I have a digital camera and was wondering If I need a compact flash reader. I normally just change plug my camera in to the USB port and download pictures. But this lady at Best Buy said that my camera will not work soon if I keep downloading photos the way I am. She said that because Window XP keeps loading a driver every time I connect my camera that it will not work after a certain period of time. She said she is going through the same problem with her Sony digital camera so she had to buy a memory stick reader. I have never heard of anthing thing like this, but I have only had my camera for a few weeks. Any advice? David

The lady is right and wrong. Look at it this way - every time you start your computer Windows loads all kinds of drivers - video, sound, printer, ect. That doesn't wear out the drivers. The main reason for getting a card reader is speed. With a reader you can download pics in seconds instead of minutes or hours depending on how many pics you are downloading. If you don't have a reader you have to leave your camera on while downloading and using it's batteries - unless you have an A/C adaptor. Using a reader is a must in my opinion.