20D - Lost my drive letter!

[christopherpm]

For ages, when I connected my 20D to my Windows XP Pro PC, the camera used to appear as an extra drive letter. However, at some point, it has stopped showing as a drive letter, but just as EOS 20D.

I can still copy the images off, BUT I can no longer copy files back on as there is no drive letter associated.

How can I restore the drive letter please?

Thanks for your help...

[Snapman]

No idea but I'd like to welcome you to the forum :)

[Amorous]

If you computer recognizes the 20D, then there should be a drive assigned. Every storage media (floppy disk, hard drive, CD ROM drive or memory card) is assigned a drive letter by Windows XP. There must be something wrong.

Did you try with a memory card reader with your 20D CF card inside?

On Windows XP, try Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management --> Disk Management and all your storage drives will be listed.

[ssim]

Card readers are really the way to go.

Just out of sheer curiosity, why are you copying files from the computer to the camera?

[Dante King]

As ssim says. Get a card reader. Welcome to POTN!!!

[christopherpm]

There definitely is no drive letter even though it appears in the list. Also, It doesn't show up as a drive in disk management.

I use the camera to copy pictures back onto the Microdrive when I want to take pictures in to get printed. I also use it for when I do the firmware upgrades.

[Moppie]

When you first plugged in the camera XP didn't know what it was, but it knew it was connected to a drive of some sort. So it labled the drive as a "general drive".

Since then it has at some stage learned that its connected to a 20D, and so labels the drive, and attibutes to it a series of propeties that it thinks a 20D should have. Including the in-ablity to upload images back to the camera.

Useing a card reader will get around all these problems, but you might also be able to plug the camera in, and then alter the "drives" properties so that XP again thinks its just a generic removable drive.

[Snapman]

Card readers are really the way to go.

Just out of sheer curiosity, why are you copying files from the computer to the camera?
I wondered about that but maybe he wants to post process his images and then put them back on the card to take them for printing.

[christopherpm]

I wondered about that but maybe he wants to post process his images and then put them back on the card to take them for printing.

Exactly - plus I'd like to upgrade the camera's firmware. I know that card readers are inexpensive, BUT, I am frustrated by the fact that there was once a drive letter and now there isn't. I would prefer to just get the drive letter back to copy files across....a

[tellysurv]

If you have the camera plugged in and right click on "My Computer" on your desktop or start menu and chose Manage, then go to Disk Management, does it show the camera as a drive there? If so, and doesnt show a drive letter associated with it, then right click on the right hand side of the window (the part that shows your drive space) and select "Change drive letter and path" and pick a letter that is not in use. That might work.
I have had that problem with my USB jump drive. XP tried to make it a letter that was already used so I couldnt see the drive. I had to go into Computer Management and physically change the letter so the computer would see it.
Anyway, its worth a try....

[christopherpm]

No - it doesn't show up in Disk Management...

[SWPhotoImaging]

Were any software or driver updates done on the XP machine? It actually sounds like a "smarter" driver is in place now than you once had, as Moppie mentioned above.

[tellysurv]

No - it doesn't show up in Disk Management...


Bummer, oh well. thought i could help...:o

[MartyK]

Don't know if this will help but this is what I would try. Connect the camera. Go to control panel/system/hardware/device manager and see if the 20D is listed anywhere on the list. If it is double click on it. A properties screen will pop up. Go to the driver tab. (Look at the driver details to get an idea of what drivers windows is using for your camera, it might be good to know.) There is a button there to 'roll back' the driver to what it used to be. That might work or you might be able to change it manually to a generic USB driver. To do it manually click on update driver. At the next screen click on 'install from a specific location...' and hit next, then click on 'don't search..' and hit next. You can then pick a generic driver from the list. You might get a message saying something like 'this driver is not compatible with your hardware..' or something like that. Don't worry, you can always change it back if it doesn't work (that's why you took note of the original driver earlier) If that doesn't work I would just delete the 20D from the device manager, disconnect the camera, format the card and reboot the computer and see if it works after that.

If none of the above worked, I'd go buy a card reader. They're better than connecting the camera anyway.:p

[Nezmo]

Try switching the 20D communication setting to PTP (peer-to-peer) in the camera's menu.

[Jim_T]

PTP stands for "Picture Transfer Protocol"...

This probably will bring back the drive letter..

Note that Canon cameras can't be treated as drives.. The cameras don't support USB mass storage. Instead they use a command line protocol to transfer images through the USB port. The command line protocol depends on what setting is chosen for communications.. There is Canon's own proprietary protocol (Normal). You have to set the camera to Normal in order to use Canon's Remote Capture and many of Canon's Zoom Browser functions.

The other protocol is picture transfer protocol (PTP) This is a universal protocol used my most modern camera manufactureres.. Micrrosoft has incorporated it into XP and a few other Windows versions.

Note that when you use PTP, despite the fact it appears that you are talking to a drive, you aren't. Windows does a bit of trickery to allow you to use files and folders in an Explorer window. Your clicks and drags are being converted to a set of high level text commands that it sends to the camera.... Low level disk commands don't work.. For instance you can't format or scan your card when it's in the camera..

[Nezmo]

Thanks for that correction Jim. My bad.

[JohnnyG]

Bottom line here after all this is get a card reader.

When I first got my 20D way back in August:D, I too attached the camera directly and had various configuration problems. Every body kept saying, "use a card reader" and I finally did and the problems I was having went away. Plus, I really feel safer conecting a card reader rather than the camera directly. I don't want to take a chance of hurting my 20D in any way.

Either way though, enjoy and welcome to POTN!