This has been a long chain--
There is a faint possibility that the camera is in the "wrong" mode.
Several of my cameras have two or more operational modes.
One is the mode that allows "native" windows to see the camera's storage
cards, and will "mount" it and use it as if it were a disk drive with
folders.
The next mode is a "camera control" mode that allows P/C software to operate
the camera, usually with some limitations, compared to normal operation.
The third mode is a factory or repair center mode that allows such things as
reflashing the firmware, or making serious non user level adjustments (using
what is usually considered to be proprietary software)
Some cameras expose a user selection to allow or disallow a P/C to connect
to the storage card via the camera, others don't, and always allow. The
ability and the actions needed to change modes may not be in the user
manual, or may be in an obscure corner of the camera's menus and choices.
The symptom is also one that occurs if the camera is connected before the
camera drivers are installed. My past experience with Kodak software was
that when this occurred, the user had the task of manually cleaning up the
Kodak related registry entires before a reinstall. To add insult to injury,
some camera driver packages install an inf file, then abort, telling the
user to plug in the camera and start the install process again.