Webcam not working

[Shreckengost]

Product name: HP Pavillion dv6 Notebook
Product number: A1U56AV

Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit

Pre-installed software: Based around Cyberlink YouCam

So basically here's the situation: One day I attempted to use a video chat program (VSee in this case but I've also tried Skype and OovoO). The picture would only bring up the "Youcam, please start your webcam" picture. I checked the camera sources and I only had two options, Cyberlink Webcam Splitter and VDP source. VDP gave nothing as expected. I attempted to uninstall and reinstall the software and driver. Restarted the computer. Same result as before. I checked my device manager and there is no "imaging devices" and i tried scanning for hardware changes, still no cigar. I then ran a microsoft fix me program and it yielded no problems/fixes. I've ran through every forum solution and answer I have found on the information super highway and non have yielded any form of result. If my webcam has literally stopped working and it is a hardware issue I would be thrilled because it would at least make sense why it isnt working, but if its a software issue and someone here has a fix i would love to try it.
If you need any further information just ask and I will provide to the best of my ability. Thank you.

[UniProg]

Hello Shreckengost,

Please take a look at this document, and let me know if restoring your software and drivers helps resolve the issue.

Good luck!

[Shreckengost]

that link directs me to some excuse of an album on youtube.

[Shreckengost · Accepted solution]

Solution:
After troubleshooting for about an hour i figured out the problem, well it was one of two things

so i couldnt see "imaging devices" under the device manager, so my computer didnt recognize that there was in fact a webcam, so i took to the internet to find a service manual for my laptop.
I specifically came across two articles, and while I followed my own path, they were somewhat helpful.

See there is an inherent flaw to the hp laptop webcams, sometimes your computer just forgets its there. It sounds stupid but if you laptop is two days old or two years old, it just happens. Fortunately I have found how to fix this issue.

Note: Step 1 will require you to slightly open up your laptop so just bare with me. If you dont feel comfortable doing it then skip to step 2. Also my directions are a little shotty so if you can follow along, great, if not, just attempt step 2 or look for another how to guide.

Step 1: The webcam is located in the top center of the screen, at least in most cases. Surrounding the screen is a thin bevel. Now I did this step while my laptop was powered off, battery and ac adapter out. Youre going to need to gently pull the bevel away from the screen. Dont worry if it seems like you broke it, there are actually about a dozen tiny latches that let it lock back in place. With the bevel pulled away you can see the webcam itself and in my laptops case, a white wire, running from a small circuit board down to the motherboard. On the end of the wire that is visible to you, there is a tiny white connector, with all of the wires inside the white wire running into it. and that connector is supposed to be firmly latched into the recieving connector (in my case the white wire connector was supposed to be pushed upward into the reciever), now im not sure if that was the problem, but i gently unplugged, then plugged it back in. gently close the bevel after completing this step.

Step 2: Now I am unsure if step 1 actually fixed it or if this step did the trick, either way step two is a hard reset.
Make sure laptop is powered down, unplugged from ac power source. Remove the battery. Hold the power button on the laptop for at least 30 seconds. Just trust me on that. Replace the ac power source only, not the battery. Power on your laptop and login. Check the device manager to see if imaging devices is found, if so power down your laptop and replace your battery, you are done and webcam should work (providing you have the correct drivers and software to run it). If it didn't work, and you skipped step 1, consider trying it. If you did both steps and it still didnt work, well my friend i have no clue what to tell ya

hope this helps someone, anyone. I didnt feel like sending my laptop in just for a webcam issue. happy troubleshooting.

[Shreckengost]

This is a picture of how mine was set up. hopefully it makes sense with the description i wrote. Just unplug and replug the connector.