How-To Geek

Hello everyone,

Am restarting a new thread on a problem previously posted. Reason is that that post got awfully long (and windy). Have summarized here the problem, and also all the repair steps that I have taken up to this point (incorporating everything that everyone (from the previous post) had suggested to me (that I was able to do) – thanks all, for your help).

I am using an HP dv7t notebook, running Windows Home Premium x64, pre-installed. Have been using this machine for 8 months now. The webcam is built-in, and there is no separate switch on the HP to turn the webcam on/off. Automatically when I open Skype or Cyberlink Youcam, the webcam will turn on.

In December, I tried to use Youcam, but webcam light would not come on. Youcam reported error as being ““No webcam detected. Try plugging in a webcam into your computer now. If you are using an integrated webcam, make sure it is turned on.” The previous time that I had used the webcam was back in September.

Also noticed about the same time, one month ago, that Sony Voice Editor program had also stopped working. The last time that I used the Sony program was about 1 week prior. Error message was from Windows “A problem caused the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available”.

Both of these had been working fine before, and also up-to-date, so I know it was not a matter of incompatibility with latest versions. Okay, attempted solutions and results:

1. Turned off machine and on again – same, neither Sony program nor webcam would work.

2. Uninstalled Sony, went to official Sony site, downloaded and reinstalled. Same result, same error code. On, off machine, uninstalled and reinstalled again 3 times more, same result.

3. Tried turning on the webcam through Skype. Skype error code ““Skype couldn’t find a webcam”. So, problem is not with Youcam (or Skype), but apparently with webcam.

4. Searched around on the web, and tried some other people’s “already solved” advice, such as going to websites that test webcams (using the “allow” button on the screen on the flash player). One of the sites tests not only webcam, but also records video (and audio combined). The result of all these site tests – audio is working, but no video.

5. Opened Windows in Safe Mode, tried to run Youcam. Error message “You do not have the compatible VGA hardware or driver to run Youcam”.

6. Went to “Device Manager” under “Control Panel”. Under “Sound, video and game controllers”, I see “Cyberlink WebCam Virtual Driver”. Double clicking, gives the properties box, which tells me “This device is working properly”.

7. But there is no imaging device listed in Device Manager at all, where there apparently should be one showing the webcam.

8. Went to Windows System Restore, and rolled back one month to when the Sony program was definitely working. Result: Sony still not working, same error message. Same with webcam.

9. Went to HP’s site, followed their troubleshooting steps for “Webcam not listed in Device Manager”. Result: still no change in webcam. (if interested, here is the link - http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfr.....69347#N748)

10. Went to Windows System Restore again, rolled back 3 months to beginning September, when the webcam definitely did work. Result: webcam still not working. Sony program also still not working. And also still no webcam listed in Device Manager.

11. Ran chkdsk C: /R in elevated cmd prompt. 2 times. Same, still not working.

12. Tried sfc /scannow. Still not working. Sfcdetails.txt gives offending string/violation as: Cannot repair member file [l:68{34}]"System.Workflow.ComponentModel.dll" of System.Workflow.ComponentModel, Version = 6.1.7601.17514, pA = PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE_MSIL (8), Culture neutral, VersionScope = 1 nonSxS, PublicKeyToken = {l:8 b:31bf3856ad364e35}, Type neutral, TypeName neutral, PublicKey neutral in the store, hash mismatch

13. Ran “Repair my computer” in start-up repair from Windows 7 repair disc. 4 times. Same result each time. “Windows cannot automatically repair this computer”. 7 problem signatures identified. Please see the pictures for the error details given by Windows (https://picasaweb.google.com/113885333002207260610/January182013?authkey=Gv1sRgCM7xpKGpubTSRg)

14. Also, to note, I have Avast and Malwarebytes. They are updated and run at least once per week, oftentimes more. I have also scanned the computer with Norton and Kaspersky. Result: nothing found.

15. Please also note that HP provides no way to download a “missing” webcam driver for Windows7. They have one available for Vista, but it doesn’t work on my computer. HP’s final suggested method of repair/troubleshooting, is “If problems persist, the webcam may have become unplugged internally and requires service”.

Okay, options. From what I can glean, I have 3 remaining, in more or less this order:
A1. System Image restore/recovery back to September.
A2. Clean install.
or, forget A, and just ...
B. Send to HP, if it is a mechanical fault.

Questions:
1. Does anyone know what might have caused these problems?

2. Is it a case of webcam driver corrupt/damage (or how does it go “missing”)? If it is a case of driver corrupt, would System Restore (to 3 months back) naturally/automatically return it to a state of uncorruptedness (since it was working 3 months ago)? I ask this because, if that is normally/definitely the case, given that the driver is still missing (from Device Manager) even after System Restore, it must mean that the failure is mechanical/physical. Which would mean that I should be looking at sending to HP to internally replug the webcam, as opposed to System Image restore or clean install.

3. But, if it is not the case that System Restore can return the driver to a state of uncorruptedness (as of 3 months ago), would doing a System Image recovery, definitively make any difference? If the first method cannot “uncorrupt”/recover the driver, can the other?

4. Are there any other options/solutions that anyone knows of which would definitely make a difference here? (for instance, I do not know how to follow up on the sfc scannow repair to extract a good copy of the problem file.)

Thanks everyone for taking a look, and a hard think on this problem. any help is greatly appreciated.

hi warlock, thanks for post.
can i check with you:
is it that if a webcam driver is simply corrupt/damaged, as opposed to "internally unplugged", then a system restore back 3 months (to when webcam was last working) is supposed to return the driver back to an uncorrupted (and working) state?

i did contact hp, but (my personal opinion is that) they are useless.

i have 2 questions for you, if you will, (to aid my understanding):

1. why do you say that drivers are to be ruled out? (if the webcam does not show up in the device manager listings - does this refer to the webcam DRIVER not showing up, or is it some other thing/part of the webcam that is in the device manager listing?)

2. if drivers are one to be ruled out of the equation, what in your opinion are the other possibilities (besides the "may have become unplugged")?

If there is no imaging device in Device Manager then your camera is turned off, there should be a key combination on your keyboard to allow the camera to switch on i.e. Fn and F11.

warlock,
please excuse, my computer knowledge is not very good. here is (part of) my thinking process for troubleshooting/identification:

it cannot be youcam program which is the problem, because device manager shows that there is no problem with the youcam driver (see pic). additionally, skype video also is not working/cannot detect a webcam. so this indicates that the problem is not with the software/programs. this must be something related to the webcam itself.

i had thought that there is a webcam driver that is separate from/than the youcam software driver - is this not the case? (sorry, good with many things, but not computers.)

are the drivers related to the webcam only from the software such as found in youcam? or is it that the webcam driver is supplied by youcam in the case of this hp, because the youcam came oem? in which case, if the device manager shows that the youcam driver is working fine, (which then means that the webcam driver is working fine, because the webcam driver IS the youcam driver,) then the problem must be with the physical parts or connection of the webcam?

thanks so much for the search into the manual, and the narrowing all the way down to page numbers. it is really really appreciated. i am not sure how confident i am in carrying that operation out though. would you say this is something any general person with a pair of hands and two feet is capable of doing on their own (without potentially destroying the screen)? or something better left to skilled professionals, and computer wizards like yourselves?

i can try hp again, on either keyboard combo or some hidden bios key. two times i have tried hp, both times they gave me wrong answers. the first time i found out because i googled after speaking to them, because they were unable to solve the problem. the second time, on my own experimentation after speaking to them, i found likewise, that they had given me incorrect info - what they had told me was not possible, was in fact possible.
so it is actually very possible here that they are wrong for a third time. i.e., that there may well be a keyboard combination, just that the person i was in contact with was not aware of.

warlock, i understand this what you are saying about suggestions. but i don't really see where or what it is i am saying that gives you the impression that i am looking for a magic wand. i am trying to understand the problem, so that i can isolate it and fix it. i think if you read the comprehensive list of things that i have already done, you will note that i have been very persistent, and have done everything that has been suggested to me already, in addition to searching around on the web, trying to look for answers so that i am not just dependent on either yourself or anyone else here (i.e., not wasting your time without stupid questions). nowhere, have i been sitting on my rear, expecting people to do things for me.

it is difficult to communicate fully in posts, and i do not mean, if i sound rude or ungrateful, to be so at all. my asking about the hands on repair is a question of what kind of difficulty level job is this? is this something in your opinion that a beginner can do - that was the sole object of my question there (albeit i was trying to do it with an attempt at humour). the rest of the questions, like i said, trying to understand what are the components of the problem, isolate it at its core, and thus be able to fix it. but no one really seems to be answering my questions. i do not know if it is because the answers are too convoluted or the problem too complicated, or maybe my questions are too elementary, and not worth answering.
for example, if i take it to the repair shop for physical repair, this still does not solve the problem of the sony program not working no?
lots more questions, but like i said, doesn't seem to be worth asking.

i do not mean to be rude, not at all. seriously, i have a lot of respect for you guys, and that you are actually posting answers and suggestions to a simple beginner like me at all. but maybe you are right. don't seem to be making much headway here, so off to the repair shop, i guess.