camera is not working and becoming black

[antarjita1]

THE LAPTOP IS BROUGHT ONE YEAR AGO AND NOW WHENEVER I AM DOING THE RECENT SOFTWARE UPDATES THE CAMERA IS BECOMING BLACK 'AND IT IS NOT WORKING AND ALL THE IMPORTANT FILES ARE GETTING DELETED .

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @antarjita1,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I’m truly sorry you're going through this. You purchased your laptop only a year ago, and now, after installing recent updates, your camera turns black, stops working, and important files disappear. That is extremely stressful, and I’m here to help you step by step. Let’s fix your camera and protect your files.

Camera Becoming Black After Updates

This is commonly caused by a driver conflict after a Windows update.

Step 1: Check Camera Privacy Settings

1. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera
2. Make sure:
   • Camera access is on
   • “Let apps access your camera” is on

Step 2: Reinstall Camera Driver

1. Right-click Start → Device Manager
2. Expand Cameras
3. Right-click your camera device → Uninstall device
4. Restart the laptop

Windows will automatically reinstall the correct driver.

If it does not reappear:

• In Device Manager, click Action → Scan for hardware changes

Step 3: Roll Back Recent Update (If Issue Started After Update)

1. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Update History
2. Select Uninstall Updates
3. Remove the most recent update (if the issue started immediately after it)

📁 Regarding Files Getting Deleted

A Windows update does not normally delete personal files. However, this can happen if:

• Windows created a temporary profile
• A reset was triggered
• OneDrive sync settings changed

Check This Immediately:

1. Press Windows + R
2. Type: C:\Users
3. See if your old user profile folder is still listed.

If you see another user folder with your name, your files may still be there.

Also check: C:\Windows.old

(If an update recently occurred, your files may be stored there temporarily.)

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat