Suggestions on how to make a Lexar card reader play nicely with Win 7?

July 22, 2010 7:30 AM

Is there anything to be done with a 5+ year old Lexar USB 2.0 Multi-card reader which I have just discovered is incompatible with Windows 7? Neither Microsoft nor Lexar seem to have bothered to provide drivers for this item. I only use it to transfer pictures from an XD card in an even older Fuji Finepix camera. Having to buy a new reader would be annoying; having to buy a new camera and reader will really piss me off if it comes to that.
posted by octobersurprise to Computers & Internet (6 answers total)

I've got card readers that won't even work with XP - tried all sorts of things (like using a driver from an identical-looking generic product) but never really got anywhere. Just give it to someone who has an older version of Windows.

Card readers cost next to nothing now, and most of the new ones still seem to cope with every kind of card there is, xD included.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 7:42 AM on July 22, 2010

You might try looking for a Vista driver. Some of the things I've used had nothing for Win 7, but worked successfully with a Vista driver. Do you still have the original cable for connecting the camera directly to the PC? If so, you might give that a try--I gave an ancient digital camera to my daughter and Windows 7 recognized the camera when I plugged it in. otherwise, I'd say its time for a new USB card reader. If you have to do that, sometimes the ones that look like a flash drive are cheaper than the prettier ones that have a case.
posted by midwestguy at 7:44 AM on July 22, 2010

I'm not sure exactly what model camera you have, but it may be easiest to just get a cable that will connect your camera to your computer directly and not bother with card readers. These sorts of cables cost in the range of $5 and may be the simplest way to solve the problem. What model camera do you have?

Some people mention that the XP drivers may work, in a similar situation.
posted by jessamyn at 7:44 AM on July 22, 2010

I had to cross this bridge recently, and ended up buying a multi card reader with XD from ebay for under £3 with free shipping, which worked perfectly.
posted by Magnakai at 7:50 AM on July 22, 2010

Here you go, it was one of these. No guarantee on the seller or the product, but they have a high rating and it worked for me.
posted by Magnakai at 7:52 AM on July 22, 2010

Response by poster: What model camera do you have?

An S3000. The USB cable you point out claims to be compatible with that model, so maybe that's the way I'll go. Thanks for the tip.

Thanks, everyone else, too.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:52 AM on July 22, 2010