[mrcoons]

One of the cameras I used most often is my Canon Powershot S1 IS that I have had for over a year now. For most of this time all I used was a 256mb Viking memory card. To download my pictures I just plugged the camera into the USB port and XP's transfer program did the rest. Life was good.

Recently I purchased a 512mb card as I had decided to start taking the largest pictures my S1 would take. Everything is fine until I plug the camera into the USB port. The XP transfer program did not start automatically as it usually did and when I started it manually it tells me that there are no pictures in the camera to transfer.

So I take the card out and put it in the card reader and there the pictures are. So I transfer the pictures, put the card back in the camera, reformat the card, take some test pictures and plust the camera back in. Still no pictures found by the transfer program. Put the card in the card reader and there they are.

So then I put the 256mb card back in do the test and the transfer works fine. So what is it about the 512mb card that prevents the XP Transfer software from working? Is there any thing that can be done?

Mark

[acraftylady]

You have me confused. If you are putting the 512 card in the card reader and getting the pictures the XP camera wizard is working? If you have a card reader why would you want to use the camera to transfer pictures anyway?

[mrcoons]

With the card reader I have to copy the images from the card to the harddrive but can't easily rename them. With XP's transfer I can copy the images and automatically rename them all at the same time.

I'm curious why XP has no trouble reading images from the camera when the 256 is used versus the 512. I just mentioned that I could read them from the card reader to prove that there was nothing wrong with the card itself.

[kiwiguy]

acraftylady is right, in my opinion there should be a health warning on all camera download software.

It sounds like it does not correctly support larger memory cards.

With XP, I find its more of a problem to use camera software than a card reader.

Does the camera and card show up as a "removeable drive" under XP when it is connected?

[mrcoons]

Yes the camera shows up when connected, but when queried it says that there aren't any pictures in the camera, when there are.

Canon says that the Powershot S1 can handle 1gb card. And it stores the pictures on the 512 with no problems.

I try to avoid camera company software at all costs. I've had bad experiences in the past. (Which is why I bought the card reader.)

But then: I've also had trouble with my SanDisk CF reader damaging cards, making them unreadable. So I got away from using it, particularly since XP's transfer porgram works so well (for me anyway).

[buck52]

Here's a shot in the dark...

you say you've started taking large files....any chance they are RAW...my reader does not open with the XP wizard if I have a card full of RAW files but it does if the card has jpgs on it...

buck

[RT]

buck,
the Canon S1 IS only records in jpg, no RAW nor TIFF format available, common features to both the A and S series. Good shot, though.

'Nother shot in the dark, mrcoons, did you be sure to format the card in the camera?

And I wonder (for no real reason) is the 512 card also a Viking?
This really shouldn't matter - Viking card, Sandisk reader... just curious.

[acraftylady]

Originally Posted by mrcoons

With the card reader I have to copy the images from the card to the harddrive but can't easily rename them. With XP's transfer I can copy the images and automatically rename them all at the same time.

I'm curious why XP has no trouble reading images from the camera when the 256 is used versus the 512. I just mentioned that I could read them from the card reader to prove that there was nothing wrong with the card itself.

I have no clue why the camera won't work. I have never transfered them that way myself, have always used a card reader. I have XP and a sandisk card reader and I dont' have to copy the images from the card to the hard drive. When I put my card in the reader the XP camera wizard pops up and automatically transfers the photos so my card reader works along with the XP camera wizard. I guess people just have different setups than me and I think it's all the same but it's not.

[mrcoons]

RT: Yes I formated the card. And it is a Viking also.
Acraftylady: Maybe I need to change the setup on my card reader to start the XP wizard. I must have it set to do nothing. I'll try that and that will tell me if the problem is with XP or the camera. I suspect it's XP that doesn't like the card - not the camera.

Mark

[buck52]

In control panel under scanner and cameras does the reader show...

may need to install the reader thru the add new device that way to get it all to work

buck

[mrcoons]

The reader works fine, that's not what I am questioning. I am questioning why the camera appears to not have any pictures in it when it really does when I connect the camera to the USB port.

[acraftylady]

Can't remember if you said but did you try the camera and cable on another computer? Did you try a new cable mabye? I don't know it seems like a lot of people complain trying to use the camera to get the pictures into the computer. Another thing do you have the dial set right on the camera? I think on my camera I have to turn the dial to something when I hook the camera up to the computer or it won't work.

I don't know why the XP wizard doesn't come up with your card reader, I think it should but maybe it doesn't for certain ones. My sandisk is older and was on Win 98 then when I got XP I thought I was going to have to get a new one but someone said to try Win 2k drivers or something and I got it working.

[mrcoons]

I have not tried this with a different PC but I can do that fairly easily. I'll do that tonight.

I had not tried a different PC or Cable because I used the same Camera->Cable->PC with the 256mb & 128mb cards and they work fine. It's only when I put the 512 in that I have the situation.

As for the card reader I believe that in the readers Windows profile you can set the 'action' to be taken when a memory card is detected. I think mine is set to 'do nothing'. I'll check that tonight also.

[mrcoons]

Test #1:
OK, by updating the profile on the card reader and on the camera they both now open the camera & scanner wizard when they detect the 512 card. Unfortunately nothing changes. When the wizard starts with the camera the screen in file CFcardCam1 appears. Notice it says that there aren't any pictures on the card. Yet if I take the card out of the camera and put it in the card reader I get the screen shown in file CFcardReader1, that shows the 4 pictures that are on the card.

Test #2:
Tried plugging the camera into the USB port on my wifes' PC (which is also a WIN XP) and it works fine! It reads the 512 card and shows the 4 pictures.

So what is the difference is the wizard between the PCs. But the wizard works fine on my PC with any other card. So what is wrong? I see no preference settings for this wizard or any other differences between the 2 PC's.

[acraftylady]

I keep forgetting you said it's only the 512 card but strange it works on another computer. Could the USB port possibly be broken on your computer? I don't know maybe plug the cable into a different one and see. Hopefully somone will have an answer.