virtual] Expansion ROM at f5000000 [disabled] [size=64K]
Capabilities: <access denied>