webcam acer aspire one

Hi, this is my first post here and very new (2 days) to linux. I have bought an acer aspire one which is running linux linpus. I want to use msn messenger which i can do successfully.....but i cannot use my webcam. The manual assures me i can do this but the camera functions are greyed out. I get a message on msn launch to say which functions are available and cam is not listed. Any ideas? Also when running skype (i found out how to install skype from this forum so am very grateful) the resolution and clarity of my broadcast webcam is very poor, the quality of video sent to me is very good however.Any help would be much appreciated, thanks