Downloading images off Nikon D50

[Sean Kelly]

Help!  I have a new Nikon D50 and run a pc with windows'98. However it appears that Nikon only support software/drivers from '98SE or later. How can I use my camera without upgrading my pc, which would be another expensive step?

[Gabe]

Help!  I have a new Nikon D50 and run a pc with windows'98. However it appears that Nikon only support software/drivers from '98SE or later. How can I use my camera without upgrading my pc, which would be another expensive step?
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Presumably you have some USB ports on your machine?

If so, maybe buying a third party USB card reader that's supported under Win98 would be a potential solution.. I'm sorry I can't help you with brand recommendations, but there are plenty out there to choose from. Perhaps someone else around here can tell you which ones will work under that OS...

[pchaplo]

Sean,

Right, do *not* download from your camera. Pull the card and put it into a compact flash card reader. Wal-Mart has some. Staples, too. Example: Sandisk. The quetion re: Win98 compatibility is a real one - you will have to try, so hand on to your receipt in case it doesnt work. The reader connects to your PC via USB, and then your PC sees the reader in Widows Explorer sort of like it is another hard drive. Open it,  then drag the file onto your PC hard drive into folder that you set-up for the session.

Some readers are stubborn - Ive had to reseat the CF card, disconnect/reconnect the CF Reader, etc. to get it to "see" some cards. So dont give up easily if it doesnt work the first time. Also, (big hint) once you get it working, save a ShortCut to the card reader - just put it on your Win98 destop - that way, life will be easier next time.

You may need a reader that it backwards compatible with USB 1.0 aka slow speed - depends on what you have for USB.

Good Luck!

Paul

[Sean Kelly]

Sean,

Right, do *not* download from your camera. Pull the card and put it into a compact flash card reader. Wal-Mart has some. Staples, too. Example: Sandisk. The quetion re: Win98 compatibility is a real one - you will have to try, so hand on to your receipt in case it doesnt work. The reader connects to your PC via USB, and then your PC sees the reader in Widows Explorer sort of like it is another hard drive. Open it,  then drag the file onto your PC hard drive into folder that you set-up for the session.

Some readers are stubborn - Ive had to reseat the CF card, disconnect/reconnect the CF Reader, etc. to get it to "see" some cards. So dont give up easily if it doesnt work the first time. Also, (big hint) once you get it working, save a ShortCut to the card reader - just put it on your Win98 destop - that way, life will be easier next time.

You may need a reader that it backwards compatible with USB 1.0 aka slow speed - depends on what you have for USB.

Good Luck!

Paul
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[Box Brownie]

Hmmmm!!!!

I was under the impression that Win98 will not support USB.  You must have Win98se for that?

If you do a search on the Microsoft website there will be qualifying tech docs.

HTH and you get it sorted out

[awhealler]

Paul,

I wonder why you say *not* to download directly from the camera.

I've done this before in a pinch and it worked fine.  What am I missing?

Thanks.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Paul,

I wonder why you say *not* to download directly from the camera.

I've done this before in a pinch and it worked fine.  What am I missing?

Thanks.
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In my experience, downloading directly from the camera is much slower than using a card reader (at USB 2 speed). Also, the card reader gets its power from the computer instead of the camera, so it doesn't drain your battery further.

I like my Dazzle card reader, which can write as well as read. That means I can use the computer power to erase the card after downloading, saving even more of the camera's battery power.

Just my 2 cents.

Eric

[Lisa Nikodym]

In my experience, downloading directly from the camera is much slower than using a card reader (at USB 2 speed). Also, the card reader gets its power from the computer instead of the camera, so it doesn't drain your battery further.

On the other hand, in my case I can download a day's worth of images from the camera to the laptop in the time I can shower and get ready for bed, so I don't care that it's not faster, and then the battery gets recharged overnight, and I don't have that one more bit of hardware to pack and keep track of.  Whatever works for you...

Lisa

[Lucidor]

In my experience, downloading directly from the camera is much slower than using a card reader (at USB 2 speed). Also, the card reader gets its power from the computer instead of the camera, so it doesn't drain your battery further.

I like my Dazzle card reader, which can write as well as read. That means I can use the computer power to erase the card after downloading, saving even more of the camera's battery power.

Just my 2 cents.

Eric
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There are two USB 2 speeds. Full speed and high speed. Full speed is almost as slow as USB 1, high speed is 40 times faster than full speed. The D50 uses high speed, while many others use full speed. So it should be fine downloading from the camera in this case.