I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
need to install the software?
We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
On Jul 2, 6:43*pm, svu geek <mejealo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
> having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
>
> The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
> unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
> having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
> need to install the software?
>
> We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
> this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
> drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
> used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
> would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
> the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
> why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
> unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
I don't see why doing just that would not work. Did you try this?
Better still, for ten bucks or so, get a USB card reader and save your
camera's battery life.
> We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
> this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
> drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
> used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
> would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
> the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
> why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
> unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
You shouldn't need the Canon s/w. Just plug it in and drag the phots
onto the PC (wither via USB or with the card plugged in).
The great conspiracy of trying to capture users into camera vendor
systems drive this.
"svu geek" <mejealous1@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6ce01b2a-7d97-422c-b6fa-1005daaadacf@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
> having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
>
> The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
> unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
> having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
> need to install the software?
>
> We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
> this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
> drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
> used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
> would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
> the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
> why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
> unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
You can use the Windows Camera & Scanner Wizard for USB downloads. I do this
on my work computer, but prefer Canon's ZoomBrowser at home.
>I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
>having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
>
>The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
>unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
>having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
>need to install the software?
No. The computer will recognize the reader as a drive if you connect
with a USB card reader, or it will recognize the camera if you connect
it directly.
>
>We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
>this camera.
Exactly.
>Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
>drivers and be done with it.
You may not even have to do that.
> We'd like to use this camera the way we
>used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
>would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
>the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
>why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
>unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
A card reader is faster and easier, but far from mandatory. Mine, for
an SD card only, cost me $10.
I'm with you, I never want to install the bloated software and you don't
need to. You also don't need to use a card reader. Just get a SD card
that has USB plus. They work great, you don't need to carry a card
reader, and they run without drivers.
svu geek wrote:
> I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
> having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
>
> The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
> unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
> having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
> need to install the software?
>
> We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
> this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
> drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
> used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
> would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
> the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
> why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
> unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
Alan Browne wrote:
> svu geek wrote:
>
> > We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
> > this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
> > drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
> > used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
> > would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
> > the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
> > why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
> > unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
>
> You shouldn't need the Canon s/w. Just plug it in and drag the phots
> onto the PC (wither via USB or with the card plugged in).
>
The instructions and other documentation says it's important to
install the software before connecting the camera to the computer via
the USB cable. In fact, it acts like something horrible will happen if
I don't install the software before connecting it to the computer. My
only concern is that I've heard that connecting some USB devices
before installing the software can screwup the USB ports (or something
like that). Is that true? Does anyone know for sure that I can connect
this camera to the USB port without installing the software or
anything else?
Sorry to be anal about this but better safe than sorry.
On Fri, 4 Jul 2008 04:21:41 -0700 (PDT), svu geek <mejealous1@yahoo.com>
wrote:
:
:
: Alan Browne wrote:
: > svu geek wrote:
: >
: > > We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
: > > this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
: > > drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
: > > used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
: > > would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
: > > the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
: > > why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
: > > unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
: >
: > You shouldn't need the Canon s/w. Just plug it in and drag the phots
: > onto the PC (wither via USB or with the card plugged in).
: >
:
:
: The instructions and other documentation says it's important to
: install the software before connecting the camera to the computer via
: the USB cable. In fact, it acts like something horrible will happen if
: I don't install the software before connecting it to the computer. My
: only concern is that I've heard that connecting some USB devices
: before installing the software can screwup the USB ports (or something
: like that). Is that true? Does anyone know for sure that I can connect
: this camera to the USB port without installing the software or
: anything else?
:
: Sorry to be anal about this but better safe than sorry.
It's because the computer is more likely to recognize the camera and talk to
it correctly if the software is there. How much difference it would make in
your case I couldn't say. Windows XP is pretty good at recognizing various USB
devices, so YMMV.
On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 16:43:12 -0700 (PDT), svu geek <mejealous1@yahoo.com>
wrote:
: I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
: having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
:
: The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
: unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
: having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
: need to install the software?
:
: We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
: this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
: drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
: used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
: would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
: the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
: why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
: unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
You characterize the Canon software as "useless", but you obviously haven't
used it. (How could you? You haven't even managed to grok the instructions
yet.) And most of the corroborative opinion you've gotten from others so far
undoubtedly comes from people who haven't used it either. Stay with this
newsgroup; you'll fit right in.
Actually, the Canon software isn't bad. Zoombrowser, which probably came with
your grandparents' camera, is easier to use than Gimp, for example, and lacks
the cumbersome database underbelly of, say, Picasa. Canon's best photo editor
is Digital Photo Professional (and it's free, unlike Nikon's top-of-the-line
editor). I believe it comes only with EOS SLRs, but you might be able to
borrow the installation CD from an EOS-owning friend.
But no, you don't need the Canon software or any drivers. If you get a $20
card reader, XP will recognize it just fine.
On Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:21:14 -0400, Robert Coe <bob@1776.COM> wrote:
>On Wed, 2 Jul 2008 16:43:12 -0700 (PDT), svu geek <mejealous1@yahoo.com>
>wrote:
>: I'm supposed to be testing out a camera for my grandparents and I'm
>: having a problem, I hope someone can help me.
>:
>: The camera is a Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The instructions are a bit
>: unclear. My grandparents and I would like to use this camera without
>: having to install the software. Since we all have Windows XP do we
>: need to install the software?
>:
>: We see no point in installing the useless software that comes with
>: this camera. Ideally, we'd just like to install only the necessary
>: drivers and be done with it. We'd like to use this camera the way we
>: used our previous cameras, which was basically like a flash drive. We
>: would just connect the camera to the USB port and then copy or move
>: the pictures to a folder on our computer. Very simple. I don't know
>: why some of these camera companies have to make everything so
>: unnecessarily complicated with these newer cameras.
>
>You characterize the Canon software as "useless", but you obviously haven't
>used it. (How could you? You haven't even managed to grok the instructions
>yet.) And most of the corroborative opinion you've gotten from others so far
>undoubtedly comes from people who haven't used it either. Stay with this
>newsgroup; you'll fit right in.
>
>Actually, the Canon software isn't bad. Zoombrowser, which probably came with
>your grandparents' camera, is easier to use than Gimp, for example, and lacks
>the cumbersome database underbelly of, say, Picasa.
Zoombrowser isn't bad, but it isn't good, either. While I don't have
a Canon now, I did have one so I have used it. For a browser/viewer
with bells and whistles, I use FastStone now. In certain cases,
Irfanview.
I have Photoshop (both full version and Elements), but would never use
either the PS browser or Organizer. I don't add my images to
Organizer.
I'm using a trial version of Elements 6.0, but I hope I don't find
anything about it that I like. I'd rather stick with 5.0. 6.0's
screen presentation is difficult to read with that dark, gray color.
Gimp, like Photoshop, is difficult to learn to use. However, Gimp and
PS have applications that are not available with a straight
browser/viewer. I bring an image into PS only when I want to edit it
beyond cropping or rotating.
When the OP says he doesn't want to add Canon's software, it's assumed
that he already has programs that do what Canon's software does. He's
perfectly safe in not adding it.
Canon PowerShot software installation 
Linear Mode
