Why don't camera reviews cover the data connection to the PC?

On Sat, 27 Dec 2008 10:01:52 -0800, John Navas wrote:

You can NOT read the pictures in step 4 because Windows won't recognize the
card no matter what card reader you put the card in.

Not correct. See page 237 of the manual.
http://ftp.casio.co.jp/pub/world_manual/qv/en/EXZ1080_e.pdf

I read with interest that section but it doesn't contain any
troubleshooting information.

Most of the time, copying pictures from the 4GB flash card to the Windows
PC works just fine, whether we use a card reader or a proprietary cable in
the dual USB/AV camera port.

It's only sometimes that Windows dingdongs at us in step 4, saying only:
Disk is not formatted
The disk in drive E is not formatted.
Do you want to format it now? (yes) (no)

In fact, I have one right now that does this.
The card just won't format, even if I do the quick format option.

It won't even check disk:
C:\Documents and Settings\adminchkdsk E:
The type of the file system is RAW.
CHKDSK is not available for RAW drives.

The wierd thing is this same 4GB flash card works perfectly fine IN THE
CAMERA, and the pictures come off the card perfectly well using the
supplied cable, but there is no way to get the pictures off the card using
the card reader.

The ONLY way to get the pictures off the card (without resorting to linux
and dd and JPEG-heuristic programs) is to use the cable supplied with the
camera.

BTW, even Windows won't actually format the card if you hit the "yes"
button, so, again, you're stuck with a card that can only work with the
supplied cable and will not work with the card reader even though it worked
previously with that very same card reader. Other cards work fine with the
card reader, so, I suspect something went bad with the card, but, that's
the whole point.

If the card has a problem, you MUST use the cable, and if you don't have
the proprietary cable, then you lose your data. Why go through that hassle
when you can buy a camera that doesn't use a proprietary cable (and not
worry about AV ports because I've never used one in my life).

Anyway, I thank you again for digging up the reference manual, and I
appreciate your expert information (especially the jewel that no port
billed as a combined AV/USB port can possibly be a mini-usb port!!!).

You wouldn't have known all this about the bad flash card unless I was
specific so I don't fault you; in fact, I commend you for helping me
understand that a combined USB/AV port can't possibly be mini-USB even when
it says it's USB all over the place.