ME / usb stopped recognizing digital camera (?!)

[3catcomfort]

Greetings: I purchased a Canon A720is digital camera in Feb 08. Did not install Canon software (since OS is ME); have been using Windows Explorer to drag/drop files from camera to computer. USB (2.0) has been recognizing camera until this week. Only things that I've done new since last file transfer from camera to computer has been some (very) long overdue computer maintenance, namely:

* download of "new" roots certificate update from msfn.org forum (rootsupd.exe)

* spybot download, install, update definitions, and run -- some items found cleaned

* symantec virus protection download (for ME), install, update definitions, and run (using site license from employer) -- 2 files found and quaranteened

* disk clean

* disk defrag

Now, when I plug in the Canon camera, the ME wizard appears (it never did before) and announces that new hardware has been found -- it knows that it's a Cannon digital camera -- and offers to find the best driver automatically or let me do it manually.

I've tried it both ways without luck. I don't know why this problem has appeared after 7 months of no problems, but all I want now is some guidance to figure out how to set it right. As for the manual driver selection option, I've tried

* listing "other" hardware but the only Canon cameras that show up in the list are for Powershots A5 or Pro70 (tried the A5 but didn't work),

* tried generic USB hub

* tried generic root USB hub

My Nikon D70s digital camera is uneffected -- I can still use Winows Explorer for file drag/drop transfer from camera to computer and have not received an auto wizard to find a driver. (I'm using a USB port hub for additional USB ports, but was doing this before the problem with the Canon camera appeared.)

Any suggestions? Thank you in advance for replies.

[FishBowl]

You did not install the Canon software.

OK, but did you install drivers for the Canon then?

If not, look for all the driver details for the Nikon camera that's still working.

Most important is the .inf file.

Try to point Windows to that one, use anyway.

If yes, reboot into safe mode, remove exactly that device and drivers from there. May be more than one for it, get rid of all. Install again.

However, for Windows, the cameras are nothing but USB storage devices.

Same as flash sticks, USB harddisks, flash cards inside of a reader, ...

In most cases, the USB storage device internal controller tells it's name to the bus, and windows also displays it, but a generic driver could and even would be used.

On my Win98SE, I am using nusb3.3 (Maximus Decim) for all such devices, but I've got no idea, if it can be used on WinME.

Edited September 7, 2008 by FishBowl

[Multibooter]

I've done some (very) long overdue computer maintenance,

* download of "new" roots certificate update from msfn.org forum (rootsupd.exe)

* spybot download, install, update definitions, and run -- some items found cleaned

* symantec virus protection download (for ME), install, update definitions, and run (using site license from employer) -- 2 files found and quaranteened

I have the feeling that your windows has been corrupted. Maybe the easiest solution would be to restore a backup of windows, made before your computer maintenance.

About 5 years ago my Win98 system started to freeze when I shut off an Olympus camera connected via USB. The problem was caused by the installation of BlackICE, a firewall. When I unloaded the blackd.exe process, which was loaded at boot time thru the registry. everything was fine. I then restored a backup of windows, taken prior to installing BlackICE, & everything was fine.

So my initial guess would be that it's Symantec's firewall. I wouldn't touch Symantec software with a five-foot-pole, except for the standalone version of Norton Disk Doctor, it goes too deep into the system. Once you have Symantec stuff installed, it's very hard to get rid of it again, Add/Remove leaves over a 100 registry entries, which have to be cleaned out manually.

Also about 5 years ago. the computer wouldn't recognize the Olympus camera (USB) after I installed a newer IomegaWare software/driver for a jaz 2GB drive. After removing the IomegaWare software & re-installing the Olympus driver the problem was solved.

Again, the easiest solution would be to restore a previous working backup of Windows.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Multibooter