How do I transfer photos from my camera to my pc?

[KathKa]

I know this is stupid and I should know.

My camera is a Canon and my pc has Windows vista.

There is Windows Media Centre on it, but what photo program should I use to get the pictures there?

Thanks

um, does it have a usb?

you might need a firewire?

we have to use a firewire

surely they gave you a cable when you bought your camera?

We have a cable that attaches the camera to the pc, then the camera shows up on Windows Media Centre. I click import photos and it won't let me, so I thought I needed some sort of photo programme on the pc to import the photos to and then transfer them to the Media Centre.

I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and I need to get to grips with it!

Try opening up Windows Explorer and see if you can see the camera (it might be listed as an external drive). You might be able to open it up and see the photos as if you were looking at an external USB stick or drive.

If you can see the photos as you would any other file then you should be able to drag them where you'd like them to go.

For example you might drag them to a new folder you've made called c:\myphotos, or Media Centre might let you drop them into it and then it might take care of them.

Right, will try that. Thanks!

"Most" cameras on "most" operating systems will just appear as an external drive (on a PC perhaps as a D: or an E: drive). You'll find the photos in some slightly odd place on that drive.

What camera software usually does is simply know where to find the photos and just moves them from there onto your computer.

So you often don't actually need the special software and I've used many cameras and never installed the usually pretty poor software you get with them.

However there will be exceptions, some cameras will be fussy and will need the special software that you get with them.

However do try just seeing if it appears in Windows Explorer first.

Thank you - it seems to have worked. I have a block with anything technological even though I am reasonably intelligent! This year I am trying to tackle my ignorance and am determined that I will have mastered it by the end of the year.

Am sure I will be posting many more stupid questions...