Got my camera this morning, a Kodak C533. It takes dazzlingly clear pictures. Too bad I don't have it anymore. The cameras software was not compatible with Windows 98, which I already knew. That's why I bought an SD card and a card reader to go with it. The camera and the card worked flawlessly. The card reader on the other hand was a PITA! The drivers had to be downloaded from the companies internet site. Try as I might, the driver wouldn't download. The INF files downloaded as did the instructions. But the driver would not download. I took the card reader back to Wal-Mart and exchanged it for a different brand. Got it home and had the same thing happen. By this time, I was really pissed off! That was it! I had had it! I packed everything up and the whole * mess back to Wal-Mart and got my money back! Without the card reader, the camera was worthless. Now I have money for trains when I go to Alexandria tomorrow. Hare's Art and Hobby, look out! There's a tornado coming!
Jeff, I understand. It may be the reader, it may not. Almost all companies that sell the smaller digital chachkas (readers, webcams, etc.) do not include drivers on a CD due to cost and the fact that by this point they are all using the XP codes to provide automatic installation. Many don't consider the people with WIN98 a viable market and thus don't put much affort into ensuring drivers, etc. work. You may have just had a glitch in the download, or they may have a defective website. I recommend that folks buy things like this from a smaller dealer that can offer personal service and knows what they are doing. Many times, these places are the last bastion for outdated OS users such as yourself, as the onsite help may already have the driver that they can burn you on CD. It costs more than what WallyMart charges, but what was the cost of your frustration/mileage/time lost? Windows 98 was designed with firewalls in place to prevent non-Microsoft engineered products from being connected. I used to work at a company that sold digital camera accessories and until XP came along I had nightmares trying to help customers install various things unto Win 98/98SE. Once Win 98 determines that a non-registered device is trying to install, it builds the firewall that has to be removed before another install is attempted. Microsoft held that this was to protect consumers from shoddy aftermarket equpiment but all it really did was force other companies to go hat in hand to Redmond to get approval codes. It gave Microsoft a wonderful way to chery pick new ideas and make them their own. this was one of the reasons the Feds hauled them into court on anti-trust charges. Win 98 is a dead OS. Microsoft really wanted to kill it off two years ago. I know they officially stopped offering upgrades back in '03. The program is good for wordprocessing, but you are going to fing almost impossible to buy new devices that willl install on your system. This is based ONLY on my personal experience, but is not unique. Look into a new PC or MAC if you plan on getting into digital shooting, because as you have discovered, shooting digital without a computer at home is slightly pointless. The reason I still shoot film is due to the fact that after staring into the sceen fro 8-12 hours at work, I refuse to go home and do the same. You did the right thing with regards to testing it immediately, taking it back immediately and moving on. The most frustrating calls I would get were the folks who bought their equipment on the way to the airport, not being computer savvy (or worse..being computer savvy !) and then calling up to scream that they couldn't get anything to work and they couldn't get their 4 weeks of African safari photos and I was an SOB (granted) AND I RUINED THEIR VACATION!!!!! I ruined 147 vacations the Summer of '02 by my count. I would try to not let it get to you, as you will have this issue in the future as long as you work with a computer. The software is getting much more interchangable and usable, especially in the past two years, but as long as there are computers, there will be bugs. Hope this helps, Mark
Catch-22 Sadly you will have more and more of these issues pop up if you are not on Windows XP(SP2) or buy a new systems with VISTA as technology always is advancing and tends to be only compatabile with technology form that same timeframe. :computer: :computer: :computer: :computer:
The only other choice you could have was to get a memory chip (I have a 256K in my camera), shoot the pics, and take the chip to one of those places that can burn a photo CD. Takes time, costs a few bucks. Again, the problem of ensuring your computer can read the photo CD. If it's so equipped, you're in business. If not, you're hosed. I was having to resort to this tactic before I got my new laptop- before then, I was using the library computer to upload photo CDs and load pics into Railimages (and I always got the OK from the person at the desk before proceeding, so no problems there). At least now, I can load pics I've taken very recently onto the laptop, and into RI or elsewhere. I claim ignorance as to Microsoft Windows or all the happy horsestuff involved with it, so I'm not going to BS you there I'm just sorry things didn't work.
This has just about made my mind up to upgrade to XP. My computer is designed it, so maybe next month I'll take the plunge.
