Digital Camera wont connect

[John Wolf]

Its been a while since I used a XP PC but my folks Kodak M340 wont connect
to the PC. A error message pops up saying "cant get device information." I
tried uninstalling the Kodak software and using the Windows XP camera
transfer app and then no error message pops up. I then re-installed
EasyShare 8.x and the error message popped up again. I thought maybe there
is a issue with the camera, however the camera works like a charm on my Mac
OSX Tiger based ibook G4. Other digital cameras connect just fine to the
Windows XP PC so not sure what the issue is. Perhaps Kodak designed the
camera so that it would require the use of their software in order to
download pictures, but if that was the case wonder why it worked on my Mac
using the Mac's default image and transfer app.

Thanks for the help.


John

PS-As a temporary solution we could buy a USB SD card reader, but ideally
this is not a good solution but as a backup.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "John Wolf" <[email protected]>

| Its been a while since I used a XP PC but my folks Kodak M340 wont connect
| to the PC. A error message pops up saying "cant get device information." I
| tried uninstalling the Kodak software and using the Windows XP camera
| transfer app and then no error message pops up. I then re-installed
| EasyShare 8.x and the error message popped up again. I thought maybe there
| is a issue with the camera, however the camera works like a charm on my Mac
| OSX Tiger based ibook G4. Other digital cameras connect just fine to the
| Windows XP PC so not sure what the issue is. Perhaps Kodak designed the
| camera so that it would require the use of their software in order to
| download pictures, but if that was the case wonder why it worked on my Mac
| using the Mac's default image and transfer app.

| Thanks for the help.


| John

| PS-As a temporary solution we could buy a USB SD card reader, but ideally
| this is not a good solution but as a backup.


Actually, using a USB Memory Card reader is the *better* solution than connecting the
camera to the PC.

The ONLY reason I can see connecting a PC to a camera is if it is a notebook, used in the
field, and you are using software to directly control a camera mounted on a tripod.

 

[Paul Randall]

From: "John Wolf" <[email protected]>

| Its been a while since I used a XP PC but my folks Kodak M340 wont
connect
| to the PC. A error message pops up saying "cant get device information."
I
| tried uninstalling the Kodak software and using the Windows XP camera
| transfer app and then no error message pops up. I then re-installed
| EasyShare 8.x and the error message popped up again. I thought maybe
there
| is a issue with the camera, however the camera works like a charm on my
Mac
| OSX Tiger based ibook G4. Other digital cameras connect just fine to the
| Windows XP PC so not sure what the issue is. Perhaps Kodak designed the
| camera so that it would require the use of their software in order to
| download pictures, but if that was the case wonder why it worked on my
Mac
| using the Mac's default image and transfer app.

| Thanks for the help.


| John

| PS-As a temporary solution we could buy a USB SD card reader, but
ideally
| this is not a good solution but as a backup.


Actually, using a USB Memory Card reader is the *better* solution than
connecting the
camera to the PC.

The ONLY reason I can see connecting a PC to a camera is if it is a
notebook, used in the
field, and you are using software to directly control a camera mounted on
a tripod.

Plugging stuff into a camera is one of the major causes of camera damage.
Compact Flash cards have been known to go into some expensive Nikon cameras
slightly askew, causing the grounding pin to be mashed over inside the
camera. Not a fun thing to have fixed. The USB connection may be more fool
proof.

-Paul Randall

 

[Don Phillipson]

Plugging stuff into a camera is one of the major causes of camera damage.
Compact Flash cards have been known to go into some expensive Nikon cameras
slightly askew, causing the grounding pin to be mashed over inside the
camera. Not a fun thing to have fixed. The USB connection may be more fool
proof.

This seems excellent advice for people who are genuinely
"all fingers and thumbs." But most people are not. If someone
has been used to taking out the image cartridge to load contents
onto a PC five or 10 times a year (thus 10 or 20 reinsertions)
without damage, this suggests that up to age 70 the user
will be able to manage this again.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

This seems excellent advice for people who are genuinely
"all fingers and thumbs." But most people are not. If someone
has been used to taking out the image cartridge to load contents
onto a PC five or 10 times a year (thus 10 or 20 reinsertions)
without damage, this suggests that up to age 70 the user
will be able to manage this again.

I'm over 70 (almost 72) and do it more that 10 times a year. I've
never had a problem.

 

[BillW50]

In Ken Blake, MVP typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:36:11 -0700:

I'm over 70 (almost 72) and do it more that 10 times a year. I've
never had a problem.

And you own one of those slightly skewed expensive Nikon cameras?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

In Ken Blake, MVP typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:36:11 -0700:

And you own one of those slightly skewed expensive Nikon cameras?

No. Sorry, I thought the comment was about digital cameras in general.

 

[Jim]

Its been a while since I used a XP PC but my folks Kodak M340 wont connect
to the PC. A error message pops up saying "cant get device information." I
tried uninstalling the Kodak software and using the Windows XP camera
transfer app and then no error message pops up. I then re-installed
EasyShare 8.x and the error message popped up again. I thought maybe there
is a issue with the camera, however the camera works like a charm on my Mac
OSX Tiger based ibook G4. Other digital cameras connect just fine to the
Windows XP PC so not sure what the issue is. Perhaps Kodak designed the
camera so that it would require the use of their software in order to
download pictures, but if that was the case wonder why it worked on my Mac
using the Mac's default image and transfer app.

Thanks for the help.


John

PS-As a temporary solution we could buy a USB SD card reader, but ideally
this is not a good solution but as a backup.

Recently there was another message along this line , and it was some
trouble with EasyShare ; can`t remember the details .

 

[Jim]

I have removed and installed compact flash cards in my Nikon D70 quite a few
times, and I have not had a problem getting them to work in the camera. I
have removed and installed the SDHC card in my Nikon D90 several times
without incident. And, I am several years older than Ken.
Jim

 

[BillW50]

In Jim typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 14:46:42 -0500:

I have removed and installed compact flash cards in my Nikon D70
quite a few times, and I have not had a problem getting them to work
in the camera. I have removed and installed the SDHC card in my
Nikon D90 several times without incident. And, I am several years
older than Ken.
Jim

Yet there was a call once to customer support of a much younger person
who was told to insert another floppy disk into the drive and they said
after the third one no more will fit into the drive. Go figure!

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "Ken Blake, MVP" <[email protected]>

| On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:06:15 -0400, "Don Phillipson"


| I'm over 70 (almost 72) and do it more that 10 times a year. I've
| never had a problem.

Ken:

You write like a much younger man

I have taken thousands of pictures with a dSLR and I find I am switching memory cards all
the time and I have 6 in 1 SanDisk Memory Card Reader and it makes life much easier.
Indeed, if I connect the camera via USB the camera must be tuned on and that just wastes
the battery.

I ran into a problem at work in supporting my Graphics Artist. The problem is "USB Mass
Storage Devices" are disabled by Group Policy on the Domain. To get around this I
installed a PCMCIA interface in her PC and purchased a Compact Flash to PCMCIA card. My
Graphics Artist has been a very happy camper ever since.

 

[David H. Lipman]

From: "BillW50" <[email protected]>


| And you own one of those slightly skewed expensive Nikon cameras?

That's NOT the norm.

 

[BillW50]

In David H. Lipman typed on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:36:35 -0400:

That's NOT the norm.

Is that like saying Boeing isn't the norm for commercial flight?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

From: "Ken Blake, MVP" <[email protected]>

| On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:06:15 -0400, "Don Phillipson"



| I'm over 70 (almost 72) and do it more that 10 times a year. I've
| never had a problem.

Ken:

You write like a much younger man

If that's a complement, thanks very much. <g>

I'm pretty healthy and spry, so I mostly feel like a much younger man.

I have taken thousands of pictures with a dSLR and I find I am switching memory cards all
the time

Me too and me too.

and I have 6 in 1 SanDisk Memory Card Reader and it makes life much easier.

I have just an SD reader, which is all I need for my camera. I agree;
I also like using it much better than connecting the camera.

But my new laptop (an ASUS EEE netbook, which I've had for about a
week) comes with an SD card reader built into it. So I don't even need
the separate reader when I'm traveling.

Indeed, if I connect the camera via USB the camera must be tuned on and that just wastes
the battery.

Yes! Besides being easier, that's another reason why I also prefer the
reader.

 

[Just D.]

Ken Blake

Yes! Besides being easier, that's another reason why I also prefer the
reader.

Battery is not so important comparing to the camera and the lens. I usually
keep my camera in the safe bag and it takes a second to open this bag, take
the SDHC card out keeping the camera in, insert the card into the Card
Reader, copy data to the computer and finally return the card back into the
camera. And the camera is safe all the time. It's expensive enough Nikon
with a very good optics so I'd prefer to keep doing this way. But even for
much cheaper cameras we usually take the card and copy the data with the
card reader. Safer for the cameras. I'm professional computer guy with over
23+ pro experience and I have no problem to disassemble any computer, but I
prefer to work with the card and this is my choice. Also keep in mind that
I, like many people, who made many hundreds of thousands of photos, have
many SDHC cards with me so I can easily switch the cards if required. There
is a good rule - don't keep all eggs... - you remember, and sometimes in
very rare cases the card can fail taking all your brilliant shots away. So
switching the cards in the fields is a part of the game.

Sometimes laptops don't have all required ports. I bought PCMCIA to FW card
to copy the DV footage from my camcorder and it works just great.

Just D.

 

[Anteaus]

Contacts on SD and CF cards are rated for a very high number of insertions,
as it is envisaged by the memory-makers that they will be changed frequently.
There is a slight danger with CF of bending the pins if you do it roughly,
but you'd have to be Ronon Dex to manage that.

I never install digicam services. Why, after all, would I want to have to
learn to use a special interface to transfer files to the computer when I can
do this from the card with explorer, xcopy or any familiar method?

 

[Lance]

This person had a similar problem:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=17179

The cause was running the Easyshare software using a limited (or "User")
account.

Could this be the problem in your case?

Lance
*****

John Wolf wrote the following on 9/19/2009 08:12 AM:

 

[Lance]

This person had a similar problem:
http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=17179

The cause was running the Easyshare software using a limited (or "User")
account.

Could this be the problem in your case?

Lance
*****

John Wolf wrote the following on 9/19/2009 08:12 AM:

 

[db]

use a multi / generic card
reader and simply read/write
to the flash card

instead of plugging the
physical camera to the
computer.



--
db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces
- @Hotmail.com

"share the nirvana mann" - dbZen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[BillW50]

In db typed on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 12:38:17 -0500:

use a multi / generic card
reader and simply read/write
to the flash card

instead of plugging the
physical camera to the
computer.

I do both and besides of the latter sometimes needing some USB driver
from the manufacture. Both methods are just as good as the other in most
cases.