Canon A60 driver Windows 2K / Data is invalid

[cesar_scolar]

I've just bought a digital camera Canon A60 and I can't install the driver in my home computer which is a Windows 2000 SP 4.

In my work, where I also have a Windows 2000 computer I was able to install the TWAIN60, so I can download the pictures to the computer.

I tried many times to install this driver in my home and all I get is "Data is invalid" message.

I know that this is a known problem regarding permissions in the Windows registry. However, I followed every step indicated in the solution and even so the problem persists.

What I did was enabling the Full Control to System and Everyone for the following key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/System/CurrentControlSet/Enum/USB/" which is the key where the Canon driver is stored.

Even doing this the error persists! When I connect the Camera to my computer a small icon shows up in the right-down corner and when I double-click this icon a window with something like "Disconnect or Eject Hardware" appears.

Does anyone have a clue about this problem?

[hudsonsmith]

Welcome to windrivers cesar. There is a faq on the canon web site concerning reinstalling the driver, but I can't link to it. Go to http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SupportDetailAct&fcategoryid=221&modelid=8774, select Frequently Asked Questions. In the window which opens select search by category, Difficulties in installing the USB TWAIN/WIA driver (for Windows), "How to reinstall the TWAIN driver on Windows 2000"

It is possible that you don't need a driver in W2K. With most cameras, the storage card is detected automatically as a mass storage device. If you open "My Computer" you should see an additional disk drive which corresponds to the camera.

The icon which appears in the task bar is normal. It indicates that windows has detected and installed the camera. The "Disconnect or Eject Hardware" button should be selected before you unplug the camera.

[cesar_scolar]

Thanks for your help, but I still have this problem

Welcome to windrivers cesar. There is a faq on the canon web site concerning reinstalling the driver, but I can't link to it. Go to http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SupportDetailAct&fcategoryid=221&modelid=8774, select Frequently Asked Questions. In the window which opens select search by category, Difficulties in installing the USB TWAIN/WIA driver (for Windows), "How to reinstall the TWAIN driver on Windows 2000"

Yes, I had followed the instructions in the Canon website, and after all steps I also changed the registry (to prevent the "data is invalid" problem), but even so the problem persists.

It is possible that you don't need a driver in W2K. With most cameras, the storage card is detected automatically as a mass storage device. If you open "My Computer" you should see an additional disk drive which corresponds to the camera.

I didn't see any new disk drive when I connected the camera.

The icon which appears in the task bar is normal. It indicates that windows has detected and installed the camera. The "Disconnect or Eject Hardware" button should be selected before you unplug the camera.

But when I click in properties, it informs that no driver has been installed to that device. If I follow the steps to install the driver it finds a file oem7.inf (which is in c:\WINNT\inf\) and when I press the confirm button, I get the same awful "Data is invalid" message.

I wonder whether I should try to edit this oem7.inf file. Or should I enable a registry key other than that I enabled?
In addition, I saw that there are 5 or 6 .inf files related to Canon Digital Camera. Why only oem7.inf is selected by Win2K?

[hudsonsmith]

Are you using the driver from the cd or did you download the one from the canon web site? If the former, you might try the latter.

It is possible that oem7.inf is not the correct inf file. Instead of letting windows search for the driver, you might try extracting the driver file to a folder and manually selecting the device. Unless you are experienced in writing drivers, I don't think there is anything to gain in trying to edit the inf file.

When you enabled permissions in the registry, did you check that it carried down to the subkeys for the camera? Specifically, the key you need to enable permissions for is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\U SB\Vid_054c&Pid_0010\5&300e70c3&0&1\Device Parameters, where the section in italics will vary to match your camera.

[cesar_scolar]

Are you using the driver from the cd or did you download the one from the canon web site? If the former, you might try the latter.

I'm using the driver from the CD. I had also used the driver from Canon website. I tried to install it, but it didn't work. In all the following attempts I used the driver from the CD. But at that time, I hadn't tried to change the registry. Maybe I should try both (changing the registry and using the driver from the website).

It is possible that oem7.inf is not the correct inf file. Instead of letting windows search for the driver, you might try extracting the driver file to a folder and manually selecting the device. Unless you are experienced in writing drivers, I don't think there is anything to gain in trying to edit the inf file.

Sorry, but how can I select it manually? Is in that part when there is a button with ("with disk")? I tried that but it seems that it ignores it, I mean, I select the file, press OK and it seems that it is still using the file in c:\winnt\inf.


When you enabled permissions in the registry, did you check that it carried down to the subkeys for the camera? Specifically, the key you need to enable permissions for is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\U SB\Vid_054c&Pid_0010\5&300e70c3&0&1\Device Parameters, where the section in italics will vary to match your camera.

I'm note sure, but I guess so. I will check it when I get home.

Thanks again

[cesar_scolar]

I tried with the driver from the Canon website and also changing the registry and it didn't work. I'm suspecting it can be some sort of virus. I'll buy an antivirus software today and verify.

Is there any way of getting more information about what causes the "data is invalid" problem? I mean, is there a log or something like this?

[NooNoo]

Data invalid as far as I know is about permissions.

You could try installing in safe mode, where you have to be logged in as Administrator.

[hudsonsmith]

I don't see any reason to suspect a virus, however, running a computer connected to the internet without antivirus (or a firewall if using broadband) is asking for trouble. I saw a statistic yesterday that the time for an unprotected computer to be infiltrated is now 15 seconds.

Try going into disk management (C:\<windows directory>\system32\diskmgmt.msc) with the camera connected and see if it shows up there.

[cesar_scolar]

I don't see any reason to suspect a virus, however, running a computer connected to the internet without antivirus (or a firewall if using broadband) is asking for trouble. I saw a statistic yesterday that the time for an unprotected computer to be infiltrated is now 15 seconds.

Try going into disk management (C:\<windows directory>\system32\diskmgmt.msc) with the camera connected and see if it shows up there.


I tried running the computer in safe mode and I had the same error message.

In diskmgmt, with camera connected, there is no drive or anything indicating it. I think that the TWAIN standard does not provide this feature (virtual drive).

Doesn't the device manager generate any log or trace which may give a clue of what is happening?

[hudsonsmith]

Check the event viewer (eventvwr.msc) for messages in the log. The fact that you are getting the disconnect or eject hardware icon in the taskbar indicates the computer is recognizing the camera in some fashion. In device manager, do you have any devices with yellow ! or ?

[cesar_scolar]

Check the event viewer (eventvwr.msc) for messages in the log. The fact that you are getting the disconnect or eject hardware icon in the taskbar indicates the computer is recognizing the camera in some fashion. In device manager, do you have any devices with yellow ! or ?

Yes, in the device manager I can see inside the "Image Devices" group "Canon Digital Camera", and it is with "!" in yellow.

I checked the event viewer and I got a system log entry at all times I try to install the driver (just to check have just tried to install it more than once). Something like the following (when translated into English)
"Access denied attempting to launch a DCOM server using the DefaultLaunchPermssion. The server is:
{00020906-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} The user is
Unavailable/Unavailable, SID = Unavailable"

I used the DCOMcnfg, and this server (a local service), can only be executed by the system account (SYSTEM). I can't change it to "This user", it gives me a message "Incorrect Parameters".

[hudsonsmith]

Are you doing this logged in as "Administrator"? Not a member of the Administrator group, but the built in administrator account? You should have full access to dcomcnfg as administrator.

Check your Local Security Policy, specifically User Rights Assignment (Load and unload device drivers) and Security Options (Unsigned driver installation behavior and Unsigned non-driver installation behavior). Also check your driver signing settings under system properties.

[cesar_scolar]

Are you doing this logged in as "Administrator"? Not a member of the Administrator group, but the built in administrator account? You should have full access to dcomcnfg as administrator.

Check your Local Security Policy, specifically User Rights Assignment (Load and unload device drivers) and Security Options (Unsigned driver installation behavior and Unsigned non-driver installation behavior). Also check your driver signing settings under system properties.

Yes, I use the built-in Administrator user account.

Well, I changed many options in Local Security Policy (allowing Interactive User, Admistrator, System, and Everyone). I also changed the dcomcnfg parameters, allowing (Adminstrators, interactive users, everyone, and system) to have full control (the 3 options in the security tab) of that server.

When I try to install the driver I have the same annoing message "Data is invalid", but I don't have any entry in system log anymore (that one reporting DCOM problems).

I went to WMI properties and set the Log Level to 'detailed', (I guessed it could help) but even so, no log entry is generated when the "data is invalid" problem happens.

[NooNoo]

tried tinkering with permissions within the registry? (http://www.nthelp.com/NT6/data_is_invalid.htm)

[cesar_scolar]

tried tinkering with permissions within the registry? (http://www.nthelp.com/NT6/data_is_invalid.htm)

Yes, I did it. As matter of fact, I provided total permissions not only to Administrator, but also for Interactive User, System and Everyone, for all keys from LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB down.

[NooNoo]

My only suggestion at this point would be to uninstall all that is usb in device manager and add/remove programs using safe mode. Shut down, disable usb in bios (and remove any usb cards). Restart, and check to make sure its not detected and is all gone.

Now have a hunt through the registry for canon registry keys and remove them.

Then reenable usb and install when detected, then install the latest motherboard drivers. Go directly to windows updates and get any usb updates it offers (check in recommended updates as well).

Then reboot. Install ONLY the camera software WITHOUT connecting the camera, unless the software specifically asks you to. Reboot. Do NOT install any other usb connected device. Cross fingers and pray.

[cesar_scolar]

Finally I could install the driver.

What I did was look into setupapi.log which has a log for all installations.
As I expected, there was nothing worth. Then I learnt how to increase the log level of setupapi (by changing/creating a registry key).

Amazingly, there was just before the "data is invalid" message an entry in the log telling the following (when translated into English)

@ 21:03:45.877 : SPFILENOTIFY_NEEDMEDIA: Tag="sp4.cab" Description="windows drivers " SourcePath="C:\WINNT\Driver Cache\i386" SourceFile="usbscan.sys" Flags=0x00000000.

So, I looked for usbscan.sys, which was in the Driver Installation directory and copied it to C:\WINNT\Driver Cache\i386.

After it, I plugged the camera, and the installation went OK.
I could hardly believe that the driver was finally installed, after almost 2 weeks of the damned "Data is invalid" error message :-)

What is not explained yet is why this file wasn't copied to that directory during installation setup.

I would like to thank all of you who helped me. The good point about it is that at least I learnt a lot about Windows 2000 configuration :-)

[hudsonsmith]

Glad to see you finally got it sorted. :thumbs:

[NooNoo]

Over zealous windows file protection... perhaps?

for more information about setupapi log, read here (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/administration/setupapi.asp)

the registry key for setupapi is shown here under more information (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;841567&fr=1)

[mmalloy]

I had the exact same problem trying to install my Canon i560. In fact, I was unable to use any USB devices without getting the dreaded "Data is invalid" message during driver installation. It had me pulling my hair out. I tried all the tips in this thread, as well as every other trick I could think of and could find on the web, but still nothing worked. I understand your frustration. However, I finally solved the issue by re-installing Windows 2000 Service Pack 4. After hours of messing around with arcane registry settings and permissions, plus learning more than I ever cared to know about the way Windows authenticates driver certificates, it is hard to believe that something this easy fixed the problem. Good luck!