Why can’t my digital cam connect to my PC?

We have a Panasonic camera and Lumix software that came with it. When I try to connect the camera to our PC with the USB cable the viewfinder reads “connecting to PC” but does nothing more. Almost like it freezes at that point. When I try to continue on the PC and select “view pictures from camera” it says there are no pictures…. the cam still reads “connecting to PC”. It shouldn’t be this difficult, should it be??
Any and all advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

Many cameras and other devices don’t work with the Vista operating system. Try using a USB memory card reader/writer. There are many out there for very little money, but make sure it works with your memory device.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/fastFaqLiteDocument?lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&product=18703&docname=bph07910 …
The following steps explain how to use memory cards in a card reader:

1. Insert a memory card when the light on the reader is not flashing . You can have four memory cards inserted, one in each slot, at the same time.
An autoplay window appears. If not, access the card through Windows Explorer.

2. The memory card has a drive letter associated with it, just like a floppy, CD-ROM drive, or hard drive. Use the memory card as you would use any other drive on the computer. For example, double-click the memory card icon to open a new window showing the files on the CompactFlash card.

3. When you have finished working with the files on a memory card, right-click the memory card icon and select Eject . The light on the memory card reader should not be ON or flashing when the card is removed from its slot.
Figure 2: Eject feature in Windows Vista

CAUTION Before adding or removing memory, make sure the processing or ready light is not blinking then turn the camera off and remove batteries.

Check the source link for other camera tips and help with making your digital camera work better.

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