AboutKarl Zick Expertise I can answer most questions on Windows 9X and XP - or other aspects of PC software and hardware installation, upgrade, and troubleshooting. Visit my free web site at www.kzconsulting.info for tutorials, tips and tricks, and problem identification and solution.
Experience
Previous USAF Colonel and Aerospace engineer. PC consultant for over 15 years. Client database of over 70 small businesses and individuals.
Question QUESTION: Karl
Hi again. I have Win 98, but a recently purchased camera requires Win 2000 (SP4), orWin XP (SP2) to download pictures. Is an "upgrade" - ideally free - available?
Thanks.
DBRJ
ANSWER: Your problem is that Win 98 does not support USB devices in a `plug and play' mode. Your camera came with a USB cable but if you use it to connect the camera to your computer, Win 98 does not recognize it.
What you need is a USB SD card reader with a Win 98 USB driver. Walmart has a Targus card reader for about $8 that will work. If the driver is no longer in the package, you can download one from the Targus web site.
Depending on the brand of your camera, a SD card reader may not work. The SD card is, of course, the memory card that stores all of your photo's. They are pretty standard for most cameras, but cameras like Olympus use XD instead of SD. Take out the card and see what the label says before you buy a reader.
Once you have a reader and have installed the driver, open your Windows Explorer or My Computer, plug the card into a USB port, and wait till your computer finds it. Then use the copy>paste feature in Win Explorer to copy the pictures from the card to your hard drive.
If your computer is so old that it does not have USB ports, you can buy a PCI-to-USB card to give you computer access. Some of these cards come with Win 98 USB drivers.
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QUESTION: Karl
Thanks for the reply. It turns out that the computer does have USB ports, and I already use it for another camera. When I installed that software with the CD, it did whatever it had to do and works fine. I don't know if that represents "plug and play". In the current case, since the handbook calls for "later-than-98" versions of OSs, I assume the CD accompanying it won't load. The card is in fact a Cannon SD, albeit only 16 Mb, so it looks like your reader suggestion should work, although what format they will turn up in remains to be seen. There's a good chance, though, that the photo software from the other camera will work once the files are available. I will look into the reader.
By the way, the card in my other camera (Sony) has a Sandisc Memory Stick. Is that an "SD"?
Thanks again.
DBRJ
Answer Sandisk is a brand of memory card - not a spec. SD stands for `secure data' and, like I said, is the standard memory card for most cameras (Sony and Canon included). The SD card comes in different sizes, but the smaller size comes with an adapter that will let it fit into a standard SD slot. You can buy a 4GB SD card these days for about $15 and with a card reader you have an alternate flash drive. I cannot believe that camera companies are giving their customers 16MB memory cards. If you have a 10 megapixel camera, that means that you have a maximum storage capacity of only about 11 photo's!
I, personally, do not like any of the photo editing and managing software that comes with most cameras. They are all different, complex and confusing - and you are usually better off just using the Windows Explorer program to copy and catalog your pictures. As far as editing, I use a program called `Paint Shop Pro' for touchup and resizing photo's. Suggest you find something you like and master it. Being fair to camera companies, you might start with your Sony or Canon software. Photo editing has nothing to do with the camera you are using however. Once you transfer your pix to your hard drive, they are all in jpg format and you can play with them in any editing program you choose.
To address your first comment, the Sony software obviously installed a Win 98 USB driver which enabled your computer to communicate with the camera. The driver was unique to the Sony camera however, and did not let your PC talk to the Canon. The card reader accepts the memory card from either camera and, acting like an external hard drive, gives you access to all of the photo's on either memory card.
