How To Fix Webcam Problems
PCauthorities.com
With broadband internet widely available, many PC users are actively using their webcams for movie talking and online meetings. Not only does the enlargened bandwidth facilitate the use of movie over the internet, improved webcams and better movie compression also help a lot.
But if your hardware is not working as it should be, a webcam is not much joy. So dealing with webcam problems can be a necessary evil. Webcam problems often simply mean there is no photo to be seen, but in other cases you might actually get an error message or will not be able to select the webcam as the movie source in your programs.
In Windows Live Messenger for example, you might get webcam error 0x8a70013, indicating a problem with the webcam device.
Steps to solve the webcam problems
One of the very very first step is of course to check your webcam connection. Most webcams use the USB port to connect to the PC, so check if your USB cable is decently plugged. For build-in webcams this steps does of course not apply. Many fresh laptops have a build-in webcam. Also attempt connecting your webcam directly to your PC instead of through a USB hub (if you are using one).
But don't leave behind to check if you need to by hand activate your webam. In most cases the webcam will be automatically activated by software that can use the webcam, but for some computer brands it is necessary to press a certain key-combination to activate the webcam (it will be a Function key, either with Alt or Ctrl or the Fn key, but check the laptop manual for details).
Some known key combinations:
<Fn> + <F9> (Alienware laptop webcams)
<Fn> + <F6> (Packard Bell laptops, MSI laptops, Lenovo laptops)
The next thing is to do is to check your Windows Device Manager and see if all hardware is recognized and installed decently. Use the Scan for hardware switches in the Act menu to make sure Windows lists all available hardware devices.
It might be that the hardware is recognized as a camera, but the right drivers are not installed. The yellow explanation mark will indicate a problem.
If the device is not recognized in Windows, it will be listed under Other Devices.
In either case you can attempt to update the drivers. Right-click the device, and in the popup menu select Update Driver Software. Then go after the instructions on screen, but make sure you permit Windows to search the web for updated drivers.
In case no driver for the webcam can be found, you can attempt a third party driver finding program that scans your PC for installed hardware and permits you to install missing drivers.
If this fails, the next step would be to uninstall the software that came with your webcam. Use the Add or Liquidate Programs feature in the Control Panel. If that does not work you can use a third party uninstaller.
After uninstalling the software, restart your PC and then reinstall the webcam software. In most cases this will solve the problems. Depending on the software, you might need to unplug your webcam during the software installation. For many HP systems you need to install the CyberLink YouCam software, which can be downloaded from the HP site (for Windows seven and Windows 8).
If the drivers and webcam software are correctly installed, and you still cannot see any movie, there can be a problem with the program settings. Most talk and meeting software have a configuration option to select the movie source for the webcam feature. If you have numerous devices that qualify for movie, you might need to select your webcam device as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Some webcams and programs require extra software, albeit that should be installed with the webcam if things are right. But is does not harm to check if your Java, Flash and Quicktime software are installed and up to date. But certainly check your DirectX software, since all movie applications, including webcams, use DirectX for movie processing. Attempt downloading the latest DirectX version and install it (Windows XP: DirectX 9.0c – Windows Vista: DirectX ten – Windows 7: DirectX eleven – Windows 8: DirectX 11.Two is only available through the Windows Update function).
Lastly, if your webcam’s picture is not acute, check to see if it has a concentrate ring. A blurry pic can sometimes simply mean the webcam is not in concentrate. Adjusting the concentrate through the ring can solve that problem.
Other picture quality problems with webcams can be addressed by switching the movie capture properties for the webcam. Most programs that can use a webcam will have an option to access the properties of the movie source, which will bring up the movie capture properties window.
Do keep in mind that not all settings will be enabled depending on the webcam and the webcam driver installed on your computer. In the example you can see that some settings are disabled. The example shows the movie capture properties for an Acer Crystal Eye webcam.
If you are using your webcam for instant messaging with one of the popular talk programs, have a look at EatCam, which permits you to record your webcam talks from MSN, YM, ICQ, Skype, AIM and a few more!
How To Fix Webcam Problems
PCauthorities.com
With broadband internet widely available, many PC users are actively using their webcams for movie talking and online meetings. Not only does the enlargened bandwidth facilitate the use of movie over the internet, improved webcams and better movie compression also help a lot.
But if your hardware is not working as it should be, a webcam is not much joy. So dealing with webcam problems can be a necessary evil. Webcam problems often simply mean there is no photo to be seen, but in other cases you might actually get an error message or will not be able to select the webcam as the movie source in your programs.
In Windows Live Messenger for example, you might get webcam error 0x8a70013, indicating a problem with the webcam device.
Steps to solve the webcam problems
One of the very very first step is of course to check your webcam connection. Most webcams use the USB port to connect to the PC, so check if your USB cable is decently plugged. For build-in webcams this steps does of course not apply. Many fresh laptops have a build-in webcam. Also attempt connecting your webcam directly to your PC instead of through a USB hub (if you are using one).
But don't leave behind to check if you need to by hand activate your webam. In most cases the webcam will be automatically activated by software that can use the webcam, but for some computer brands it is necessary to press a certain key-combination to activate the webcam (it will be a Function key, either with Alt or Ctrl or the Fn key, but check the laptop manual for details).
Some known key combinations:
<Fn> + <F9> (Alienware laptop webcams)
<Fn> + <F6> (Packard Bell laptops, MSI laptops, Lenovo laptops)
The next thing is to do is to check your Windows Device Manager and see if all hardware is recognized and installed decently. Use the Scan for hardware switches in the Act menu to make sure Windows lists all available hardware devices.
It might be that the hardware is recognized as a camera, but the right drivers are not installed. The yellow explanation mark will indicate a problem.
If the device is not recognized in Windows, it will be listed under Other Devices.
In either case you can attempt to update the drivers. Right-click the device, and in the popup menu select Update Driver Software. Then go after the instructions on screen, but make sure you permit Windows to search the web for updated drivers.
In case no driver for the webcam can be found, you can attempt a third party driver finding program that scans your PC for installed hardware and permits you to install missing drivers.
If this fails, the next step would be to uninstall the software that came with your webcam. Use the Add or Liquidate Programs feature in the Control Panel. If that does not work you can use a third party uninstaller.
After uninstalling the software, restart your PC and then reinstall the webcam software. In most cases this will solve the problems. Depending on the software, you might need to unplug your webcam during the software installation. For many HP systems you need to install the CyberLink YouCam software, which can be downloaded from the HP site (for Windows seven and Windows 8).
If the drivers and webcam software are correctly installed, and you still cannot see any movie, there can be a problem with the program settings. Most talk and meeting software have a configuration option to select the movie source for the webcam feature. If you have numerous devices that qualify for movie, you might need to select your webcam device as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Some webcams and programs require extra software, albeit that should be installed with the webcam if things are right. But is does not harm to check if your Java, Flash and Quicktime software are installed and up to date. But certainly check your DirectX software, since all movie applications, including webcams, use DirectX for movie processing. Attempt downloading the latest DirectX version and install it (Windows XP: DirectX 9.0c – Windows Vista: DirectX ten – Windows 7: DirectX eleven – Windows 8: DirectX 11.Two is only available through the Windows Update function).
Lastly, if your webcam’s picture is not acute, check to see if it has a concentrate ring. A blurry picture can sometimes simply mean the webcam is not in concentrate. Adjusting the concentrate through the ring can solve that problem.
Other picture quality problems with webcams can be addressed by switching the movie capture properties for the webcam. Most programs that can use a webcam will have an option to access the properties of the movie source, which will bring up the movie capture properties window.
Do keep in mind that not all settings will be enabled depending on the webcam and the webcam driver installed on your computer. In the example you can see that some settings are disabled. The example shows the movie capture properties for an Acer Crystal Eye webcam.
If you are using your webcam for instant messaging with one of the popular talk programs, have a look at EatCam, which permits you to record your webcam talks from MSN, YM, ICQ, Skype, AIM and a few more!