IR camera (Windows Hello) fails each time Windows updates

[SnoWFLakE0s]

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/HP-IR-Camera-constantly-failin...

Same issue as ever. Reinstalling Windows fixes the issue, but each time the OS updates the IR camera gets bricked again. This is insane. The only solution that has worked is reinstalling.

[Meghana_10]

Hello @SnoWFLakE0s, Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

Thanks for reaching out about your query regarding the HP Laptop.

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and are glad we could help work toward a resolution. We hope our support has been valuable.

To help us get started on resolving your issue, could you please try a few troubleshooting steps provided below so that I can assist you further?

Since reinstalling Windows brings the camera back to life only temporarily, it suggests the issue is more likely tied to the camera driver being overwritten or altered by Windows Update rather than a physical hardware fault.

Let's walk through a few steps to help restore a stable connection:

1. Open Device Manager and expand the Cameras section.
2. Locate the IR Camera, right-click it, and select Properties.
3. Click the Driver tab.
   • If the Roll Back Driver button is available, select it. Once the rollback is complete, restart your computer and check whether the camera responds normally.
   • If Roll Back Driver is unavailable, right-click the IR Camera and choose Uninstall device. If prompted, check Delete the driver software for this device, then click Uninstall.
4. Restart the computer. As Windows starts up, it should automatically detect the camera and reinstall the driver.

After the camera is functioning again, navigate to Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates and install any available HP-specific camera drivers. These drivers are often better tuned to your device than the generic versions supplied through standard Windows updates.

If the problem resurfaces, please share your HP notebook model and the current BIOS version installed on the system. With that information, we can check whether a newer BIOS or updated camera driver is available that may prevent the issue from returning and help keep the camera working reliably.

Take care and have an amazing day!