error message: cannot detect camera

Hello
First time using digi camera, trying to plug it in, having downloaded the software, plugged the usb connection in I get the following message. Cannot detect camera. Check connectin to camera, then retry.
I have of course checked all the connections. I have wiped off the software and then downloaded it again. I have bought a high speed hub as advised by PC World (another message I originally got was that due to my usb hub the connection would be slow). All this and still the same message. The camera has been connected to someone else's lap top, using their software but our lead and it worked.

Surely this is a simple problem - hope someone can help.

Thanks

 

No doubt... once we know the camera make and model as well as the operating system you are using...

 

Oops - I was a bit tired last night. It's a Cannon Power Shot 630 and I use Windows XP.

 

Canon Power Shot A 630
OR
Canon Power Shot SD 630?

 

I take it you got the hub because you are out of USB ports. Do other USB devices work when plugged into the hub? Have you tried the camera through one of the computer’s regular USB ports?

Hubs can be problematic and it would be best to eliminate that before messing other stuff.

 

It's an A630 Cannon Power Shot.

I bought the high speed hub because I was getting a message saying the connection to the camera would be slow due to my hub. I had already tried the camera through every possible hub before I bought the new one. Everything else works fine through any hub.

 

bump

 

I’m a little confused by the whole thing. The USB plugs in the back and maybe the front of your computer aren’t usually distributed by a hub. The message you initially got is an indication that something detected the camera was connected through a hub. A hub is a device people who don’t have any open internal slots or who resist removing the cover of their computer use to expand the number of USB ports on the computer. A PCI or express card is a much better alternative if there is an available slot, especially if you want a higher speed port.

It was the initial message that was confusing. If you didn’t have an external hub at the time and were plugged into a regular USB port on the computer you shouldn’t have gotten a message that it was connected through a hub and that you would lose performance. The A630 is a high speed USB 2.0 device and the message might have been that you have a slower USB connection or a hub that would slow the transfer.

If the computer won’t detect the camera when it is connected directly to one of the computer’s ports it is probably a separate problem. What operating system are you using?

 

Right, I made a mistake in my initial message. I will try to clarify. I plugged the device into a hub initially, which is when I got the message about a slow performance. However I did have one spare internal usb connection, still got the same message when I tried that. Then I bought a high speed 2.0 USB thingy (I thought this was a hub) that slotted into an available space in the back of the computer. I fitted this myself, downloaded the software and now use this for other devices successfully, apart from the camera of course.
I use Windows XP.
I hope this clears up my muddly explanation. And thanks for everyone's time and help

 

If you installed a card inside the computer it isn’t likely a hub. The term hub is confusing as there are internal hubs for all USB installations, but that is a different kind of hub than an external device that connects through a single USB port. If you installed a high speed USB 2.0 card it should give excellent throughput.

Do other USB devices work in the USB ports from the new card? I think you might have answered that but rereading it I’m not sure.

I checked that your A630 is PTP or “picture transfer protocol”. PTP is an industry standard used by most cameras. When you plug the camera in and set it up according to the manual (some have to be turned on for instance) to download photos the camera should show as a drive in Windows Explorer and My Computer. It will have its own drive letter and be labeled “removable disk” or maybe even “camera”.

The attachment is from Windows Explorer with my pocket camera set to download photos. When you connect the camera and turn it on you should get a drive. With Win98 I had to install drivers to get the camera to show as a drive. But I’ve never installed any software that came with a camera for XP. I got a message the computer had detected a new device and that was all I needed. If you aren’t getting a drive letter with the camera attached I would first uninstall everything you installed from the Canon CD. Hopefully you didn’t install any drivers.

If you still aren’t getting a drive letter with all the Canon stuff uninstalled I would suspect either the USB connection or the camera. Or maybe the Canon software left some residual. XP is excellent for hassle free detection of PTP cameras. I’m guessing you are getting the “cannot detect camera” message from ZoomBrowser or some other program. If it is showing as a drive you don’t need any of that. If it isn’t then something is wrong.

You will notice you have to open a couple of folders to get to the photos on the card. With the photos showing in this way you can Edit > Select All then Edit > Copy. Right click on any folder on your computer and select “Paste”. The photos will transfer from the camera to the folder. If you prefer automatic stuff you can right click the main drive letter, Properties > AutoRun > Photos and have Windows automatically open a wizard or open a particular program.

 

Thanks for your advice, Slipe, I have now uninstalled all the software connected to the camera. The computer is showing a Digital Still Camera in the scanners and cameras section of My Computer. Is this a drive? It's not there when the camera is not switched on or plugged in, so I presume so. However when I try to 'get pictures' I get the usual message, this time from The Camera and Scanner Wizard. Cannot detect camera check connection etc. I hope I have understood you correctly. What do I do next? Thanks again.

 

It should show as a drive with a drive letter. My last screenshot was from Windows Explorer, which is the Windows file management display. This is what it looks like in My Computer.

If it isn’t showing as a drive I would guess something got installed with the Canon software that didn’t get removed with the uninstall. I’ve read posts on other boards from people saying their Canon camera wasn’t PTP and maybe it is the latest ZoomBrowser acting like EasyShare. I found two sources that said your camera is PTP, so if it isn’t showing as a drive something isn’t right.

Other than a registry cleanup I wouldn’t know where to go from here if your camera isn’t showing as a drive. I suspect it isn’t if the wizard can’t find a camera. Maybe a call to Canon support could help.

Another thought – you didn’t say how you were trying to access the photos in the first place. If you weren’t using ZoomBrowser you might reinstall and try that. If it is indeed blocking PTP like EasyShare does the only way to download would be through ZoomBrowser. I can’t link it because it is a pop-up, but Canon has an update for ZoomBrowser EX to 5.8b on their USA site.

I could well be blaming ZoomBrowser for something it isn’t causing. But your setup is looking like my friend’s EasyShare tomfoolery.