Problem connecting a USB digital camera? read this!

[Guest]

I read many posts of USB digital cameras not recognized by XP, or having a hardware conlict. After facing the same thing with my Canon A70, I finally found the problem and the awkward solution: XP can't have more that one USB device using usbscan.sys driver. In the past, only scanners used this driver, hence the following article from MS
You Cannot Simultaneously Use Multiple USB Scanners in Windows X
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;32475
Nowdays, many digicams use this driver, either exclusively, or as part of the camera driver

So if your camera isn't properly recognized, and you have a USB scanner hooked to the PC, try unplugging it, and connecting the camera. If this doesn't work, open the Windows Device Manager and make sure that scanner is no longer installed. If it is - right click it and uninstall. Than try the camera. It won't solve everyone's problem, but there are at least a few posts here where this seems like the problem.

 

[Richard]

I read many posts of USB digital cameras not recognized by XP, or having

a hardware conlict. After facing the same thing with my Canon A70, I finally
found the problem and the awkward solution: XP can't have more that one USB
device using usbscan.sys driver. In the past, only scanners used this
driver, hence the following article from MS:

You Cannot Simultaneously Use Multiple USB Scanners in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;324756
Nowdays, many digicams use this driver, either exclusively, or as part of the camera driver.

So if your camera isn't properly recognized, and you have a USB scanner

hooked to the PC, try unplugging it, and connecting the camera. If this
doesn't work, open the Windows Device Manager and make sure that scanner is
no longer installed. If it is - right click it and uninstall. Than try the
camera. It won't solve everyone's problem, but there are at least a few
posts here where this seems like the problem.



Yes it has been and continues to be a basic problem with XP. I have posted
the work around on several news groups for more than two years. It took
Microsoft more than a year to come up with
KB 324756. I have correspondence with them dating back to November 2001.

Perhaps by now the manufacturers of USB scanners and printers will at the
very least be putting out amended instructions with their products. The last
two I purchased a month or so ago, Nikon and Epson, had no amended
instructions.

As far as USB cameras are concerned a more elegant and convenient solution
is to purchase a card reader which does not use the usbscan.sys.driver. I
took the opportunity to upgrade to a
USB2 card reader which transfers pictures to the computer much more quickly
than from the camera and it can be left connected all the time.

Richard.

 

[Guest]

Hi Richard
Thanks for replying. The wonder of this problem still continues: A friend brought a Canon G5 to my PC (I have a A70) - and it has the same problem with my scanner.However, at home he has an HP all-i-one USB scanner/printer/fax . We found that the HP machine uses the same usbscan.sys driver, but he has no problem connecting the 2 devices at the same time. What I found on the net is that different scanners use the usbscan.sys driver differently. Some scanners seem to lock that driver while others do not. My friend was able to connect the camera and scan a page at the same time. Very strange.