Windows 10 Photo app hijacks camera import

[perkcan]

Windows 10 Photo application hijacks the import of images from my Canon PowerShot.  Does anyone have information about how to successfully set CameraWindow as the default application loaded when a Canon camera is connected via USB?

(For the record, I'm not interested in commentary on the Photo App or how to use it.  I have explored the settings enough and played with it enough to already know it is an cheap, inferior program.  I simply want to configure CameraWindow how it worked on Window 7, how it was designed to work.)

Prior to Windows 10 upgrade, I had Windows 7 with CameraWindow 8 installed.  When I plugged my PowerShot SX510 into the USB (or any of my canon cameras), CameraWindow would start automatically.

Not only did CameraWindow start automatically on Windows 7 (and prior versions), but it was easy to configure the default applications for Auto Start on Windows 7.  Windows actually allowed changing the settings and honored the settings I chose.

But on Windows 10, it ALWAYS starts the Photo application.  I have changed Auto Play settings, default application settings, device settings (Control Panel - Device and Printers) for the camera, but NOTHING works to stop the new Photo App from starting.  In the Device settings, the "Download Images..." option lets me choose CameraWindow, but on the General Settings page, another option says "Import  photos and videos (Photo)" but is greyed out, so it can't be changed.  Microsoft essentially forces the use of their own software and ignores the other settings.

It is very annoying on many levels.  Perhaps the worst is that Windows 10 removed all ability for the user to configure options in this regard!   Second, the Photo app has very limited settings:  There is no control over the import process, like the folder structure, image rotation options, etc.  Finally, CameraWindow itself has no option to make itself the default.

[Waddizzle]

"Right now, when a USB stick is inserted a Windows Explorer window opens to browse the files on the stick.  I don't happen to have a USB stick with only images, so I'm not sure if it would behave differently in that case.  However, if you look at the screenshots I posted earlier, you can see that Windows detects and treats my Canon camera as a specific device."

I have yet to try Windows 10.  I keep hearing too many horror stories.  But, I think the problems are just related to how Windows 10 has a slightly different behavior. 

Windows treates your camera as a specific device because it is a specific device.  I would stop Windows Explorer from automatically scanning USB sticks. You never want to allow your computer to automatically scan and import files from a USB device.  Either disable it, or configure it to give you prompt and let you decide what to do.

It is likely that Windows is scanning your camera, and finding files.  The Canon software may fail to start properly because the files are now "busy" and are being accessed by another program.

[Ruth1]

Perkcan, I saw your post on AutoPlay with the screen shots. Under the Devices, are the 2 choices pictured in your screenshot the only choices?  In my Devices pulldown menu, I have several choices in addition to "Take No Action" and "Import Photos and Videos(Photos)"--- e.g.,  "Ask me Everytime" ,  "Copy pictures to your computer", "Organize and Edit",  and "Downloads Images from Canon Camera(CameraWindow)".   If you don't have these, I wonder if, when you installed your camera's software from the CD, it didn't install all of the components (CameraWindow DC utility, Digital Photo Professional, ImageBrowser EX) and that's why the Canon Camera (CameraWindow) isn't listed as one of the choices in your device pulldown menu. I would suggest that you try reinstalling the software from the CD and making sure that all of the apps/utilities actually installed.  Windows 10 should have been able to find the CameraWindow utility from the get go after you upgraded to Win 10 and should have popped up a window giving you a choice of which software to use to import your photos. 

[Ruth1]

Perkan,

Your 11/1/2015 post  with screenshots about using Devices and Printers also didn't work for me. As stated in my other 2 posts, the AutoPlay works for me because my SX50 HS device list includes the Canon CameraWindow utility as a choice on the list. From your screenshots in your Autoplay post, and as I stated in a direct reply to that post), it's possible that when you downloaded your SX 50 HS software from the CD that is included with the camera when you bought it, maybe the software didn't download properly. Contrary to other comments in this thread about compatibility of the software with Win 10,  I've found that the Canon software is compatible with Windows 10. From Day 1 after the Win. 10 upgrade and install of the Canon software from the CD, Win 10 brought up a window asking me which app I wanted to use to import the pictures from my camera. Since your AutoPlay window only gives you 2 choices in the Devices pulldown menu, I suspect that your software never correctly downloaded. 

As a last resort, if you can't get this to work, go to Programs(x86), open the Canon file and click on the "CameraLauncher" app to launch CameraWindow.  When Windows automatically launches its app, just X out of that and use the "CameraLauncher" app.  Before I fixed my problem, I did this and then created a shortcut on my desktop.

[jrhoffman75]

Try calling or emailing Canon support line.

[perkcan]

All due respect to the support people, but I highly doubt they know anything about this.  Much of the problem is with Windows 10 and I doubt support is familiar enough with it to axtually know how to hack Windows 10 to fix it.  Further, I find most companies purposely let their software go out of date, one more factor to encourage buying new hardware which is officially "Windows 10" compatible.  What better excuse than to blame another company on the glitch?  I post here and in other customer forms in the hope to find a real solution.

[jrhoffman75]

You may be correct, but 1. Canon believes the software to be W10 compatible and 2. It's a free call.

[ScottyP]

This sort of complication is exactly why I just pop the SD card out of the camera and plug it into the USB memory card reader, or built-in reader on my computers.  Auto import puts you at its mercy and weird stuff can happen.  I just drag and drop all the files on the card into a dated file for them I make on my portable hard drive.  Easy peasy.

Also, the transfer speed is faster when you plug the card into a card reader than when you wire the camera up to the computer.  

Also you don't need to worry about running down the camera's battery like you do when you leave the card in the camera and you plug the camera into the computer.

[Jamykins1]

Thank you for this!  I have been looking on the forum  to figure out how to pick and choose the photos I need to import from my camera to my desktop.  You've given me the solution 🙂

[Ruth1]

Perkcan,

I had the same problem importing photos from my Canon Powershot SX 50 HS in Windows 10, but fixed it. Although my initial problem on upgrade to Windows 10 wasn't the same as yours (i.e., on re-install of the Canon photo utilities from the CD, Win 10 allowed me to specify Canon Utilities CameraWindow DC as the default), today when I went to import photos from my SX 50 HS to my laptop, Windows asked me which program I wanted to use instead of automatically launching the CameraWindows DC. I accidentally chose "Import Photos and Videos" which is Windows 10's default and each time I connected my camera to my laptop and turned it on, it launched the Windows 10 default app.  I was very annoyed. But then, after reading some comments in this thread about playing with the AutoPlay on the control panel, I got it working again so that now when I connect my camera to my Win 10 laptop with the USB, it automatically launches the CameraWindow DC again.

Following is what I did (I haven't included screenshots here). If you need them, please let me know:

1. Launch Control Panel. In the Search window at far right top of the control panel screen, type "AutoPlay". This will bring up a list in which "AutoPlay" is the first selection.

3. Keep the "Use AutoPlay for all media and devices"  selected (i.e., make sure there's a checkmark in the box to its left)

4. Click on the "Plays CDs or other media automatically" link

5.  Under the "Removable Devices" section, select "Removable Drive" and from the pulldown menu, select "Ask me everytime"

6.  Scroll down to the very bottom of this screen to the "Devices" .  Canon Powershot SX 50 HS should be in the Device list (in mine, it's the only device shown). 

7.  Click on the down arrow at the right side of the pulldown menu and select "Downloads images from Canon Camera(Canon CameraWindow)". This is the 5th selection on the list in the menu.

8. Click "Save" at the bottom of the Window. 

9. Connect your SX 50 HS to your computer via the USB, turn on the camera. The Canon CameraWindow utility should now automatically launch.

As you had encountered when you tried to set the CameraWindow through the Control Panel's Devices and Printers, that also didn't work for me. Hopefully, by doing the steps above on your computer, you'll get the CameraWindow utility to automatically launch.  

Good luck. Please let me know if this works for you.    Thanks. 

[Esther4371]

I know this thread is 2 years old, but I found it on a google search of my hijacking problem.  Just wanted to say, for anyone else finding there way here aftger all this time... this solution worked like a charm, thanks 🙂