Problem installing digital camera driver

P

Peter Strauss

I get to the wizard, and it only specifies a very few camera brands,
and my camera mfr, Argus, isn't listed.
How can I load the driver for the camera? Any help greatly
appreciated.
BTW: For a while the system was seeing the camera, and now, even
after a cold reboot, it doesn't. I don't understand that at all.

Thanks in advance,
Peter
 
P

Peter Strauss

Have you tried using a card reader instead?
Thanks for the suggestion...that's my next line of attack if
necessary, but actually, I'd rather not go to any more expense if I
can help it.
For some strange reason, after many reboots and on/off cycles with the
camera, the last time I hooked it up the wizard for reading usb drives
showed up and I was able to download the pictures.
Very peculiar, how spotty this function is.
I guess I'll just muddle along for a while and see if it continues to
work.

Peter
 
J

Jim

Using a card reader can be a problem, depending on the camera. As someone
who's owned several, I can tell you that MANY of these cameras, even the
good ones, have very flimsy doors and hinges that cover the battery and
memory card slots. Open those doors 40-50 times over several months, and
trust me, you'll eventually break it. It's best to keep the card installed
and then forget about it, treat it as integral memory. Granted, situation
or design might thwart your efforts, but this is a big reason I don't use
card readers as a rule.

As far as the specific problem, I've never had an issue w/ a digital camera
AT LEAST being recognized as a removable drive. The only purpose for the
installation of camera specific drivers (at best I can tell) is to provide
camera-specific services. Frankly, I find most of this software AWFUL.
Olympus, Kodak, Canon, and the rest of them may build fine cameras, but when
it comes to PC software, most of it is pretty awful. So in most cases, I
don't even install the camera's driver or software. Either Windows
recognizes it as a digital camera, and thus I get the "generic" camera
wizard, which is FINE for most people, OR, worst case, it's just recognized
as a removable drive (similar to a USB pen drive). In that case, it merely
requires manipulation like any other files using Windows Explorer (CUT,
COPY, PASTE). In some cases, the digital camera may have to be configured
through its interface as a USB device before Windows will recognize it. I
use to have to do that w/ my old HP PhotoSmart camera.

HTH

Jim
 
P

Peter Strauss

Using a card reader can be a problem, depending on the camera. As someone
who's owned several, I can tell you that MANY of these cameras, even the
good ones, have very flimsy doors and hinges that cover the battery and
memory card slots. Open those doors 40-50 times over several months, and
trust me, you'll eventually break it. It's best to keep the card installed
and then forget about it, treat it as integral memory. Granted, situation
or design might thwart your efforts, but this is a big reason I don't use
card readers as a rule.

As far as the specific problem, I've never had an issue w/ a digital camera
AT LEAST being recognized as a removable drive. The only purpose for the
installation of camera specific drivers (at best I can tell) is to provide
camera-specific services. Frankly, I find most of this software AWFUL.
Olympus, Kodak, Canon, and the rest of them may build fine cameras, but when
it comes to PC software, most of it is pretty awful. So in most cases, I
don't even install the camera's driver or software. Either Windows
recognizes it as a digital camera, and thus I get the "generic" camera
wizard, which is FINE for most people, OR, worst case, it's just recognized
as a removable drive (similar to a USB pen drive). In that case, it merely
requires manipulation like any other files using Windows Explorer (CUT,
COPY, PASTE). In some cases, the digital camera may have to be configured
through its interface as a USB device before Windows will recognize it. I
use to have to do that w/ my old HP PhotoSmart camera.

HTH

Jim
Very helpful comments, Jim, and thanks much.
I'll stay with what I've got for as long as it works, I guess.
So far, so good (to my surprise, because I had a couple of times of
its not working.)
I think part of the problem is the sequence of turning on things...it
seems to like it a lot better when I plug the camera in to the USB
port, and then power up the camera. Then it goes to the appropriate
wizard...the one which asks about downloading from the device, not the
one which wants to install the camera but then doesn't have the brand
listed, and no alternatives available (collosal FU on MS' part, yet
again, seems to me.)
Much appreciate your feedback.

Peter
 

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