SD slot won't read card

have you been tried to use other sd card ? or have you been tried to use other usb slot of the laptop just to know if where the main cause of the problem.

If your current card reader isn't compatible with SDHC cards then you need to get one that is. While SDHC cards fit into the SD slot, they care electronically incompatible and won't work in devices not designed for them.

The SV-AV30 works with SD cards. Your 8GB card is actually an SDHC card. While it fits into the slot, it is electronically incompatible and will not work. You need to use SD cards 2GB and smaller.

Good stuff

is the lock on the card by chance. also depending on how old the camera is and how big the sd card is in gb. the lumix may not be able to handle that size of card, too many gb. My lumix would only accept up to 4 gb, so when I moved to 16 they did not work.

You need to use a microSD card, not a microSDHC card. microSD cards max out at 2GB, anything larger is a microSDHC.
The 1390t works with microSD cards. Your 8GB card is actually a microSDHC card. While it fits into the slot, it will not work in older devices.

What model Kodak EasyShare camera? Some of them only work with SD cards, not with SDHC cards. The same applies to kiosks. Make sure the slot is marked "SDHC' and not simply "SD".

there is a lock on the side of some sd cards try checking if there is one.

Are you test with other SD card? CHeck pins alignement in the card slots.

Vivitar's home page for this camera is at
http://www.vivitar.com/products/1/digital-cameras/13/vivicam-8025