How to Update Kodak Easyshare Firmware

Your digital camera isn't meant to be complicated. You point and shoot to have photos to share with your friends and family. But camera manufacturers, like Kodak, constantly update a camera's firmware to make it work better. The firmware controls the programming and code on your camera and helps your Easyshare run more smoothly. Updating it regularly keeps your camera working to the best of its ability.

Download the most current firmware specific to your Easyshare model from Kodak's support site (full link in Resources). Find the specific firmware for your camera by entering the search term "Easyshare," "firmware" and the model number of your camera, which you can find written across the front of your camera. After the download completes, double-click the EXE file and choose a folder into which to extract the files.

Turn your Easyshare camera off and flip open the memory card panel. Press down on the memory card to eject it. Remove the memory card, then connect the camera to a USB cable or its charging dock to charge fully.

Insert the memory card into your computer's card reader -- which is usually a slot in the front edge of a laptop or in the front panel of a desktop computer -- and click "Open folder to view files" or "Import pictures and videos" and follow the prompts to copy the photos from your memory card so you won't lose them.

Click in the top right-hand corner of Windows and then click on the "Search" charm. Type "File Explorer" and then click "File Explorer" to open the program. Click on the drive associated with your memory card -- usually "E:" or "F:". If the memory card doesn't have a folder on it called "System," right-click and choose "New," "New Folder" and then type the name "System" and press "Enter." Browse to the folder where the EXE file was extracted in Step 1 and copy the PAK file to the "System" folder. Press on the memory card in the card reader to eject it.

Open the memory card slot on your Easyshare camera, then insert the card according to the diagram inside the cover, usually with the label on the memory card facing the front of the camera. Unplug the camera from the USB cable. Turn the camera on and choose "Yes" on the screen to begin the firmware upgrade. The update takes about two minutes, and then your camera will display a message saying, "Upgrade was successful." Choose "Delete upgrade file" to remove the PAK file from Step 3, which will save about 40MB of space on the card.

Turn the camera off and then turn it back on to activate the new firmware. Check Kodak's site again every few months to see if the company has released new firmware.