Q. I received a digital camera for my birthday. I've taken some pictures, but I'm embarrassed to say that I don't know how to get them off the camera. The instructions are so poorly written that I can't understand them. Do I take it to the drugstore?

A. Don't be embarrassed. I just received a new digital camera that works great once you figure out the right way the battery goes in. And it doesn't mention this in the manual's three pages of English instruction either.

There are several ways to download the pictures. And, in fact, many drugstores will take the pictures off the camera (download them) and make prints for you. But you'll probably want to download them yourself and store them on your home computer. So, let's discuss how that is done.

1. Cameras come with software. If you install that, it will guide you through the downloading of the images. This software probably also includes rudimentary editing features. That should help you get rid of red-eye and other common problems.

2. You don't have to use the downloading software. Open Windows Explorer. Typically, cameras connect to the computer's universal serial bus (USB) port using a cable. The camera should show up in Windows Explorer as another drive--probably D: or E:, depending on how many hard drives you have. The pictures will be in the right pane. I would create folders with specific dates or events under My Pictures (C:\My Documents\My Pictures). Store your pictures there.