digital camera as mass storage device?

[innirvana1]

Hello, I've been trying to find a digital camera that still shows up as a removable drive with a drive letter in Windows XP. The past years I've used 6 or so different cameras that all did this, now I've seen 2 new cameras that WON'T show up as drives. They auto show up just as a camera and do not have drive letters with them.

I then heard today from some guy that ALL cameras can be connected to XP as a USB mass storage device, but he didn't know how to do this. Does anyone else know how to do this? Or are camera companies making their cameras to NOT show up as removable drives?? Does anyone know anything about forcing a camera to be a USB mass storage device so that I can have a drive letter assigned to it?

thanks,
-Jes

[lgbpop]

It may be the way the camera firmware's written. Are you using a card reader, or a cable interface from the camera to the computer?

[Tinkertron]

Funny thing that you brought this up, cause I was try my newly bought Kodak EasyShare C743 and I wanted to do the samething. I'm going to have to agree with what "lgbpop" mention. I think remove the software that comes with the camerea and just let Windows XP install the drivers, that this might work. I'm going to give it a try. Would you like me to report back?

[Tinkertron]

After experimenting the above task mention. It is true. By removing the Kodak EasyShare software and then rebooting, XP was able to install just the driver and when you goto My Computer you'll see your Mass Storage as a drive. I hope this resolves your problem, just that you won't be able to uses the Kodak EasyShare software, unless you let Kodak know that this should be something that is add in their software.

[innirvana1]

lgbpop, I'm trying to connect directly to the camera with it's cable. I think you are right.

tinkertron, which kodak camera do you have? because I've got experience with 4 different models of kodak's easyshare cameras and they all did have drive letters (with or without kodak's drivers being installed). But now I got this newer model that absolutely will not get a drive letter. Even when I called tech support, they said it will not get a drive letter. I sent it back and talked to more Kodak people about which cameras will create a drive letter and they said only this one last model still can do it. Well I was trying to order it and a week later they came back and said they discontinued that model.

I even called Canon, and they said that none of their cameras will let a drive letter be assigned to it. But when I called Nikon, some guy said that ALL cameras can. And said it was XP that controlled if it was recognized as a camera or a mass storage device. (but of course he didn't know how to do it.)

but anyway, sorry for making this so long. But again, which model of camera do you have? I'm guessing it is an older one, but I would be really glad to be wrong!! Please let me know!

thanks both of you,
-Jes

[lgbpop]

I forget where now, but I'll look for the location where you can change a drive's status from removable to non-removable. I don't guarantee that will help any, but I think that's what I did with my wife's laptop to make it work.

I have a card reader in my computer that bypasses all the third-party rubbish and lets me view the flash card as a removable drive, just as a USB flash drive is viewed.

[Tinkertron]

I had a FujiFilm A210 that worked just fine. I bought that one 3 years ago. My newer camera is now a Kodak EasyShare C743. Again, I had the EasyShare software installed and I did not see a "drive" in My Computer. Once I removed the EasyShare sofware and reboot and just connected the camera and let Windows XP detect the driver, the "drive" showed up in MY Computer".

[lgbpop]

Now that I think on it, Tinkertron's method is what I did. We were visiting my parents in Massachusetts when I needed to transfer AdAware and ewido to my dad's laptop (on dialup the downloads would have taken forever) and we didn't have the Fuji software disk, just XP's native software. It was immediately recognized as a drive.

[Tinkertron]

innirvana1 - one thing that I wanted to point out to you that you mention, and so that we have a clear understanding. The EasyShare fireware is a software and driver package. You can't (that I know of) just install driver for the download or CD that provided. If you unplug you camera from the computer and uninstalled the fireware, you are removing the software and the drivers. Now that you have done this just plug the camera right into the computer and if you are using Windows XP then it will detect your camera and automatcaly install just the driver and won't install the software. By doing this you prevent Kodak from listing your camera as a drive. They must of have added something in their software to remove the mass storage for your drive list. Maybe they don't think it's a good idea to use your camera as a mass storage drive? Their software isn't really that good anyways. It's is a memory hogger from what I can see.

[innirvana1]

Thanks both of you. I can't really test that out now, since I've already sent back that camera (for other reasons also). But I'm pretty sure that the first time I went to use that camera, I plugged it in before I even tried using kodak's software/drivers. And XP auto detected it and made it a camera device instead of a drive.

But I called Nikon back to see if I could talk to another camera person and this person told me a lot better info about their cameras. He said that it wasn't XP controlling how the camera got listed. He said their cameras have a setting to allow it to be detected as a mass storage device, or deteced as a camera. But I can not tell if this has any indication about other manufacturers' cameras. I think I will just buy this Nikon camera and be certain that I get a drive letter.

Thanks guys,
-Jes

[nortonrs]

Just an adding comment:
I just bought a C875 Kodak camera and, due firmware (internal program of the camera) definition, It´s not detectected as mass storage removable device, even if you uninstall the Easyshare Software.
I contacted kODAK support and they confirmed what I suspected.
Solution is connect the memory card through a memory card reader.

Have all of yoy Happy Hollidays.

nortonrs

[innirvana1]

Yes, Nortonrs, that is exactly what I did. I contacted them and they specifically said that windows XP could not detect it as a storage device. On other cameras that do the same, I had to start using the card in a card reader. But that is annoying. I'm switching to Nikon Cameras.
thanks,
-Jes

[rocator]

Sorry guys to bring this thread up, but this was the only significant thread in the internet on this issue.

I have also been trying to connect my Canon Powershot as a "USB Mass Storage Device" (drive letter), but failed to do so.

Technically, there are two interfaces for a cam to connect: MSC (Mass Storage Class) to appear as a normal USB storage, and PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) to appear as a "digital camera" (under Control Panel, Scanners and Cameras).

Now apparently, new drivers automatically hand the control over to PTP, that's why they don't appear with a drive letter. But as far as I know, all USB devices must be able to connect via MSC...