SanDisk USB Imagemate CompactFlash Card Reader (SDDR-31-01) Reviews

• A Must for Digital Camera Users

  
  By A2VR40GAP9AE4S on 2002-01-27
  I own a Cannon PowerShot S100, and was sick of using the complicated transfer software that came with it after only one day. My friends who reccommended the camera also reccommended this SanDisk drive, and its made things a whole lot easier. It's natively supported by Windows XP--this means you can plug it into your USB port and XP will recognize it (no need to use the installation disk) and place a link to it inside your "My Computer" folder.

  Transfer is surprisingly quick, though if you want to edit your pictures it's better to transfer them off the disk first. And, if you're low on USB ports, it has no problem being hotswapped (unlike a few other devices I have). Very easy to use--makes your CompactFlash card act just like a Zip disk or data CD. Highly reccommended.
  
  

• Simple and effective

  
  By A1MJWOYNJSZPPJ on 2002-02-13
  I purchased the Sandisk SDDR-31 after purchasing a Kodak DX3500 digital camera. The camera only supports Windows and Mac with the included Kodak image transfer software. Also, using the camera to dowload pictures drains the batteries and puts wear and tear on the small USB connector on the side of the camera. Since Linux is my primary OS, I had to download pictures to my Windows machine and then copy them to my Linux PC -- not an optimal solution. Enter the Sandisk SDDR-31 Imagemate. I connected it to my Linux PC, mounted the device and copied my pictures directly from the Compact Flash card. No muss, no fuss. This is the way USB should work with every device.
  
  

• Very helpful product, good support, Win2K tip

  
  By AAM84K1RZPF1B on 2001-11-07
  This is much better than downloading images from a digital camera, especially if you have more than one brand of camera. The image transfer is fast, and the jpgs are unmolested so the exif data comes over correctly (if that matters to you).

  One tip for Win2k users - DON'T install the software that comes with the card reader. Just plug it into the USB port, and the native Win2K drivers will see it. If you do install the software, you will end up on the phone with their support uninstalling things, like I did. Although, the phone support was good.

  Overall, a really good product and worth having.
  
  

• Doesn't work with all computers

  
  By on 2001-11-05
  I bought my Imagemate after upgrading my computer system. The thing refuses to work properly. On my first install, it locked up *all* my drives, C-F, by taking them over. I'm still not sure what happened, but I had to reformat. The Imagemate only works sporadically, locking up my computer 95 percent of the time. I exchanged many emails with tech support. They're friendly and try to be helpful, but it seems that this product just doesn't work with some computers.

  Windows 98 SE has known conflicts with USB on computers with AMD chips. Also, if you have Easy Cd Creator installed, you will have trouble with the Sandisk. I have an AMD chip, Win98 SE, and the cd software. Even when I uninstall the cd software, apply the MS USB patch, and go through the registry editing procedure you can read about in the Sandisk Imagemate FAQ- well, the thing still doesn't work.

  If you decide to buy one, I would suggest getting it at a brick and mortar store so you can return it easily if it doesn't work. The chances are pretty good it will work for you. I've used it on one other computer with no problems whatsoever... but it stinks if you are the 1 in 10,000 (or whatever) it doesn't work for!
  
  

• SanDisk Flash Reader

  
  By on 2002-01-14
  The SanDisk Flash Reader is a very cool product, very easy to install and use. If your (or anyone else's)PC has a USB port, I recommend simply turning on (i.e. hard booting) the system, and then plugging in the SanDisk Flash reader into the appropriate port. On relatively new systems, i.e. where the USB port drivers are already installed, there is no need to even load the SanDisk software. Just boot up, plug the SanDisk reader into the USB port, the system will recognize the SanDisk reader as a new, removable, drive, and you can automatically bring up your digital pix from your removable memory card. This is especially great for your kids and grandkids, as well as grandparents, who might be trying to economize by saving cost on 35MM film, photo reprints and such. If you experience any difficulty with your SanDisk install, fear not, for SanDisk's help desk is staffed by a very professional and friendly staff. Hint: if there is a problem with the install, it might well lie in the bundled software and embedded marketing stuff that you (perhaps unknowingly) bought with your desktop. I highly recommend trying the install without prior loading of the SanDisk software as a first course of action. It was a most pleasant surprise to find it work so well the first time. I think you also deserve a break today! So go for SanDisk!
  
  
• Useful product
  By on 2002-04-06
  Good flash card reader. CAUTION: On windows 2000 / XP, DO NOT install the supplied drivers on CD like the manual says, let Windows install native drivers, otherwise you will have a major headache.
  
  
• Worth the price; no need to use digital camera for transfers
  By on 2001-09-20
  For the price it sells at, I found this a very useful accessory. Not only can I avoid using the digital camera for actual photo transfers to my PC, it also saves the battery in the camera. Also, it doesn't require a separate power cord/supply because it gets it power from the PC through the USB cable. It can also help avoid the wear-and-tear on your digital camera. I used it with Windows 2000 Pro SP1 and then later with SP2.
  
  
• Nice with Windows XP
  By A20U1DZ2UCWUX4 on 2002-01-21
  I bought the SanDisk card reader out of frustration trying to get my Polaroid PDC 1100 to work with Windows XP. To install, all you have to do is turn off the computer, plug in the USB cable, and turn the computer back on. W-XP recognizes it and there's nothing else to do. Unfortunately, the instructions don't tell you this (it's on the SanDisk website) and you don't use the CD that comes with the product. Once the card is inserted, you can view the thumbnails in Windows Explorer, drag and drop to other folders, etc. A lot easier than downloading from the camera.
  
  
• Working with Windows 98 SE
  By ARPGC23QK6LVW on 2002-02-05
  Installing the drivers for the SDDR-31 caused my system to lock up and a blue screen appearing with the message: "A fatal exception OE has occurred at 0028:C16ED46E in module VXD APIX(01)...The application will be terminated" (Or it immediately reboots)... What's going on? In looking at the ScanDisk website I learned how to fix this problem. I was running Easy CD creator 3.5c and Direct CD 2.5d. I needed to install the floppy107.exe patch from ROXIO. This patch fixed my "blue screen of death" and now the ScanDisk works like a champ.

  This just makes you aware how interralated hardware and their drivers are to each other, where one small hickup can cause you such distress and much finger pointing. It just makes you thankful for the internet and excellent companies that post their latest updates and fixes on their websites.

  A wonderful product at a great price, the digital pictures from my camera copy really fast, and I do not have to rundown the camera batteries to transfer my pictures.
  
  

• Very compatible, very solid.
  By on 2001-11-26
  This is *the* compact flash reader to get. I originally owned an IBM USB CF reader and used it with Win 98/2000. Finding the drivers was a pain and it didn't work on my Mac (OS X) or Linux PC. The SanDisk is compatible with any new Linux distro with USB support, OS X, Windows of all variety. I just plugged it in on all 3 and it worked. I love it. It feels like heavy, solid construction. The only thing I don't like is that you must pull the CF cards out...I like an "eject" button. Still, Highly recommended.
  
  
• Incompatibility City!
  By on 2002-02-17
  AVOID!!!

  Windows 98: This product is not compatible with Adaptec CD Creator and Direct CD software, which came installed on my Dell system for burning CD-ROM's. SanDisk tech support had me make some changes to my system, which resulted in my CD-ROM no longer working. SanDisk would not help my restore my system, referring me to Adaptec support (who couldn't help because their software came pre-installed on my 2-year-old system). I eventually had to upgrade to Windows XP to get my CD-ROM working again.

  Windows XP: Although the driver for the ImageMate is fully integrated in XP (and works really nicely), the device must be plugged into a built-in USB port. It doesn't work when plugged into an external USB hub, so unless you're willing to dedicate your only built-in USB port (or one of your two ports) to this device, you can't use it. SanDisk says they will not support the device if it's plugged into a hub.
  
  

• You Get What You Pay For
  By A7W0T3V7AOZFA on 2002-03-10
  In choosing this particular CompactFlash/ USB reader, I noted that is was the cheapest. But as SanDisk has a very good reputation, I figured this would be a great choice.
  I had a very difficult time getting it to work on my 2 year old, Windows 98 S.E. computer. It would crash and reboot in safe mode. I went to SanDisk web-site looking for answers and/or patches, but was not successful in resolving the problems. Finally, I called SanDisk tech support, and the seemingly very knowledgeable person that I spoke to immedaitely identified the problem as something having to do with Adaptec Easy Creator ver. 3.5c, which was factory installed on my PC. The tech person directed my to download a patch from Roxio/ Adaptec, which finally allowed me to get the reader to load right. However, I still have to unplug the reader each time before I can re-start my computer, otherwise it will crash. I have to wait until it is fully booted up before I can re-connect the reader. I had hoped that I could just leave it plugged in all of the time, but you get what you pay for.
  
  
• Great, if you have the right system
  By on 2001-12-18
  I tried this on my system with Windows ME and couldn't get it to work. I think I have some incompatible software and/or hardware. The documentation that came with the card reader was weak and the on-line support did not solve my problem. After I switched to my older computer (Windows 98), it worked great. I love that it behaves like another disk drive. I can load photos onto my computer in a flash (then transfer them to the Windows ME system over the home network). This is a handy and affordable add-on.
  
  
• Start up problems
  By A3JOM6UT9K7869 on 2002-03-21
  The reader causes my computer to hang up when started with no compact flash card in reader. If the reader is connected to the USB port with no card in the reader, my computer will not boot nor can I shut it off. The system must have the power turned off and turned back on. Then you must disconnect the reader. Once the system is turned back on it comes up in safe mode and must be then shut down again.

  Once the system is booted, the reader can be plugged in and everything works ok, but this is hard to do since the USB ports are on the back of the computer, on the floor. Sandisk tech help was worthless. They blamed everything on every other vendor, yet my computer works fine with every other type of USB device with no problems. They have a problem with the PnP Bios Function.
  
  

• good price, works great, nice design
  By A8BUYABEEHJUD on 2001-12-03
  This USB compact flash reader does everything as advertised, for a good price too. It is nicely packaged, easy to open, and easy to install. It is a lot more convenient to put your memory card into the usb reader and drag and drop files rather than hooking up a cable to you digital camera. Your card almost turns into a little zip disk, as you can put anything that will fit on it. The reader also has a nice, simple, sleek design that is visually pleasing.
  
  
• No problems on Windows ME
  By A6PPS2LASN24M on 2001-12-29
  I installed the SanDisk on my PC which has the Windows ME upgrade from Windows 98. The installation was smooth and without any problems. The SanDisk read my compactflash card in seconds verses minutes using a serial port. Overall, an excellent product.
  
  
• Works like a charm in Windows XP
  By A2A398BD8C3FA6 on 2002-01-10
  I bought one for use with a Coolpix 775, and I'm quite pleased with the way it is supported in Windows XP. XP recognizes the reader and installs its drivers without the need for a driver disk. The reader is then treated as a removable disk drive. When you pop in a compactflash card, XP executes a wizard that copies/moves your photos over to your hard drive, so the camera's software is also unnecessary. Pretty slick.

  I have no major complaints about the card reader itself. It's fairly fast, it's small, and it's heavy enough not to slide off the back end of your desk. I have to admit, though, that the activity light confused me at first. It is lit solid when a card is inserted, and it blinks when the card is being accessed. Because the light remains lit while the card is inserted, I initially was unsure of when it was safe to eject the card. Speaking of ejection, it would have been nice if the reader had an ejection mechanism that worked in tandem with the 'eject' command of Windows Explorer. However, that is a minor quibble that is offset by the reader's low price.
  
  

• What an immense improvement!
  By A3828QXZPYBHAB on 2002-03-21
  I had a big CF card (128 MB) but a SLOOOOOOW digital camera on a serial port. It took several minutes to download each picture! This was not a practical way to use all of that memory.

  Then I picked up this product. It would be an understatement to say that it downloads fast, since it doesn't even have to download, it's already there! It is just like a removable hard drive on your computer, and just that fast. I copied about 30 MB of pictures in about 25 seconds. The quality also seems to have improved, but I don't know why that would be...maybe I couldn't see the pictures before through the red of my frustration with the download.

  My camera is useful again!
  
  

• Love this little CompactFlash card reader
  By A2O5TLE802NTA8 on 2002-05-11
  I've had the Sandisk Imagemate CompactFlash Card Reader (SDDR-31) for a few days now and I am completely in love. I love this little card reader and use it with my SanDisk 256 MB CompactFlash Card that I bought for my new digital camera. I recently bought the Canon Powershot G2 Digital Camera and it came with a 32 MB CompactFlash card that barely held 10 pictures at the highest resolution. I needed more capacity and I ended up buying the 256 MB CF card. The card worked great, but trying to use the camera USB connector to download 100 pictures was really cumbersome and drained the camera battery.

  That's where this card reader comes in. I plugged this card reader into my Windows XP PC's USB port and the computer instantly found it and loaded all the drivers. The card reader appeared as a removable drive in `My Computer' and you can access the card as if you were accessing a Zip disk or CD disk. The performance is really great and I've saved so much time vs. using my camera to download the pictures. And the fact that this reader works under Linux is another huge plus. If you have a CF card, you need this reader and you can't beat the price.
  
  

• camera connection problems can be a thing of the past!
  By A38LCXZDAJ6EF5 on 2001-10-29
  if you have had any problems getting your cf-based digital camera to connect with your computer, you need not worry about that any more - just pick up one of these readers and the card will show up like another hard drive on your computer. just drag the files where you want them for saving, printing, or whatever you would like to do with them!
  
  
• Usable after sloppy install
  By A10NEI6DT5AV71 on 2001-11-28
  Now that it's installed, I like the product. I had problems installing the USB software on Win ME and Win 2000. I needed additional files (various USB*.SYS files available in zipped format off the OS CD (from Base2.CAB)(use winzip to extract them). The USB install still asks for the location of these files each time I plug in the reader. This is a minor inconvenience now, since I only use the reader when I have filled the memory card.
  The downloads are lightning fast. The reader is robust, and suitable for packing in a suitcase. Care must be taken to slot the memory card in correctly, as it can get mis-aligned.
  Overall works well, and is inexpensive.
  
  
• It works in Win98 like a charm!
  By AJYDC7UP4K4KE on 2001-12-18
  I got this Sandisk SDDR31 reader and it installed no hassle on the first re-boot in my eMachine 366c Win98 PC via the USB port. I am able to see the jpg images from a CompactFlash card as a small thumbnail using Windows Explorer set to "As Web Page" If you don't know about this in Win98: in Windows Explorer: click View, then "as Web Page" to activate the thumbnail preview of gifs and jpgs.
  As others have said, one may copy, delete, or move images from the CF card, via this Sandisk reader, to the C drive as if you were doing this to files on the C drive. It works in Win98.
  I am wondering if anyone has any experience installing it on a USB equipped PC that is running Win95 B (OSR2) with the USB device drivers installed in W95? I would appreciate hearing.
  Other than that concern (where I am shy to attempt the Win95 install) I think this [...] device will save me much more than that in not having to burn my [...]2CR5 battery in my camera while I preview or copy/move images from the camera to my PC.
  Get one if you have Win98: it works!! ! ! !
  
  
• Works beautifully... after some major complications
  By AITMU5NHGD3VS on 2002-01-12
  I started out loving the SanDisk reader immediately, then absolutely hating it and getting ready to return it, and finally, accepting it as a terrific, supremely useful alternative to the surprisingly slow old-style [9-pin] serial connection of my new Vivitar ViviCam 3500.

  To say that the installation process turned out to be difficult would be an extreme understatement. When I first got my reader, I was running Win95 OSR2 - not even Rev. B, but I had gotten Rev. B's USB drivers from a friend - and an add-on USB card. I had already installed the drivers for both the USB card and the reader in anticipation of getting the reader.

  So, with the necessary drivers already having been installed, I was not surprised when the reader was recognized immediately the very first time I plugged it in. Yes, this reader can and does work with Win95, given the proper drivers, which are available on SanDisk's web site [sandisk.com]. The reader transferred a few test shots VERY quickly, and I was quite pleased with it.

  Then the whole thing went down the toilet. The reader stopped working, would not read, would not write [this device writes too], was not detected by my system, and would not show up in my Device Manager no matter what I did. The USB diagnostic utility included with the drivers suggested upgrading to Win98 for its full USB support. I had a Win98SE CD which I had never bothered to install, but now I finally had a good excuse to do so.

  SERIOUS complications ensued, most of which were eventually found to be Win98's fault, but some of which were caused by the SanDisk drivers themselves. Suffice it to say that fixing one problem always seemed to create another - not just with the reader, but with my USB card and with other devices as well. It was a LONG night and a long morning after. No matter how many times I installed and uninstalled and reinstalled the Win98 drivers for this reader, no matter what I did in Device Manager, Win98 refused to fully recognize it. Win98 could see that the reader was plugged in, but that was the extent of it - that little red 'X' in Device Manager is rarely a good sign.

  After a total of about 14 non-continuous working hours trying to stabilize my new Win98 setup and the SanDisk installation, I determined that the mere presence of the old SanDisk Win95 drivers - even though I was explicitly telling Win98 to use the Win98 drivers - was causing all sorts of PnP problems with the SanDisk. Win98 absolutely insisted on using the Win95 drivers because they were "newer and better." [Newer FILE DATES, that was all! There had apparently been a recent revision by SanDisk, giving the Win95 drivers newer dates than the Win98 drivers.] After an expedition deep into the guts of my registry and my C: drive, in which I completely eliminated every last trace of every copy of the old Win95 files and every reference to them, and after finding that Win98's "IRQ Steering" setting was the cause of a great many problems including the malfunctioning of my USB card, AND after following some rather involved instructions from SanDisk's site, I FINALLY got the drivers to install. FINALLY, the reader worked, and worked like a charm.

  I've had no problems with it since then, and the sheer speed of it - and of USB in general - never fails to amaze me, but what should have been a simple "load the drivers and plug it in" installation turned into major OS version upgrade and an extremely frustrating debugging process.

  Granted, my case is probably the exception to the rule, and most users will not, or at least SHOULD not, have any difficulty installing the drivers and getting this simple device to work. Most of my problems were caused by Windows itself, not by the SanDisk drivers, but it seems that under the right circumstances, those can be just a little bit stubborn as well - something which has been reported by other reviewers here. I REALLY like my SanDisk reader now, but for several long hours there, I was ready to give it a delicate adjustment with a sledgehammer.

  In summary... It's a GREAT reader when it works, but if it doesn't work on the first try, you might be in for a severe headache trying to make it work. Other readers' drivers may not be so balky.
  
  

• sometimes it's amazing ...
  By A1IL50QHTGT3C4 on 2002-02-14
  ... how impressive technology can be when it works as advertised. this product installed flawlessly in Windows 98SE. how often does a product work without glitches or bugs right off the shelf? this card reader is a great investment for reading those CF cards quickly and easily. it beats the serial connection (argh) built into my Panasonic camcorder with digital still image feature. now i can just pop in the CF card and copy the image files right to my hard drive as if from a floppy or CD. very cool.
  
  
• Great when it works and doesn't crash the system
  By A3R3N209LQNXRK on 2002-02-15
  I looked at the other reviews here and bought this with a 256MB card and a Canon S30. I run Win 98 so anticpated no major problems. However the CD crashed my system, botched my email for a week and even then would not uninstall. After a week of frustration and intermittent working (when not crashing the system) I finally managed a complete uninstall by having to manually delete the folder from my C drive. My email subsequently worked, but on reinstallation the reader still would not work. I then uninstalled (success first time!) and downloaded the driver from the Sandisk website with (so far) success. The driver has worked twice with only minor problems (which may have been due to me removing the card early as the Eject command is not present on the new software, but I am contacting SanDisk about that).
  So in summary - OK, but what a hassle. If it still does not work or wrecks email again it is going back.
  
  
• Easy as Pie with XP
  By A3LQ36L09BMHI0 on 2002-02-23
  Before I bought the Imagemate, I found that using the Canon S30 USB connection caused a conflict with my Visioneer scanner that neither Canon nor Visioneer technical support could help me with. I had to reboot each time I switched between using the scanner and connecting the camera.

  Now, with this device, there are no conflict problems, and everything works perfectly. Uploading images is quick and easy. Installation took about 30 seconds using XP...literally, just plug and play. Throw out the installation CD, you won't need it at all!
  
  

• Drivers are a Nightmare! Win 2000 beware
  By A1T4S8G83BEVRZ on 2001-11-29
  I have 6 computers and use this device in my business and installation was a bear, drivers don't work. I have to reboot everytime I want to read from the thing! Tech support was good, but every time I have a problem I have to call them. The older reader worked much better! Note: I have installed the thing on 3 different machines with the same problem win2000 and 98se. Once it reads it works but to get it to that point is rough. I would not buy this product again, there is no reason why they cannot have effective drivers to make this machine work properly.
  
  
• I wish I knew sooner!
  By A2QQY1A1YS692L on 2001-12-05
  I love this little thing! I've saved so much in batteries since I had to buy this device (dropped my camera and can't use the usb cable anymore). I only wish I knew about it when I first got my camera. I have several relatives with digital cameras who have a hard time downloading photos with their software (I keep getting "help me" calls) so I will be buying several as christmas gifts.
  
  
• Windows ME users beware
  By on 2001-12-25
  This product will not work with Windows ME. I have tried everything that tech support had to offer. Do NOT install drivers from the CD. Put it on my wife's older computer with 98SE and it worked fine. But if you are a Windows ME user get ready to be frustrated.
  
  
• A Life Saver for Linux Users!
  By A28XOGR365EHQH on 2002-01-08
  I bought the SanDisk flash reader out of desparation: my digital camera is completely unsupported under Linux. I'd come this close to buying one of the supported cameras (all expensive), when someone pointed out the flash reader. It was a real life saver!

  The flash reader works perfectly under Linux. My camera's compact flash memory appears like a normal DOS floppy disk, and I can copy pictures to my hard drive, delete them on the flash, etc. And best of all, it's faster than downloading from the camera, even using the USB cable under Windows.

  I highly recommend this for anyone using digital cameras under Linux. The convenience is unbeatable--but best of all, it means no more hunting for compatible cameras, and no more messing with unstable USB drivers.
  
  

• Targus DMC111 Digital Memory Card Case - Black (Koskin)
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• Targus PAUH217U 4 Port Ultra Mini USB 2.0 Hub
• SanDisk 128 MB CompactFlash Card