Thanks, folks, for the assistance. I took the camera to Walmart photo dept., and found that the card was damaged - they replaced the card and the camera is working perfectly.

Canon still has a very good product. I would recommend the Canon S3 IS based on what I have read. You can find excellent reviews at Steve's Digicam website.

1. Can I take the memory stick out when all the pictures are taken and take it to a cvs or somewhere to have them developed? Yup. 2. After is take up all the picture on a memory stick, can I use it again? You can erase the Memory Stick repeatedly. Just make sure to print or copy (to your PC) any picture you want to keep before you erase. :-) Then it will be ready to use again. 3. Will I be able to use my new camera for many years to come since there are so many new digital camera coming coming out on a regular basis? That's hard to answer :-) The limiting factors will be the availability of parts and batteries and such when you need them (in the U.S., I think manufacturers are required to support products for 5 years (8?) after they're discontinued, but popular cameras may be repairable far longer than that) and the ability of the camera or Memory Stick to connect to something (a PC or developing station) for printing, erasing, etc. But while many people are still using 30-40-year-old mechanical SLRs, technology is moving too quickly to assume that you'll be able to plug in even a 10-year-old digital camera and be able to print out pictures. 4. I ordered an extra memory stick that has 512 MB. Will this last a long time? The Stick itself should last for years. But at your camera's maximum resolution (7 megapixels), 512 MB holds only about 70 pictures. You'll have to decide if that's enough room for you. You also should keep in mind that very few manufacturers other than Sony use Memory Stick, so it may not be as easy to find one years from now as it will be to find more popular memory formats. Is it wise to order an extra battery or other attachments while the camera is a new one one the market? If these questions seem to be silly, I apologize, but I am a beginner No problem -- digital is a very different world from the cameras most of us are used to. The nice thing about having an extra battery is that it can be charged and ready to go when your existing one is depleted. The rest of it? If you're new to digital, you may not know just what it is you'll find indispensable and what you'll think you wasted money on. On the other hand, it probably will be easier to find now than it will in the future. It likely will be cheaper in the future, though, on closeout or on eBay -- if you can find it. Do you feel lucky? :-) I'd recommend waiting a bit -- but probably no more than a year -- before deciding what (if anything) to buy. You may find that you'd rather buy a whole different camera than continue investing in this one.

The batteries should last longer than that. For some reason, not all of the cells are being charged. I assume that you used the 15min charger the first time you used the batteries? One idea might be the charger is, for some reason, not reconizing all the cells in the battery. If was to gues I would say maybe just 1/4 of battery is being charged. That would mean that as soon as those few cells are charged, the charger shuts off and shows full. Try putting them in the long charger today and see if the last any longer, when they run dry put them in the quick charger. Maybe the slow charger will activate more cells and they will be available the next time. If you see no change after this, take them back. There is something wrong. You should never have this much trouble with new stuff. It should work the first time when new. I actually would just take them back anyway though. Joe