Unable to open Camera SD cards

[avz10]

We are on holiday and have a big problem. I have a Canon EOS 450D and have taken a lot of pictures.

I initially connected my camera to a family members laptop (Vista 7), but the laptop gave the error message that the "USB device is not recognized". I put more SD cards in and it gave the same error messages.

I then connected the Canon to another laptop- HP- Windows 7 with the same message.

I then put the SD cards in a Nikon Coolpix and connected it to both laptops, also giving the error message that the "USB device is not recognized".

When connecting the Nikon Coolpix with its own card to both computers, it opens normally.

Opening "My computer" the Canon is not recognized.

I have no idea.

Has anyone got any advice?

 

[belial]

Maybe try a card reader. Some advice for the future that someone here said that I now use is to use smaller cards and switch especially on a long shoot. Then if the worst happens you will still have good pictures

 

[Rephargotohp]

Is it possible that the card readers and the Nikon use SD cards and you are using a SDHD Card? Older SD readers can't read new SDHD cards

 

[KmH]

I think he really means SDHC cards.

 

[Rephargotohp]

I think he really means SDHC cards.

Actually I meant SDHE, they are even better, E for excellent

 

[avz10]

I was not even aware that there is a difference! The card in use is currently in an adapter and it is a micro SDHC 4 card, 4GB.

My PC at home is excellent, so will it mean that these laptops are too old to read the card, but that my PC at home will? I never had a problem like this and these two laptops are not mine.

At least the camera can open the pictures from the card, so I suppose they are safe?? Does the Canon perhaps need a software update??

The 2 laptops that I have access to here, do not have card readers, but at home I will try.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[bratkinson]

I was less than thrilled at the fact my new Canon 60D uses an SDHC card rather than the "standard" CF card when I had several CF cards for my 30D. So, "race around" when I got the camera and a Sandisk 32gb level 10 SDHC card and a generic SD card to USB reader for my computer. Plugged it in and it worked fine...just like a CF card as an extra disk drive in Windows XP. When I was done with looking at my first test shots with the 60D, I then put it back in the camera and did a "format" operation.

From then on, the SDHC card in the generic card reader is completely ignored by my computer! It's like I never plugged it in. I click on the added drive letter, but it comes up and says to insert drive. Go figure.

OK, it's a Sandisk card, so I bought a Sandisk reader for it. Now it works as it should...formated on the 60D, but read and written like an extra hard drive on the computer.

The Sandisk reader was something like $7.00 as was the generic one. If it didn't work, it would've been an cheap failure. At least I could still connect to the computer with the connector cord to the camera and the USB port. But, my going with the same brand reader did the trick!

 

[avz10]

Well, I have realized that it is not the SDHC card, rather the software (or the lack there of) on the laptops.

I tried a SD card, connected the camera, but still gices the same error message as above. I then connected the Canon without any cards and the same error message was given "USB device not recognized".

After searching and struggling, I installed the EOS utility, but still the same.

So my conclusion is that I need other Canon software to establish a link??

Any thoughts?

 

[bratkinson]

It sounds very much like device driver problems. Perhaps the 450D did some kind of screwy formatting not recognized by Windows.

I just checked the Canon website, and found some drivers for your 450D for importing RAW images into Windows XP, Vista and 7. I'd give that one a shot and see what happens.

 

[happypuppy]

Sometimes the SD card readers need software to work. Not all SD readers can read SDHC. It is not the OS or the card if the camera can see it. The problem is that Win7 has no idea what the device is it seems