Scanner and Camera wizard not working

[mhl]

Camera and Scanner Wizard no longer opens automatically when I connect a digital camera. In fact no autoplay options are offered at all when I connect a camera. Yet Control Panel >> Scanners and Cameras shows the camera is detected when connected.

Scanner and Camera wizard and autoplay used to work when a camera was connected, so I guess I must have done something that is stopping it - but I can't figure what.

Any suggestions?

[SpywareDr]

Wonder if it was this update that is causing the problem?

Update to the AutoPlay functionality in Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971029

[mhl]

Don't think so - that update was several months ago, and scanner and camera wizard has worked since then. The problem has arisen more recently. However I have finally managed to get the problem PC to open the Nikon download utility when I plug the (Nikon) camera in. I haven't checked, but I guess the same program will open when I plug any camera in (I use a Canon as well). Either that or I use a different PC - the Linux machine is by far the best here: it auto detects anything I plug in.

Thanks for the reply though Doc.

[Train]

When it shows up in My Computer, R-click and select open with, then browse to the program you want. Be sure to check the always use box.

[mhl]

Train - thereby lies the problem: it doesn't show up in My Computer ...

[Train]

Have you tried different ports?

[mhl]

Have you tried different ports?

Yes - no difference. The ports are OK with other USB devices, and the cameras/cables are OK connecting to USB ports on other PCs.

[Train]

Maybe. . .
"Have you used Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc at the Run prompt)? This
built-in WinXP utility handles much more than disk drives, including many
types of USB flash drives, memory card readers - and some cameras. Anything
that can be assigned a "drive" letter.

If your camera shows up here, you can assign it a specific drive letter of
your choice (S: for Scanner?). Then WinXP will attempt to assign that same
letter each time you plug in that camera. If you don't specifically assign
a letter, then WinXP will apply its default rules to assign "the next
available" letter each time you plug it in, and this can vary, depending on
what else is plugged in and enabled at the time, so your camera might be F:
today and G: tomorrow.

If you right-click on the camera in Disk Management, then click Properties,
you should see a screen with several tabs including one for Policies. On
this tab, you should have a choice between Optimize for performance and
Optimize for quick removal. See what happens if you change this option.

Once installed, with a "permanent" drive letter, your camera should "just
work", without the need to run the wizard again each time it is
re-connected. "

[Train]

More possible help with one of these links.
http://www.google.com/webhp?rls=ig#h...f87efc6f926f13

[mhl]

Train

Thanks for your two further responses. The camera does not show up in Disk Management (I suppose this is consistent with it not showing up in My Computer), and I already tried all the Google links I could find before coming to VDr with this problem. All of the links assume that the camera shows up in My Computer as an external device, and that the problem is simply that Autoplay doesn't start. Nothing covers the scenario where the camera doesn't appear as an external device.

What I find strange is that, if I go to Control Panel >> Scanners and Cameras, the camera appears here when I connect it - yet it does not appear in My Computer. If I then right-click on the camera and select Properties >> Events and select "Prompt for which program to run", I do not get this to work when I next connect the camera. I have to select "Start this program" and then choose Nikon Transfer from the list available. If I choose MS Scanner and Camera Wizard from the list of programs, it doesn't start when I connect the camera.

This behaviour is beyond me!!

[Train]

With my Nikons, I cheat and use a Scandisk MobileMate SD+ USB adapter.
Saves on Batteries and stops all kinds of headaches.
Example:
http://www.amazon.com/Sandisk-Mobile.../dp/B000Q3IUV2

Yes, I know we can charge some Nikons using the usb, But I still use the adapter to transfer the graphics using Windows Explorer.
Then charge the camera.

[HAN]

Another thing to consider is using Nirsoft's USBDeview http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html It is the only utility of it's kind I've found and it's free!

With it, you can see if your camera is listed as a USB device and USBDeview will allow you to delete the camera from Windows. (Use care when deleting to make sure it is exactly the entry you want deleted.) Then, the next time the camera is inserted, Windows will rebuild the USB information concerning the connection.

I have used USBDeview for many things, including the repair of iPod connections that suffered from the same issue you are having (connecting the device but nothing happens.)

I can't guarantee success (who could?) but feel that after you've tried everything else, this is certainly worth a shot.

**EDIT**

FWIW, I also prefer card readers to the cameras themselves. But it's not always possible to do so.

[mhl]

Han

Thanks for the suggestion of USBDeview. I've had a look at it but, while it sees and correctly identifies my cameras, there still appears to be no way I can get Win XP to allocate a drive letter or autoplay.

I can use a card reader as both you and Train have suggested, although this is less convenient than just plugging the camera in instead of opening it up and removing the card!

I think we can close this thread. It's not resolved, but I'm not stuck with a digital camera whose images I can't access. It's just mildly irritating that something that used to work on this one PC doesn't any more. But I suppose that's Windows for you.

Thanks for your help guys.

[Train]

I will mark it resolved this time, but as the originator of the thread, above your first post is Thread tools in which you can make it resolved.

Agree it is not resolved per se , but that is our way of closing a thread.