Hi ive recently had to reinstall my harddrive in my computer and reload the olympus software ,the serial codes that came with my camera dont seem to work any more this may be due to the age of the camera and they have now expired ! how can i get around this issue

If the camera software is opening and working on your new computer hard drive then the problem is the camera "firmware" being non compatible with the new system.

This can be solved by stepping around the camera as a download device by purchasing a memory card reader. This reader is plugged into a USB port on the computer and the memory card is plugged into it, the computer looks at this as a mass storage device. Your picture files can then be stored in folders on your hard drive.

Okay if the camera software is not working on the computer (which is now surprise) I would strongly suggest purchasing an Adobe Photoshop program. Elements, is a basic image program software and it will allow you to do everything and more than what your camera software was allowing you to do with the pictures. You will still need to purchase a card reader to get the pictures from the camera to the computer.

Nice part of going this route is that when you purchase a new camera the reader and programing can still be used.

As a Professional Photographer I'm using both Mac and PC, the image software I use on the PC is Elements, Elements 5 (it opens RAW files) and Photoshop 7. Each program has something a little different or in the case of the Elements programing 5 allows me to open Camera RAW files.

My Mac is a different story I still use Photoshop CS3, CS4 and several updated add on and plug ins. What I'm saying is purchasing a Photoshop program is the best step to image software a person can make.

Photoshop is the "industry" standard and the programing can be inexpensive on an entry level or go into the thousands for more advanced users. Cheers have a great time with you camera.