Built-in webcam not working in Probook 6550b

[Velant]

Hello,

Neither my windows, nor any apps (like Skype, e.g.) can detect my built-in webcam.

Pre-history: I upgraded from win 7 to win 10, installed skype but found skype can't see my webcam. Then I looked in the device manager - there was no imaging devices at all. I then downloaded and installed the webcam driver (HP Webcam Software (International), SP52437) from HP website and hooray - the webcam started to work (skype could see it) and I could take images.

The next day after win 10 update the webcam stopped working again. Itried to re-nstall the same driver (SP52437) but during installation it said "Setup has determined that your configuration does not support any of the included products"

I found on the web that lots of people who upgraded to win 10 having issues with their built-in webcam not working. So I rolled back to win 7 but the camera isn't working again!

In my control panel I do see Imaging devices and a driver 'USB2.0 UVC 1M HD WebCam' with a yellow exclamation mark, but when I try to update the driver the system fails to find a newer version and the exclamation mark remains.

I also tried installing another generic driver for HP website - 'HP universal camera driver" (SP47460), but to no avail.

I spent a week searching web for solution but couldn't find one that would work.

Please help me to make my webcam work!

Thank you very much!!!

[solpuerto]

Hi Velant

You may have hit the the same problem I had when I upgraded my HP Pavillion x2 10 from Win 8.1 to Win 10 and after many months of trying to get my camera to work I eventually did. I have posted some of my story in the post under the link I have give below. I hope it works for you.

I am sorry but I cannot find how to provide a link to my post but I have copied it below.

Also note my post is dated 18/7/2016 and currently is about 5 below yours.

The clue is in "Fast Startup" and that needs to be switched off.

Best wishes.

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Webcam-did-not-work/td-p/569393...

[Velant]

Hi Solpuerto,

Thanks a lot fior sharing your experince - it's very learningful indeed!

Unfortunately your method didn't work for me: I tried a shortcut though, instead of turning off Fast Start up (like described in option 1 here) , I've just restarted my laptop (without shutting it down, i.e. started and then immediately restarted) - that didn't help.

I also tried turning off Fast Start up like in the link above, but reaching step 8 of option 1 I could't seen any of the "shutdown settings".  Maybe beacuse I have win 7 (not win 10 anymore) or maybe because I should have enabled hybernate which I didn't not.

Anyway, restarting straight after start up should have had the same effect, i.e. disabled Fast Start up (right?), but that didn't help - webcam is still not working (Skype don't see it).

I guess that could be due to multiple steps I did in the past (before creating this thread), namely:

1. Upgraded win 7 to win 10 - camera didn't work them.

2. Installing the latest driver SP52437 - camera started to work but then stopped the next day after win 10 update.

3. Installing more generic webcam drivers (e.g., SP47460 from HP,  1.0.0.30 (G1C814WW) from Lenovo).

Besides I am still having the yellow exclamation mark next to  'USB2.0 UVC 1M HD WebCam' driver in Imaging devices in Device Manager.

If any other ideas of what could be done to make my webcam work - I would be really, really grateful!!!

Many thanks

[solpuerto]

Hi Velant

I am very sorry my suggestions did not work.

I notice you tried Restart after initial startup and the camera still did not work, now as I said that did work for me. It may be the driver you have is not correct as you are getting a marker beside your imagining devices. Have you tried to update your driver.  Try both the internet update and the search the computer options. When I tried the automatic option I got the driver HP installed but that did not work so I tried the local option and I installed the driver I mention below. I think that was the old one.

I have no idea what driver is contain in SP52437. HP initially told me I needed to update the driver I had and they even installed the new driver but that still did not work even following them RESTART the system. The driver I use is Intel(R) Imaging Signal Processor 2400.

The next point where you refer to not "See any of the shutdown settings at step 8". The facility is outlined at Step 3 as below.

3. Click/tap on the Change settings that are currently unavailable link at the top. (see screenshot below)

You need to click Change setting etc and this should highlight where it says Turn on fast startup, and the remove the tick against it.

Now I do not have Windows 7 so I do not know if this functionaliy is avalable to you.

I mention that I also have a Toshiba laptop and its camera works with Win 10 and it has Fast Startup active.

I wish you the best of luck and I know how frustrated you will be feeling.

[Velant]

Hi Solpuerto,

thanks very much for your help and guidance.

To answer your question on the driver - I did try to update driver, but after launching the update and some 'munching' windows says "you have the latest version of the driver installed". Yet the yellow exclamation mark still there.

I guess if immediate Restart didn't help to revive the webcam, messing up with the Fast Restart will not help either, right?

So my plan is try installing 'Intel(R) Imaging Signal Processor 2400' like you did and see if that helps.

I will report here once I know the answer.

Many thanks again for you help, much appreciated!

[Velant]

Miraculously today camera started to work!!! I didn't do anything since yesterday (except another laptop restart), and yesterday all I did is updated the driver (the one with exclamation mark), but got the message that the driver was up-to-date anyway.

Today however another driver appeared in the Imaging devices: HP webcam [2 MP fixed]

and now the camera works!!!

So I don't know what really worked, but the problem  is fixed and I thank you very much for your help!

P.S. People who have similar problems with their webcam could trace all the steps I took from the posts in this thread. Good luck!

[solpuerto]

Hi Velant

I am very pleased you have got the camera working and your persistence has paid off.

Are you back on Win 10 or staying with Win 7?

Best wishes

[Velant]

Hi Solpuerto,

Unfortunately my joy was premature - the webcam stopped working again and the other driver HP webcam [2MP fixed] has disappeared from Imaging devices in the control panel. This happened in soon after my previous post and I did nothing in between except receiving a skype call from another PC - the camera was not working already at that stage.

Looks like Windows or Antivirus (Security Essentials) removes/blocks the driver somehow. Anyway, I am back to where I started - the catch 22!  (((

WIth regard to your question - I keep using win 7.

Thanks

[solpuerto]

Hi again Velant

For what it is worth I have been here in the past and know what you are feeling.

Have you got the marker against Imaging devices?

What driver is now showing?

What happens if you update the Driver and do you update by using "Search automatically for.......etc"

What driver is installed then?

Test the camera if you change a driver.

Now when I was initially having problems and thought the camera was working and then not, I eventually stumbled accross the fact that the driver (camera) did not work when I switched the PC on but it did if when the PC was still on I used RESTART and the camera worked.

This led me to think that the problem lay in the difference in the sequences the software went through in the 2 operations, but what. As you will know there are several times when updates RESTART the PC and that was when the camera would work.

I use the windows 10 forum so I started trawling through that and then I discovered the post by Brink where the opening section showed 2 bar charts indicating the difference between the 2 process's. Thus Fast Startup was my solution. Now I find it interesting that as I have said I never had a problem when I converted m HP 2 in 1 (With a Tablet) and  also a cheap Tablet I bought out of Tesco.  It is about 10 days ago I found this and I have not had a problem with either camera since.

Back to drivers I obviosly tried to update me driver via the option I mention above but for a change I tried the "Browse my Computer......" and that gave me an option of 2, one was the driver that did not work and the other was I assumed the original driver that worked when the PC was running on 8.1. Loaded that and that forced me to Restart and the camera worked. One of the many times I thought my problem was solved.

Sorry if this a bit long but I thought something here may help you.

Best wishes

[Velant]

Hi Solpuerto,

Thanks very much for your fast and helpful response!

Let me first answer your questions:

For briefness, I abbreviate the non-working driver (the one with the yellow marker) as NWD and working driver as WD.

As of now, I do have the marker, but not next to imaging devices but rather to NWD only.

Only NWD driver is now showing in the Imaging devices

I update the driver using "search automatically" only and I always get the message that you have the latest version of the driver installed. Yet the marker does not disappear after updating.

The same NWD is installed then (in other words it just remains without any change and still with the marker). Maybe I shoul update when selecting imaging devices rather than specific driver??

Not sure how I can change the driver to test the camera? The WD is no longer under imaging device,so I can't update it. With regard to installation - previously I installed WD using setup.exe file in the driver folder and that worked. Now if I try to do the same I get message "setup determined that your configuration does not support any of the included products" and nothing gets installed.

Perhaps instead of runnig setup.exe for the WD I should try installing it somehow through device manager and choosing "browse my pc" option?

Your reply would be much appreciated.

Many thanks