IR camera not showing after driver update. Cannot use HelloFace sign-in anymore

[emreengin]

I have been using face login since I bought my HP Envy x360 13.3 in 2023 without a problem.

But last week after updating the camera drivers by a 3rd party app, IR camera went missing.in the device manager and I cannot use HelloFace sign in. Only HP True Vision 5MB camera is shown and working. Tried to roll back driver and restore to a previous restore point did not work.

Facial Recognition Software Device is already installed. HelloFace settings displayes "This option. is currently unavailable. We could not find a camera compatible with Windows Hello Face" message. In the windows/system32/WinBioPlugIns folder, HelloFace folder is also missing.

I have tried to update camera drivers and uninstall/reinstall drivers. Reset the whole system and reinstalled windows and updated BIOS also to no avail.

My OS is Windows 11 24H2.

Help to get IR camera to use facial recognition woiuld be appreciated.

Best,

Emre

[Max3Aj]

@emreengin, Welcome to HP Support Community. 

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

Since your IR camera is missing from Device Manager and Windows Hello Face is unavailable even after a system reset, it's likely that the driver for the IR camera is missing or corrupted. Here’s how to try and restore it:

Check for Hidden Devices

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
2. Click View → Show hidden devices.
3. Expand Imaging Devices or Cameras and look for any grayed-out or unknown devices.
4. If you see the IR camera listed, right-click it → Enable.
5. If it’s still missing, proceed to the next step.

Manually Reinstall the IR Camera Driver

Since rolling back didn't work, try manually reinstalling the HP IR Camera Driver:

1. Go to HP’s official support page for your HP Envy x360 13-bf0000 model.
2. Look for Camera Drivers and download the Intel® RealSense or IR Camera Driver (if available).
3. Install the driver and restart your laptop.
4. If no IR driver is available, try the generic Intel AVStream Camera Driver from Intel’s website.

Force Windows to Detect the IR Camera

Manually add the device:

• Open Device Manager.
• Click Action → Add legacy hardware.
• Select Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced).
• Choose Imaging Devices or Cameras.
• If an IR Camera option appears, install it and restart.

Scan for hardware changes:

• Open Device Manager.
• Click Action → Scan for hardware changes.

Try Windows Update:

• Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates.
• Go to Optional Updates and look for Camera Driver updates.

Restore the HelloFace Plugin

If the HelloFace folder is missing, reinstalling Windows Biometric Framework may help:

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Run: dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
   sfc /scannow
    
3. Restart your PC.
4. Open Settings → Apps → Optional features.
5. Search for Windows Hello Face and reinstall it if missing.

Try a Different Driver Source

If the IR camera still doesn't appear:

1. Check HP Support Assistant:
   • Open HP Support Assistant and check for driver updates.
2. Install the driver via Windows Update Catalog:
   • Go to the Microsoft Update Catalog.
   • Search for Intel RealSense Camera Driver or HP IR Camera Driver.
   • Download and install a compatible driver.

Check BIOS and Security Settings

Some BIOS settings can disable the IR camera:

1. Enter BIOS (F10 on boot).
2. Look for Security or Device Configuration.
3. Ensure IR Camera is enabled.
4. Save and exit.

Final Step: HP Hardware Diagnostics

If nothing works, your IR camera might be disabled or malfunctioning:

1. Run HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (F2 on startup).
2. Perform a Camera test.
3. If the test fails, the IR camera might have a hardware issue.

Take care and have a good day. 

Please click “Accepted Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution. Click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping! 

Max3Aj

HP Support 

[emreengin]

Thank you for the detailed answer. I have tried the various options you have suggested. Unfortunately the windows hello sign-in with camera option is still not available. The camera serms to be working but somehow windows does not recognize it as a suitable for sign-in. But thanks anyway. I will probably reinstall windows.

[Max3Aj]

Thank you for your response, @emreengin. 

Since the camera itself is working but Windows does not recognize it for Hello Face, the issue likely comes down to missing IR functionality or the HelloFace components.

Before going for a full reinstall, try these two final checks:

1. Check if Windows Recognizes the Camera as an IR Device

1. Open Device Manager (Win + X → Device Manager).
2. Expand Cameras or Imaging Devices and find your camera.
3. Right-click it → Properties → Details tab.
4. From the Property dropdown, select Hardware IDs or Compatible IDs.
   • If it does not show an IR camera identifier (like usb\vid_8087&pid_0aa7), Windows is not detecting it as an IR device.
   • If that's the case, a Windows reinstall may not help—HP might need to release a proper driver.

2. Force Reinstall Windows Hello Face

Try force-installing Windows Hello Face drivers:

1. Open PowerShell (Admin) and run: Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object Name -like "*Hello.Face*"
   • If it shows NotPresent, then Hello Face is missing.
   • Reinstall it using: Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name "Hello.Face.biometric~~~~0.0.1.0"
2. Restart your laptop and check Sign-in options again.

I hope this helps!

If my response resolves your issue, please click “Accepted Solution” to help others find the answer. Also, don’t forget to click the “Kudos/Thumbs Up” button to say thanks!

Take care and have a great day.

Max3Aj

HP Support