You really have no need of that CD, I never use mine and I am on my 4th camera already. Most programs coming with cameras have limited stuff and loads of company bloat to contend with. Whether you download your pics to the computer using a cable to the camera or use a card reader XP handles it beautifully. A window will pop up after connecting asking if you wish to copy these photos to a folder on your computer. You do. If you are connecting to the camera it must be turned on during the download. It will then tell you how many pics are there and suggest a sub folder inside My pictures, this will have the current date for the folder name but you can change it to your liking. There is also a spot to place a tick to have the computer delete all the photos from your camera memory card once the transfer is complete. On completion you are offered the chance to view your photos in a slide show if you wish. It all works very well really with no need of the CD you have lost.

Most likely, the format of the card has been corrupted. The images may or may not be recoverable. If you are lucky, extremely lucky, the only problem may that the last file written to the card is open (not properly closed) and the 'end of file' marker is missing. Depending on what the person at the resort photo desk did, the card may be unaltered, or permanently messed up. Your best bet is to take the card out of the camera and insert into a card reader connected to your computer. If you can view some of the files, copy these to your hard drive or CD. [That's 'copy', not 'move'] Do not perform any operation that writes to the card including delete. This could compromise the format. Many camera makers use a properitery format not understood by conventional PC equipment. To insure the card does not get written to, set its slide switch to 'lock' or whatever verbage they use. With the switch moved to lock, the card can not be written to, only viewed or copied. Be sure to move the switch back before inserting into the camera. After you have copied as many images as you can, clean up the card by formating in the camera. Make several shots and view these in the camera. Erase these shots and repeat. If the card performs well, it is probably ok. However, if it is the least bit flaky or you are not secure with it, discard it and go with a new card. Memory cards have come down in price. Things that can corrupt a card: 1. Pull it out of the camera when it is busy. 2. Pull it out of the camera with the camera 'on'. Many cameras likely provide a safety feature and keep the card closed until needed, but we can not be sure how the operating system si written. To be safe, never insert or pull a memory card when the camera is on. 3. Do not touch the card contacts. Static charges can harm. Also, a fingerprint on a contact may interfere with it making an electrical circuit. 4. Never allow a 'write' operation to the card while in other equipment. Writing to the card may comprimize its format. You might get by with a 'delete', but we can not be sure about this. 5. Old card. These cards do go bad with age. Many of these cards have an internal "keep alive" battery, usually a lithium cell good for maybe 10 years. A tiny amount of charge is required for the memory junctions to retain their state. When the battery dies, the card does too. When you buy a card, look for its date of manufacture or warranty expiration date to get a clue of how old the card is.

Thanks for the thoughts on the camera. We have decided to get our daughter the new Canon SD 630. With hubbies employee discounts we where able to purchase the camera on line at Crutchfield for $219.99, which includes free shipping, a free case and a free memory card. We agree that canon is a far better camera than the casio and the canon was not that much more than the casio. Cheapest on that one was $169. info specs on camera are as follows: Details: » 6-megapixel effective recording » 3" color LCD viewscreen » 3X optical/4X digital/12X total zoom » Touch Control Dial for convenient camera operation » DIGIC II image processor for true-to-life color reproduction and fast response » 35mm equivalent focal length: 35-105mm » top JPEG resolution: 2816 x 2112 » 16:9 widescreen photo mode (2816 x 1584) » Fast Frame Rate movie mode offers up to 60-frame-per-second video with sound » macro focus mode (minimum distance 1.2") » 9-point autofocus (with selectable 1-point autofocus mode) » My Colors in-camera custom color settings » 9 scene modes, including Fireworks, Kids & Pets, Snow, and Indoor » sensitivity (film speed equivalent) settings » extended ISO sensitivity range for low-light shooting without flash » built-in flash » PictBridge-compatible for direct photo printing » lighted Print/Share button » Exif 2.2-compliant » high-speed USB interface » NTSC/PAL mono audio/video output » 3-11/16"W x 2-5/16"H x 15/16"D » weight: 5.1 oz. without battery and media » warranty: 1 year » Want more peace of mind? Extended Service Plans Available Supplied Accessories: » 16MB SD memory card (holds about 4 photos at the highest picture quality setting) » rechargeable lithium ion battery (NB-4L) » AC battery charger » audio/video and USB cables » wrist strap » software CD-ROM (PC and Mac®)

Clam Digger, OK, this one isn't cropped (from a P&S Sony with an amazing flare resistant lens). The point of the cropped photos was to show the level of quality available from a viewfinder camera. Sorry about the dig with the pelican photo but you asked for it when you patronized my cat. I understand that you have a long lens on an SLR and that's a capability that few viewfinder cameras possess. And if you want to shoot wildlife then an SLR is the way to go. Long lenses is the biggest reason for an SLR. People are different. The most important lens for me on a 35mm camera is a 28mm and I must have a 24mm as well. Using a lens longer than an 80mm is an occasional experience for me and I could do without it. Different cameras for different people. As for stubborn denial, I prefer to think of it as stubborn assertion. I assert this and I'm right about it: It is fair to say that the much more expensive DSLRs as a group are more capable cameras than the cheaper consumer oriented viewfinder cameras. But there are enough exceptions in both groups that the groups overlap at the edges. A novice like Jean may be very happy with a camera like Susan's 5 megapixel Lumix... And when did someone say something bad about Tokina? I said digital sensors and film have different requirements and lenses designed specifically for digital maximize the performance of the digital sensor. Tokina knows that, that's why they're making a series of lenses for DLSRs. That doesn't mean older lenses are useless, it's not a B&W world. Back to the original point of this post. Jean is shopping for a camera and buying a DSLR isn't the only or necessarily best option for her. Joe, you're a nice guy trying hard to keep the peace. You and Susan are right it's about the photos first. Clam Digger, that's a nice shot of the water bird, what is it? is it some species of tern? Joe