With broadband internet widely available, many PC users are actively using their webcams for video chatting and online meetings. Not only does the increased bandwidth facilitate the use of video over the internet, improved webcams and better video compression also help a lot.
But if your hardware is not working as it should be, a webcam is not much fun. So dealing with webcam problems can be a necessary evil. Webcam problems often simply mean there is no image 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 video source in your programs.
Steps to solve the webcam problems
The 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 properly plugged. For build-in webcams this steps does of course not apply. Many new laptops have a build-in webcam. Also try connecting your webcam directly to your PC instead of through a USB hub (if you are using one).
The next thing is to do is to check your Windows Device Manager and see if the hardware is recognized and installed properly.
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 XP, it will be listed under Other Devices.
In either case you can try to update the drivers. Right-click the device, and in the popup menu select Update Driver Software. Then follow the instructions on screen, but make sure you allow Windows to search the web for updated drivers.
In case no driver for the webcam can be found, you can try a third party driver finding program that scans your PC for installed hardware and allows 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 Remove 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.
If the drivers and webcam software are correctly installed, and you still cannot see any video, there can be a problem with the program settings. Most chat and meeting software have a configuration option to select the video source for the webcam feature. If you have multiple devices that qualify for video, you might need to select your webcam device as the source for the webcam feature in that program.
Some webcams and programs require additional software, although 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 video applications, including webcams, use DirectX for video processing. Try downloading the latest DirectX version and install it (Windows XP: DirectX 9.0c – Windows Vista: DirectX 10).
Lastly, if your webcam’s image is not sharp, check to see if it has a focus ring. A blurry image can sometimes simply mean the webcam is not in focus. Adjusting the focus through the ring can solve that problem.
Other picture quality problems with webcams can be addressed by changing the video capture properties for the webcam. Most programs that can use a webcam will have an option to access the properties of the video source, which will bring up the video 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 video capture properties for an Acer Crystal Eye webcam.
If you are using your webcam for instant messaging with one of the popular chat programs, have a look at EatCam, which allows you to record your webcam chats from MSN, YM, ICQ, Skype, AIM and a few more!
@Iain – Computergear indeed has a driver download for the webcam. I looked at it and it uses a Sonix webcam (OEM). But what is the problem? You installed the software, and then plugged the webcam? Do you get an error or is it just not working? Windows XP? Vista?
@roxie – Unfortunately the new MSN messenger does not have the old webcam functionality anymore. Microsoft changed it to only have the video call function. They might add something similar again in the future
@Karen – Arcsoft WebCam Companion 3 is indeed commercial software, you’ll need to buy a license if you don;t have one. But you can use your webcam with other programs of course. What is the brand/model of your laptop?
my computer is kinda old. it’s not so up to date.
so, my aunt sent me her webcam from hawaii & i plugged it in. it kinda worked. it didn’t come with any software or anything. & it worked pretty well online. & my internet was like windows 6 or something. so, when i downloaded internet explorer 8, i can’t use my webcam online anymore. some message pops up saying “send error report ” or “don’t send” & whichever one i click, the page refreshes & does the same thing.
Hi,
I’m having a problem with my built in camera (my computer is a Compaq), when I ask for a video connection on a social networking site it either goes onto video call or just freezes when all I want is a normal cam. Everything is installed properly I’m not sure what to do…..
Any ideas?
Thanks much appreciated
@jay – You can try downloading and reinstalling Adobe Flash Player since that is used for online webcam use in most cases. Other options are QuickTime and DirectX, but I’d try updating/reinstalling them in that order.
@Kim – What happens if you try a chat program, like MSN or Yahoo messenger or even Skype? If you use the webcam in one of those, does that work?
Keep in mind that the latest MSN messenger version does not support webcam anymore, but only the video call, so if the website is using MSN functionality, that would be a problem.
Hi,
Thank you for getting back to me,
and yes it is msn that I’m having troubles with,
but what I’m not getting is that its working for other friends and not me.
Is there any way that I can get around this, if so I’d love to know!
Thank you again
@ Kim i am having the same problem. but im using ooVoo and when i get on the video chat thing my computer freezes and it stratches. i wanna get it fixed so please help !
@Kim – Your friends might be running the older MSN messenger and not have upgraded yet. Just check the program versions to see if that is the case.
@Khadijah – Have you already tried (re)installing the latest Java runtime? ooVoo requires Java to work.
the webcam wont plug in
heey …
everytime im on msn and i try to go on webcam with a friend it only sends video call does anyone know how to fix it.
its an acer laptop…
hey I bought a new webcam .. in the msn massenger i started a video call but my friends can’t see me they see a black picture but they can hear my sound ? In webcam center i can see myself but in msn massenger noone cant see me they just see black picture and me too i see black picture in mine ..
help please
thank for reading
@bieberfever16 – You’ll need to be more specific than that.
@madison – It is again probably the new MSN messenger version. The only option is to install the older version if you still have the installer, or wait for Microsoft to include the same functionality in a newer version. You can switch to something else of course, maybe something like Trillian.
@fairouz – Try the webcam with another chat program if you can (like Skype or Yahoo messenger). Also check to make sure the network ports for MSN are not blocked by your firewall or router. Details on the ports used by Live Messenger.