Sometimes, Windows Me recognizes your newly installed computer part, begins speaking to it in the correct language, and starts a relationship that's beneficial to everyone. Other times, it pretends it doesn't exist.

If Windows doesn't recognize your new digital camera or scanner, head for the Control Panel, open the Scanners and Camera's icon, and run the handy new Scanner and Camera wizard.

The wizard places an icon for your new camera or scanner into My Computer, and creates a folder for your incoming picture album: the My Pictures folder in the My Documents window.

To check out a camera's pictures, open the My Pictures folder and click the words scanner or camera.

The Scanner and Camera wizard begins extracting tiny previews of your camera's photos, letting you rotate them and select the ones to grab. Finally, the Wizard whisks the selected pictures out of the camera and onto your hard drive, storing them conveniently in a folder with the current date.

Open the new folder to access the images, create a slideshow, or just preview them.

• Windows Me supports cameras and scanners from the major brands, including Agfa, Canon, Casio, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Nikon, and Olympus.
• The Scanner and Camera wizard grabs cameras that aren't normally picked up by Windows' Plug and Play technology. (Many of these devices plug into serial ports.)
• Newly downloaded photos are stored in a folder with the day's date. After downloading, immediately rename the folder with a descriptive word or two.