Problems using EOS Utility3 to transfer images from 7DII to PC

[digiquisitive]

I find that I have to use EOS Utilty2 to transfer new images from my CF card in my 7DII to my PC, instead of EOS Utility3.  Utility3 starts up when I connect the camera, but it will not let me automatically upload new images to the PC.  I just once again had this experience with a card full of nothing but new images (never before uploaded to the PC), and Utility3 was totally non-responsive  (I tested this several times, with the same results).  So I started Utility2, and it allowed the upload to proceed normally.  Then I went back to Utility3 with the same CF card full of already-uploaded images, and selected the option to allow me to specify which images on the card I want to upload.  Utility3 handled this quickly and normally.  Any idea why Utility3 balks at (refuses to) upload fresh new images off of a card, when Utility2 will?  Utility3 goes to sleep when I try to do the auto upload. Thanks

[digiquisitive]

BTW, I am using Windows7, not Windows10. 

Digiquisitive

[RobertTheFat]

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@digiquisitive wrote:

BTW, I am using Windows7, not Windows10. 

Digiquisitive

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Any possibility you're running the 32-bit version of Windows 7? I'm pretty sure EOSU 3 requires a 64-bit OS. I would have hoped that the installer wouldn't have let you install EOSU 3 on the 32-bit version; but stranger things have happened.

[digiquisitive]

Thanks, Robert.  I am definitely running 64-bit Win7.  But I appreciate the response.

DQ

[digiquisitive]

I just tried another upload.  This time EOSU3 worked normally. There were two differences between last night's upload (original problem statement above) and tonight's.  First, last night's attempted EOSU3 upload was using a CF card with all new images (not previously-uploaded), whereas tonight's was with a card that contained a mix of previously-uploaded and new (never-uploaded images).  Second,  on tonight's upload, I plugged the end of the connecting cable directly into the camera receptacle without using the abominable screw-attached plastic housing.  Please note that the results for EOSU3 last night were different for the CF card containing only fresh (never previously-uploaded) images, and the same card after I had used EOSU2 to do a successful, normal upload.  For the successful EOSU2 upload last night, I used the abominable plastic screw-in housing, so that can be ruled out as causative for last night's EOSU3 failure to respond (it went dormant).

DQ

[Waddizzle]

Once files have been uploaded to a PC, EOS cameras seem to tag the files in some way as having been transferred.  In order to transfer filess that have already been uploaded, such as if you uploaded to one computer and now you want to upload to another one, then you will need to manually select the files that you wish to be transferred.  If not, the camera will seem to act as if there are no images available to be transferred, which would technically be correct.  There are no new images ready to be transferred.

This behavior seems to serve the purpose of not duplicating uploads.  For example, you  take some pictures on Day One, and transfer the pictures to your computer.  You take some pictures on Day Two, and you want to transfer those pictures.  At this point, the camera contains previously uploaded pictures, and some that have never been uploaded.  Instead of duplicating all of the Day One files, the camera defaults to only tranferring images that have never been uploaded before.

[digiquisitive]

You are correct, Waddizzle.  However, EOSU3 should transfer images from a card whenever that card contains images that have not been flagged as previously-transferred.  In my experience,  EOSU3 will only suyccessfully transfer images when the card contains a mixture of previously-transferred and never-transferred images.  If the card contains only never-transferred images, EOSU3 went dormant, and I had to use EOSU2 to make the transfer.

DQ

[Waddizzle]

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@digiquisitive wrote:

You are correct, Waddizzle.  However, EOSU3 should transfer images from a card whenever that card contains images that have not been flagged as previously-transferred.  In my experience,  EOSU3 will only suyccessfully transfer images when the card contains a mixture of previously-transferred and never-transferred images.  If the card contains only never-transferred images, EOSU3 went dormant, and I had to use EOSU2 to make the transfer.

DQ

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That's weird.  I wonder if anyone else has experienced this quirk.  I do not use a that camera.  I use a 6D, T5, and an M3. Is this behavior limited to just CF cards, or does it affect SD cards, too?

[EDIT]  You may try downloading and re-installng the latest version of EOS Utility 3, which installs both versions, 2 and 3.  The latest version also includes a "Utility Launcher" that seems able to determine what model camera has been connected, and will then launch either version 2 or 3, whichever is appropriate for the connected camera.

[digiquisitive]

Thanks once again, Waddizzle.  I downloaded and installed the latest version of EOSU3 just prior to your suggestion.  So, we agree that was a good idea. I connected my 7D-II to the PC, inserted a CF card containing ONLY brand new (not previously-uploaded) images, powered up the MarkII, and everything worked just as it should. So far, so good.

Then I powered the MarkII down and inserted a CF card containing a mix of new/fresh (not previously-uploaded) and previously-uploaded images.  When I powered up the MarkII, absolutely nothing happened -- back to square 1, my original problem.  I tried this several times, with the same results. The Canon software totally refused to start,and the only difference was the nature of the card in the MarkII. 

I then manually started EOSU3. I got all kinds of flags and messages from Win7 about incompatibility of the EOSU3 software, and things like EOSU3 is WinXP SP2-compatible and wanting to know if I wanted to report it to MS or fix the incompatibility.  I said to fix the incompatibility.  That gave me a window asking if I would OK having EOS Utility modify my computer, to which I replied OK.  It is certainly strange that EOSU3 ran just fine and normally, with no such incompatibility messages, when I had a fresh-only images card in the MarkII, but refused to do anything at all when I tried a mixed-image card using the same software.

After all of this Windows7 shuck and jive, I tried turning the MarkII on again with the mixed-image card, and everything worked as it should.

You tell me -- is this a Canon software issue, a Windows software issue, or just an incompetent operator (me) issue? I notice no one from Canon has weighed in on this as of yet.

[Waddizzle]

I can only speculate as to what caused the issue, why the issue persisted, or even why the issue has seemingly cleared itself out of your system.  What I do know, from the messages you wrote about, that one or more device drivers were either missing or not properly installed.  It is likely that Windows may have updated the drivers on its' own.

As far as someone from Canon weighing in, this is a user forum, not a service center.  Whatever caused your issue, it does not seem to be widespread, affecting hundreds of 7DII users.  If it were, those users would have made their issues known to Canon, just as you have tried to do.