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Webcam Problems - Troubleshooting
Broadband internet brings people many conveniences, one of which is shortening the distance between people who are far away from each other by using their webcams for video chatting and online meetings. But doubtlessly these camera devices also would expose many problems when using. Here I will talk about some troubleshooting tips.
Common webcam issues contain that PC camera is non-responsive; images are blur or even no images; you might actually get an error message or will not be able to choose the camera as the video source in your program, etc. However, before repairing your webcam issues, make sure you know well how to use this device. You can refer to the manual and all documentation that came with it. Then we begin to locate the problems.
Step 1 Check whether the connection between your webcam and computer is active or not (laptops with a built-in webcam can skip this step). Make sure your USB cable is properly plugged, and also try to connect your camera directly to your PC rather than a USB hub (if you are using).
Step 2 Turn off your computer, unplug the webcam, boot up your machine and then plug your camera back in. Let the system pick up the webcam, probably reinstall or repair drivers and then see if that works.
If it fails, go to the Device Manager and check, there are tow possibilities: One, it might be recognized as a camera, but the right driver is not installed or missing; a yellow exclamatory mark beside Camera under the list of Sound, video and game controllers will indicate a problem.
The second possibility is that this camera is not recognized by your system, and it will be listed under Other Devices in Windows XP with a question mark beside it. In either case you need to update the driver; since Windows fails to install a right one for your camera, you can download an automatic driver tool to help you. Personally I use Driver Checker, it scans your PC for installed hardware and allows you to install and update the right drivers quickly and easily.
Step 3 If the above tips fail, uninstall the software that came with your camera by using the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, and then restart your PC as well as reinstall the webcam software. This method can fix the problems in most cases, but depending on the software sometimes you need to unplug your camera when installing the software.
Step 4 Most of the webcam programs have options of video source for the webcam feature, if you have multiple devices that qualify for video, you need to choose your camera as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Step 5 Make sure your computer has the latest version of Microsoft Direct X, version 9 or newer, since all webcams and other video applications use Direct X for video processing.
To check your Direct X, you can click Start and select Run; type dxdiag in the open box and click OK; choose the System tab and then you can see the version of your Direct X tool at the bottom of the System information section.
Step 6 If the quality of your webcam's images are blur, check if it has a focus ring. If it has one, try to get the subjects in frame, in the position they will be when the video is being taken, and adjust the focus ring on the camera lens until the image is sharp and clear.
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Common webcam issues contain that PC camera is non-responsive; images are blur or even no images; you might actually get an error message or will not be able to choose the camera as the video source in your program, etc. However, before repairing your webcam issues, make sure you know well how to use this device. You can refer to the manual and all documentation that came with it. Then we begin to locate the problems.
Step 1 Check whether the connection between your webcam and computer is active or not (laptops with a built-in webcam can skip this step). Make sure your USB cable is properly plugged, and also try to connect your camera directly to your PC rather than a USB hub (if you are using).
Step 2 Turn off your computer, unplug the webcam, boot up your machine and then plug your camera back in. Let the system pick up the webcam, probably reinstall or repair drivers and then see if that works.
If it fails, go to the Device Manager and check, there are tow possibilities: One, it might be recognized as a camera, but the right driver is not installed or missing; a yellow exclamatory mark beside Camera under the list of Sound, video and game controllers will indicate a problem.
The second possibility is that this camera is not recognized by your system, and it will be listed under Other Devices in Windows XP with a question mark beside it. In either case you need to update the driver; since Windows fails to install a right one for your camera, you can download an automatic driver tool to help you. Personally I use Driver Checker, it scans your PC for installed hardware and allows you to install and update the right drivers quickly and easily.
Step 3 If the above tips fail, uninstall the software that came with your camera by using the Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel, and then restart your PC as well as reinstall the webcam software. This method can fix the problems in most cases, but depending on the software sometimes you need to unplug your camera when installing the software.
Step 4 Most of the webcam programs have options of video source for the webcam feature, if you have multiple devices that qualify for video, you need to choose your camera as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Step 5 Make sure your computer has the latest version of Microsoft Direct X, version 9 or newer, since all webcams and other video applications use Direct X for video processing.
To check your Direct X, you can click Start and select Run; type dxdiag in the open box and click OK; choose the System tab and then you can see the version of your Direct X tool at the bottom of the System information section.
Step 6 If the quality of your webcam's images are blur, check if it has a focus ring. If it has one, try to get the subjects in frame, in the position they will be when the video is being taken, and adjust the focus ring on the camera lens until the image is sharp and clear.
