Thanks I scanned it & all was OK.. Already enjoying the pictures.. I hope for another DVD soon as this was from birth to 9 months.. they are now almost 11 months old.. I didn't see them till last month & have a lot taken with them :) She has sent me a lot in E-mail but think this was easier for & easier for her. Thanks again, Dar

Yes it reads. I installed this version of ubuntu on it,and I can view a photo disc. Disk utility shows it but has a dash beside write cache. K3B shows it,but says error beside write. cat/proc/sys/dev/cdrom/info: drive name: sr0 drive speed: 52 drive # of slots: 1 Can close tray: 1 Can open tray: 1 Can lock tray: 1 Can change speed: 1 Can select disk: 0 Can read multisession: 1 Can read MCN: 1 Reports media changed: 1 Can play audio: 1 Can write CD-R: 0 Can write CD-RW: 0 Can read DVD: 0 Can write DVD-R: 0 Can write DVD-RAM: 0 Can read MRW: 1 Can write MRW: 1 Can write RAM: 1 no ndiswrapper I honestly don't know what I'm using that allows me to use the driver. Maybe I can't? How would I get a linux driver? I am up to date on all kernel updates as far as I know. I thought maybe I just needed to add something else like a destination for the file? If I can't get it figured out I will try ubuntu forums. Thanks for your help chuggerguy!

Yes, I believe you can export the data or print it out. I have worked several days with it, and it is still the fastest way to catalog that I have ever used. I also sent for the little electronic bar code reader ($15) which will make entry of any recent publication a breeeze: just scan and click! Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on my mood) most of my books (and I have 6,000+ of them) are much older so no bar code, or even ISBN, to rely on. I'm finding that I have to hand enter the data on those books. So it's a wash as far as saving time there. One can upload certain formats of catalog data (not mine, alas) so if you've already started you may ahead of the game. If you have less than 200 items, so you can use the site for free. More than that, it's $10/year to continue uploading or $25 for a lifetime of uploads. Once I get all my backlog done it should be easy to keep it updated. I'm still loving it, though spending waaay too much playing with my books while I'm at it. Molly~

My scanner is an HP Scanjet 5370Cse. I either bought the model with a top light, or purchased one as an accessory. The sensors are under the glass plate (on the moving head). Therefore, light must be passed from the top down through transparent photo media. The top light accessory provides this illumination and holds the negative masks. B/W negatives, color negatives, and color transparencies all use the top light. The bottom light is turned off when using the top light. (I had an all-in-one printer that had a top light built into the lid and that was much more convenient. Unfortunately, that printer began to fail last year and has been replaced.) The use of the top light is a bit awkward and not conducive to high production. It is best for a session of not more than 20, maybe 50, images per sitting. The negatives must be carefully positioned in the mask. Care must be exercised to keep finger prints off the image portion of the media. Slides and negatives should be handled by the edges only. Dirt and finger prints can be a problem. A spec of dirt on a 35 mm negative will make a magnified black dot on the copy. The most difficult negative to handle is a strip of 35 mm film that has been wrapped around a cardboard oblong and stored for several years. The film will have a permanent bends and is difficult to get it to lay flat. However, I did like the results and the degree of color balance adjustment control. The software was included with either the top light accessory or was on the printer driver disk. There is a learning curve until you understand how each feature works, and then after that, it is quite enjoyable. There is another option for 35 mm format: Use your digital camera. Nikon and possibly other makes offer a copy accessory with illumination. Getting even illumination across the entire film, and having a proper color content, is critical for copy work. Hobbyist do make their own fixtures, but this is ok for the experimenter. If you wish to get the job done in a reasonable amount of time, stick with the manufacturers fixture. An advantage of using your camera is that the image is already stored as a digital file. Also, the cost is very low. Blown shots cost nothing. Merely erase these, adjust, and shoot again. The camera's screen can be used to make a cursory check on the image quality captured. I have a relative who copied 3000 frames and photos using his digital camera as a copy machine. These were professional shots made in exoitic locations for magazines, ads, and catalogs.