My boyfriend gave me his camera and I only used it for about 15 minutes before the battery life ran out. I have a usb cord that fits it and I've hooked it up to a wall adapter but it still hasn't charged! I've used two different cords but it still won't charge.

If the cord fits, use it.
You didn't specify the make and model of your camera, but if it uses a memory card of some type you don't need a USB cord to transfer your pictures.


The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.


Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive, the same way you copy any other files. Or you can use any photo cataloging program such as Picasa.

No. This camera requires service/repairs, the repairs will be more than this model camera is worth !!!!

Consider NOT connecting your camera to your computer.


The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.


Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive, the same way you copy any other files. Or you can use any photo cataloging program such as Nikon Transfer or Picasa.

Consider NOT using the USB connection.


The best way to download pictures from your camera to your computer involves removing the memory card from the camera and plugging it into a card reader (either built-in to the computer or connected via USB or FireWire). This is likely to be faster than connecting the camera to the computer, and won't run down your camera's batteries.


Once the card is plugged in, it will appear to your computer as a removable drive. You can use the operating system's drag&drop facility to copy pictures from the card to the computer's hard drive, the same way you copy any other files. Or you can use any photo cataloging program such as Picasa.

I have the same camera. It sounds to me that there is a fault with the camera itself and not the battery. You might be better sending Canon an email and asking them. My battery lasts forever so I would think if you already purchased another battery you've eliminated that problem. It might be the contacts inside the camera that are not accepting the full charge. Does the camera battery on screen show that it's full after you've charged it? Maybe trying charging it overnight and then trying it out the next day.

You can avoid these problems by using a card reader instead of the camera for downloading.

That's still a nice camera. No, you can't charge it through the USB port. Luckily, the Canon battery that it uses is very common, with many inexpensive generic options available for the battery and charger. Here's a new battery with charger from Amazon. And you'll also need a 2GB SD card if one didn't come with the camera. Do not buy anything larger than 2GB as it will not work with your model camera. Finally, here's the Basic user manual for your camera, and if you want to get fancy with it, here's the advanced user manual.

If your has an A/V-out port and a cable that lets you output to a TV, you should be fine. If your computer already has a video input-many do, particularly ones marketed as media PCs-then you're all set: You can just plug the camera into your computer and turn on the camera.
If your computer doesn't have a video input, you can buy an inexpensive USB capture device for $5 to $10 on eBay, or a brand new EasyCap Video Capture Adapter for $15. The same device can let you watch TV on your computer, too, since the encoding hardware is the same-look for a TV-tuner-plus-video-capture USB adapter for $30 to $50 instead. You'll need to install the driver that comes with the device, but not the video-editing software. Simply run your favorite IM client; with the capture device's driver installed; the IM client should find your camera and let you use it as your webcam for video conferences.

I hooked up my Canon PowerShot to a desktop PC using a $15 video-capture dongle and simply ran iChat, selecting the video device as my input. I was videoconferencing within minutes.
With some cameras the audio will be sent along with the video. If that's not the case with yours, set your computer's audio input to its microphone.

You can buy a USB cord for it at almost any camera shop or, online. You will be better off, taking it to a shop where you can compare the cord size to the receptacle. There are a few different sizes that cameras use.
It shouldn't cost more than around $15. Chances are, you might already have a cord that will fit, from another electronic gadget.

Yes there is a special charger that you need for the battery. You can pick a charger up online for $15-$30 depending on where you buy from. Hope this helps.