I have connected my FinePix digital camera to my Windows PC and I still can't view the images on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. What should I do?

a blinking red light next to the viewfinder means one of the following:
It most likely is an xD-Picture Card Warning--meaning
no card inserted, card not formatted, incorrect format, card full, xD-Picture Card error (perhaps it was scratched when you removed it, or it received a shock.) If it looks dirty, clean it with a cotton cloth.
Have you touched your xD card? It is located in the battery area. You can either pull it out, or push it in and it pops out. Perhaps it wasn't pushed in all the way. Try that first. If that doesn't work, do you have another xD card to try? Maybe you can find the little one it came with--usually a 16 MB card. The 512 MB are pretty cheap these days online. I know that my card works whether or not it is formatted in the camera or by my computer, as I download all my pictures into my laptop with its card reader. If you did that, and erased the Fuji file the images usually sit in, you might have to download the card with a computer card reader, as the finepix software might not work. You will find loads of programs happy to download from a card reader--I like Windows live photo gallery. In fact, that is the ONLY thing I like about Vista. My camera then always reformats the xD card when I put it back.
One explanation: "The xD-Picture Card will work well for long time, but will sooner or later lose its ability to store and play
back images or movies. If this happens replace it
with a new xD-Picture Card."
If something is wrong with the xD card, an error message should appear on the LCD display. If you haven't fixed it with the info I;ve provided you, let me know what the error message says.

the only way to prevent it is buy a XD card

Fuji Finepix S7000 Zoom Memory Cards (xD-Picture Card - M Type) & Accessories The following memory cards are compatible with your Fuji Finepix S7000 Zoom. Every memory card we offer is manufactured to the highest standard and carries a 2 year minimum warranty. Your Fuji Finepix S7000 Zoom accepts xD-Picture Card - M Type cards. The largest xD-Picture Card - M Type card you can use in your Fuji Finepix S7000 Zoom is 2048MB
View all Fuji Digital Cameras

Turn camera from "off" to "play" ( photo view..._

Pressing the “MENU/OK” button as you would to erases files. There is an option to format the xD-Picture Card. Formatting erases protected files, but allows you to then take photos.

get a new cable. or a new card reader. i prefer card readers as i can take my camera around to various events, and if a friend wants an image, he can attach the reader to his computer (if nearby) and get what he wants.
are you sure your computer can directly read smart media cards?
possible it does, but not that common unless its fairly new.
mark

No one can expend efforts to diagnose, repair or let alone talk to you about what may be a 25 to 30 dollar memory card. I've had dozens of such failures but I deal with a fleet of devices and these are spread over the world now. The card, if the camera will not format it is tossed and you get a new one. Whatever you plugged it into is marked as suspect and I'd not do that again.

If the images on a SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card fail to appear when the camera is connected to a Windows PC, one of the situations listed below may apply. 1. There may be a problem with the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. Check that the images can be viewed on the digital camera. If the images cannot be viewed on the digital camera, gently wipe the gold colored contact area on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card with a soft cloth and then check again. 2. "PC Camera" may be selected as the USB setting on the digital camera. Change the USB setting to DSC or select DSC in USB MODE. * This only applies to models with a USB Setting or USB MODE option in the SETUP screen. 3. Does the LCD monitor on the digital camera show that the USB connection is active (USB, DSC or a USB symbol with an arrow is shown on the LCD monitor)? If not, the digital camera and PC may not be connected correctly. Check the items listed below. a) Restart the PC and reconnect the USB cable. b) If the PC has multiple USB ports, connect the cable to a different USB port. If steps a) and b) have both been tried and there is still no USB connection indicator displayed on the LCD monitor, there may be a problem with the digital camera or USB cable. Contact an authorized Fujifilm service center and ask them to check the digital camera together with the USB cable. Refer to the Digital Equipment Repair page for information such as the procedure for requesting checks and the locations of authorized Fujifilm service outlets. 4. The USB driver may not be installed correctly. Download the USB driver from the Fujifilm general downloads web page and re-install the driver. 5. The card may not be recognized correctly if the camera is connected to an added USB interface board or via a USB hub. Always use a factory installed USB port and connect the camera directly to the USB port on the PC.

If the images on a SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card fail to appear when the camera is connected to a Windows PC, one of the situations listed below may apply. 1. There may be a problem with the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. Check that the images can be viewed on the digital camera. If the images cannot be viewed on the digital camera, gently wipe the gold colored contact area on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card with a soft cloth and then check again. 2. "PC Camera" may be selected as the USB setting on the digital camera. Change the USB setting to DSC or select DSC in USB MODE. * This only applies to models with a USB Setting or USB MODE option in the SETUP screen. 3. Does the LCD monitor on the digital camera show that the USB connection is active (USB, DSC or a USB symbol with an arrow is shown on the LCD monitor)? If not, the digital camera and PC may not be connected correctly. Check the items listed below. a) Restart the PC and reconnect the USB cable. b) If the PC has multiple USB ports, connect the cable to a different USB port. If steps a) and b) have both been tried and there is still no USB connection indicator displayed on the LCD monitor, there may be a problem with the digital camera or USB cable. Contact an authorized Fujifilm service center and ask them to check the digital camera together with the USB cable. Refer to the Digital Equipment Repair page for information such as the procedure for requesting checks and the locations of authorized Fujifilm service outlets. 4. The USB driver may not be installed correctly. Download the USB driver from the Fujifilm general downloads web page and re-install the driver. 5. The card may not be recognized correctly if the camera is connected to an added USB interface board or via a USB hub. Always use a factory installed USB port and connect the camera directly to the USB port on the PC.

If the images on a SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card fail to appear when the camera is connected to a Windows PC, one of the situations listed below may apply. 1. There may be a problem with the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. Check that the images can be viewed on the digital camera. If the images cannot be viewed on the digital camera, gently wipe the gold colored contact area on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card with a soft cloth and then check again. 2. "PC Camera" may be selected as the USB setting on the digital camera. Change the USB setting to DSC or select DSC in USB MODE. * This only applies to models with a USB Setting or USB MODE option in the SETUP screen. 3. Does the LCD monitor on the digital camera show that the USB connection is active (USB, DSC or a USB symbol with an arrow is shown on the LCD monitor)? If not, the digital camera and PC may not be connected correctly. Check the items listed below. a) Restart the PC and reconnect the USB cable. b) If the PC has multiple USB ports, connect the cable to a different USB port. If steps a) and b) have both been tried and there is still no USB connection indicator displayed on the LCD monitor, there may be a problem with the digital camera or USB cable. Contact an authorized Fujifilm service center and ask them to check the digital camera together with the USB cable. Refer to the Digital Equipment Repair page for information such as the procedure for requesting checks and the locations of authorized Fujifilm service outlets. 4. The USB driver may not be installed correctly. Download the USB driver from the Fujifilm general downloads web page and re-install the driver. 5. The card may not be recognized correctly if the camera is connected to an added USB interface board or via a USB hub. Always use a factory installed USB port and connect the camera directly to the USB port on the PC.

If the images on a SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card fail to appear when the camera is connected to a Windows PC, one of the situations listed below may apply. 1. There may be a problem with the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. Check that the images can be viewed on the digital camera. If the images cannot be viewed on the digital camera, gently wipe the gold colored contact area on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card with a soft cloth and then check again. 2. "PC Camera" may be selected as the USB setting on the digital camera. Change the USB setting to DSC or select DSC in USB MODE. * This only applies to models with a USB Setting or USB MODE option in the SETUP screen. 3. Does the LCD monitor on the digital camera show that the USB connection is active (USB, DSC or a USB symbol with an arrow is shown on the LCD monitor)? If not, the digital camera and PC may not be connected correctly. Check the items listed below. a) Restart the PC and reconnect the USB cable. b) If the PC has multiple USB ports, connect the cable to a different USB port. If steps a) and b) have both been tried and there is still no USB connection indicator displayed on the LCD monitor, there may be a problem with the digital camera or USB cable. Contact an authorized Fujifilm service center and ask them to check the digital camera together with the USB cable. Refer to the Digital Equipment Repair page for information such as the procedure for requesting checks and the locations of authorized Fujifilm service outlets. 4. The USB driver may not be installed correctly. Download the USB driver from the Fujifilm general downloads web page and re-install the driver. 5. The card may not be recognized correctly if the camera is connected to an added USB interface board or via a USB hub. Always use a factory installed USB port and connect the camera directly to the USB port on the PC.

If the images on a SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card fail to appear when the camera is connected to a Windows PC, one of the situations listed below may apply. 1. There may be a problem with the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card. Check that the images can be viewed on the digital camera. If the images cannot be viewed on the digital camera, gently wipe the gold colored contact area on the SmartMedia or xD-Picture Card with a soft cloth and then check again. 2. "PC Camera" may be selected as the USB setting on the digital camera. Change the USB setting to DSC or select DSC in USB MODE. * This only applies to models with a USB Setting or USB MODE option in the SETUP screen. 3. Does the LCD monitor on the digital camera show that the USB connection is active (USB, DSC or a USB symbol with an arrow is shown on the LCD monitor)? If not, the digital camera and PC may not be connected correctly. Check the items listed below. a) Restart the PC and reconnect the USB cable. b) If the PC has multiple USB ports, connect the cable to a different USB port. If steps a) and b) have both been tried and there is still no USB connection indicator displayed on the LCD monitor, there may be a problem with the digital camera or USB cable. Contact an authorized Fujifilm service center and ask them to check the digital camera together with the USB cable. Refer to the Digital Equipment Repair page for information such as the procedure for requesting checks and the locations of authorized Fujifilm service outlets. 4. The USB driver may not be installed correctly. Download the USB driver from the Fujifilm general downloads web page and re-install the driver. 5. The card may not be recognized correctly if the camera is connected to an added USB interface board or via a USB hub. Always use a factory installed USB port and connect the camera directly to the USB port on the PC.