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.
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 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).
But don’t forget to check if you need to manually 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).
The next thing is to do is to check your Windows Device Manager and see if all 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!
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1,451 Comments to “How To Fix Webcam Problems”
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Software Tip
hey, i have a built in webcam that works with all my IM programs except for yahoo, it just shows a black sreen, ive made sure that its selected the right webcam and the webcam light turns on when i select to see my webcam, but when i checked the webcam requirements for yahoo and my webcam didnt fit them, but thought it should as it is built in and as it works on the rest of the IM programs. can you help?
@Kat – One thing I can suggest is to make sure your Yahoo messenger connection is set to check the Preferences and make sure your connection is not using a proxy.
Also try disabling the Automatic Super Webcam mode.
Kyle
i have a built in webcam but it isn’t working, it says no webcam device is detected. Can anyone help? My laptop is an Advent 4489 Netbook
@Lauren – Have you tried pressing Function + F10 to activate the laptop?
Kyle
Hi there.
I just got a brand new webcam that works well on various network sites and chat programs except for Yahoo IM. On AIM and MSN, it works, so I don’t get why it shouldn’t on Yahoo. I went to my device manager and determined that I have the most current driver. Yahoo seems to detect the camera, as when I invite someone to access it, it says “broadcasting” but there is only a black screen. I’ve rebooted the computer, restarted Yahoo, unplugged the camera and replugged it in and so far no luck on Yahoo IM. I have the lastest version of Yahoo, the camera is new so I don’t understand why it doesnt work. What can I do?
@Gil – Since your camera is working fine, it must be something in Yahoo IM itself. Have you checked your camera source configuration in the Preference? Sometimes if there are multiple VfW sources, the right source needs to be selected.
Kyle
my webcam is really blurry and when i try 2 focus it the gnob doesnt do anything.plz help me im in dier need
@Bret – Most problems with blurry images are indeed caused by focus issues. If you can not adjust it with a ring (or rotating part) in front of the webcam, the only other common cause is low light.
Depending on the webcam and software that goes with it, you can configure it to adjust for low light conditions. If the automatic setting does not work, try to manually adjust brightness, contrast, color intensity and white balance.
Kyle
I bought a really cheap cam on ebay, its Sonix SN9C201. However it works really well on my screen but my Skype callers can only see black screen when we are calling – I can see them perfectly. I have checked everything and contacted Skype but no reply after three days – going mad here. I checked everything you suggested on this page and read all the letters but do not solve my problem. Can you help?
@Geraldine – There are a lot of such problems with Skype, where one (or both) of the parties get a black screen.
The things you can try are:
- make sure your display mode is set to 32 bit (true color) and not 16 bit color. Just check the display properties.
- downgrade to Skype version 3.0 (older version).
http://www.oldversion.com/Skype.html
Both of these have solved a lot of black screen problems with Skype wbecam usage. Hope it works!
Kyle
I have an Acer Aspire 5735 laptop with the acer crystal eye built in webcam. I would love to record videos through it but I don’t know how to do it. Could it be that simply my laptop does not allow video recording throught its webcam? I could take snapshots just not video recording.
@Marie – have you taken a look at Anthony’s article?
http://www.pcauthorities.com/multimedia/record-video-with-your-webcam
Maybe that can help you.
Kyle
I bought HP PAVILLION TX2500 and i installed YAHOO MESSENGER 8.0 but each time i tried send my cam for viewing it’s just freeze my YAHOO MESSENGER and when i tried to close it, it will not close until i restart my system please i need help
Thank you
@James – The Yahoo freezing on webcam viewing has been a long existing problem with Yahoo messenger. The only thing I am aware of that fixed it for some people is forcing Yahoo messenger to use Video for Windows (VfW).
In the registry you need to add a “UseVfw” DWORD entry with value 1 in the key:
\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Yahoo\Webcam
If that does not work, try:
\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Yahoo\Pager\UseVfw
These options should not really be valid anymore considering the use of DirectX now instead of VfW, but no harm in trying.
You could also try changing the display resolution or an older version of Yahoo messenger, but I am not sure if that helps with this problem.
In any case make sure that the right video source is selected in Yahoo messenger.
Kyle
Hi, I have an MP4 touch screen with a built in Anyka webcam. Whenever I try to use it with AmCAP, it says i have no video capture device. I don’t know what is wrong with this, and I have tried to fix it many times. Can you help with that?
@Tiana – Have you checked the device manager to make sure there is no webcam device problem? If all drivers are installed, you should see the webcam device listed and reported as working fine in the Windows Device Manager.
Also check your DirectX version, as AmCAP uses and needs DirectX 9 to work properly.
Kyle
hi i bought a4tech pK-710mj i install the driver then i encounter a problem “Vicamon.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. ” i dont know how to fix it can you help me how to fix this problem:( sorry from my grammar
@Peter – Are you sure you are installing the right driver version? The error you list seems to indicate a software conflict with the operating system, which is often a problem with the driver.
Does the camera show up in the device manager without problems?
I assume you downloaded the driver and followed the instructions at:
http://www.a4tech.com/ennew/download%20driver.asp?cmodnum=PK-710MJ
Also make sure the latest service packs and updates are installed on your system.
Kyle
yes i install the right drivers version the camera show up in the device manager without problems and i already update my OS service pack 3. i already install properly and follow the instruction. i REMOVE / UNINSTALL any original mouse driver from the PC but there is another problem when i view my web cum and broadcast it turns black screen i don’t know what to do :(
the same problem is always there the “Vicamon.exe has encountered a problem and needs to close. ” i do not have idea what are the conflict with my Operating system how can i solve this problem :(
I have an HP Pavilion dv6000 and whenever I try to have a video chat with my friends on Windows Live, it wont connect to their computers. So I tried opening it up on my desk top and it worked just fine. It’s really starting to confuse me and I’ve looked around at different settings and I can’t find a way to fix it.
@Peter – Have a look at a program called SplitCam (http://www.splitcamera.com/) and see if you can use your webcam with it. This has solved issues for other people, although I still can not exactly explain why your “vicamon.exe” is causing problems.
I actually installed the program on Vista Home premium 32-bit and it worked fine with a built in webcam in an Acer latop.
Kyle
@Nathalie – Did you log into Windows Live and set your location properly?
Also check the firewall you are using, in some cases they block the MSN ports (see earlier comments).
Lastly, try downloading the latest version of the Live Messenger http://download.live.com/?sku=messenger
There have been problems with earlier 8 versions.
Kyle
Have creative web cam,installed the drivers,tested the capm working fine. But when I want to use is with my msn(8.0.1) it say unable to start cam
I went to tools Audio & Video settings,it gives an error un able to run Audio & video setup?? Plz help
@Rodio – Have you tried updating MSN to Live Messenger with the link in the previous comment? There have been more problems with version updates, so try version 2009 and see if that solves it.
Kyle