The Bottom Line

Windows XP makes working with cameras and scanners so easy; assuming you make the right choices in the Scanner and Camera Wizard, it's tough to screw up anything. Just make sure you remember these key points:

• Windows XP includes new Windows Image Acquisition technology that makes it easy to work with images from digital cameras and scanners.

• If Windows doesn't recognize your camera or scanner when you first connect it, open the Scanners and Cameras utility and click Add an Imaging Device to run the Scanner and Camera Installation Wizard.

• When you scan an image with your scanner, Windows XP's Scanner and Camera Wizard lets you preview and configure the scanned image.

• The Scanner and Camera Wizard also launches whenever you connect a digital camera to your PC. You can choose from a variety of tasks, including copying pictures to your PC, printing pictures directly from your camera, running a full-screen slide show, or performing typical file-management operations while the pictures are still in the camera.

• After you've copied your photos to your hard disk, you can use the commands in the My Pictures folder to view, edit, and manage your pictures.

• You can also insert your camera's memory card into your PC's card reader (if it has one). You can then use My Computer to manage the photo files, just as you would with any other drive.