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  4. How to Change the Date of a Spy Pen Camera

How to Change the Date of a Spy Pen Camera

March 31, 2015
By: Todd Bowerman
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High-tech spy pen cameras allow you to discreetly capture photos and video, but their simple outer design doesn't offer much in the way of customization since such features would give away the device's true purpose. If you want to change the date and time on your spy pen camera, which may be necessary for documenting when recorded events took place, you'll need to interface with the device through your computer. Some devices can stamp the date and time directly onto the video for ease of use.

Video of the Day

Time File Config

Step

Turn off the spy pen camera and then connect it to your computer with a USB cable.

Step

Open the camera's drive by double-clicking its icon in the "Computer" section of Windows Explorer. You can open Windows Explorer by pressing "Windows+E."

Step

Right-click the blank space inside of the drive. Select "New" then click "Text Document." Name the file "time.txt."

Step

Double-click the new "time.txt" file to open it in Notepad. Type the date and time in this format: year. month.day.hours.minutes.seconds. show/hide flag. For example, "2010.02.03 04.17.00 Y" will stamp the time on videos. Switch the "show/hide" flag to from "Y" to "N" to hide the date.

Step

Save the "time.txt" document. Disconnect the device from your PC and reboot it to apply the changes.

Userconfig File Config

Step

Open the Notepad application on your PC. Press the "Windows" key, type "Notepad," and then click its icon on the Start menu.

Step

Click "File," select "Save As," and enter "userconfig.txt." Save the file somewhere convenient, such as your desktop.

Step

Enter the current date and time into the document in the following format: year-month-day hours:minutes:seconds. For example, "2012-8-14 06:32:03."

Step

Save the changes you've made to the document. Connect your pen camera to the PC with a USB cable.

Step

Locate the pen camera in Window Explorer. Drag the "userconfig.txt" file from your desktop into the pen camera's drive.

Step

Disconnect the pen camera and then reboot it to apply your changes.

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