i just want my laptop camera back

[lobocam]

i just want my camera back

[BeemerBiker]

I assume a windows update caused the problem with the camera.

Did you try rolling back the camera driver?

It could be the camera driver or the USB driver if the camera is connected to the USB. Many internal cameras are connected to the USB.

In the picture below you would select the camera driver and then look for 'rollback'

If you cannot rollback the driver then try to find the best one or let windows try. One way is to just uninstall the camera and reboot as described in this official HP document..

Please provide the Product ID or Model name for better assistance. Preferably the full product ID including the characters after the # symbol.

[lobocam]

no i was a fool. i deleted the camera because the monitor showed no picture. i was hoping i could delete then reinstall, but i was never able to reinstall

[BeemerBiker]

Bring up the device manager and scan for hardware changes.  See if you camera shows up.

Look also for errors that are red or yellow.  If they are by the camera then the driver can not be found.  I need your product ID to look for a driver.

Try showing hidden devices.

Does the camera show up? 

Look several other places for the camera such as shown in the two pictures below

If the problem is the wrong USB driver for the camera

[lobocam]

tried that to clicked on hidden devices nothing showed up. i have to accept i was foolish and my camera is gone forever.

[BeemerBiker]

1 - enter "camera" in the windows search box. An error message may appear. If so, click "Get Help". If there is no "Get Help" then read this article.

2 - Look at the keyboard function keys for a camera icon such as

if you see anything like that the press it and see if the camera starts working. It could also be a physical device such as a switch or a cover that closes over the lens. Some AIOs have an On Screen Display and that might have camera control for on/off. I do not have your particular system so am guessing.


3 - Try a repair of windows system files. From the administrator command command prompt enter as explained below

sfc /scannow

If it is critically important to use the camera then you might be able to do a factory restore of your system

Go to the below site and enter your product ID including the 3 characters after the # character
If you have cloud recovery you can restore your system using a 32gb flash.
It may take an hour or more to create the recovery USB.
https://d34z73bbtpzgej.cloudfront.net/

Click here for instructions.

if cloud restore is not supported you might have what is called client restore