Is a card reader mandatory for chdk

I have a canon a570is and would like to install the chdk program. I do not have a card reader in my computer.

I read most of the chdk page but could not find an alternative method of installing without the reader.

Heartbroken without raw or manual. Any ideas?

do you have a pda or pocket pc or any device that has a sd card slot they can be used as card readers

usb card readers are really cheap!!

Razor512 wrote in post #4920135
do you have a pda or pocket pc or any device that has a sd card slot they can be used as card readers

No. I'm kinda tecno challenged.

peterpogi2006 wrote in post #4920150
usb card readers are really cheap!!

Off to best buy for a look around.

Thanks for the input.

i never use the camera, i always use a card reader. always have, always will. point blank, bar none.

Did you try using your camera as a reader? It shows up as another drive.
AFAIK, the only time you NEED a card reader is if you use cards bigger than 2 gig.

gerrydee wrote in post #4921236
Did you try using your camera as a reader? It shows up as another drive.
AFAIK, the only time you NEED a card reader is if you use cards bigger than 2 gig.

My old vivitar showed up as a removable drive, under my computer in win 98se. The canon does not. I'm now runing XP. I will look around the manuals for some spots that it might turn up as a drive.

XP shows mine up as a Drive. Try un-plugging and plugging it again. It will make a ding-dong sound, then you should see an icon in your tray. Click on it and allow it to set up the drivers for Canon. Then you will see the Canon as a Drive.

Tried doing that, did not get a positive result.

I did however go to staples and got a reader for 19 bucks.

When, I installed the reader and card it came up as canon drive G:

I tried to install http://hem.passagen.se​/fsmmal/chdk2.html
Insatlled both versions of buildA @E. A locked up camera, so I ended up going with the E version

The canon drive has the two unzipped files plus folders for chdk and a dcom, that can all be opened to reveal subfolders, all which contain no files.

If the camera is first started in playback mode - firmware update- ok, will not show a splash screen, but does run a program for a constant battery meter as well as a percentage of battery used indicator showing on the lcd,as result of the new firmware. I cant really find any other features that have been turned on. I guess it's back to the web page and manuals for some more reading.

You have to turn them on yourself in the CHDK menu accessible by pushing the print button then the menu button if I remember correctly. But you shouldn't leave unzipped files on the SD card. Unlock the card and remove them using your reader then lock it up again.
Here's a link where you can get help. Also this one.

Gerry, i don't think todays canon cameras shows up as removable drives in windows, i can't imagine your does ? Sure it is an icon in windows explorer /my computer, but it doesn't have a drive letter and you can't see the folders CHDK, 100CANON, DCIM, etc that are on the card.

I believe many modern cameras use another method and does not act as removable drives as USB-sticks, MP3 players that do get a drive letter.

Abuseddog, i think you should read more on the links Gerry posted, you get all extras using chdk own menus wich are accessed using the print button (not sure on a570 though..)

You know, you're absolutely right. I just plugged mine in and no drive letter. I always use a card reader but used to plug my S3 in the USB so I thought they all worked the same. Thanks for clearing that up.

Gerrydee, thanks for the help.

Read some more this morning, and she's all good now. Menu's and options are all present. I went outside and took as many pics as I could in raw, cant wait to see them, but as of right now i'm trying to find the raw processor that is in canon's zoom browser...I know it's their somewhere, back to the manual.

I'm almost positive that Google's Picasa 2 version 2.7 reads raw then you can save in another format. Check it out, it a FREE D/L.

I will most definetley give it a shot to see how it functions.


I did go through the canon ez zooom browser software package and did find a process raw image option, listed in the tool bar on the left side, it's choices

Aquire camera settings
View and classify
edit > edit image> stitch photo's >edit movie > process raw image. Click

It will ask you to select a raw image from camera.

That's are far asI have gotten so far