Unable to find camera.

Question

Unable to find camera.

Anonymous

I recently just got my surface book. But, I can't use my camera because it says that it can't find my camera. How do I fix this issue? Below is what I see every time I launch the camera app on my laptop

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3 answers

Answer 1

Hi

We suggest the methods below:

- Run Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and check Windows Update.

Run the System File Checker.
Check privacy settings. Select the Start button, and then select Settings > Privacy > Camera. Then turn on Allow apps to access your camera.
Reset the Camera app. Go to search > search for apps & features > Locate and click the camera app > Choose advance option > reset
Refresh the Camera driver. Go to device manager > Locate the Camera driver > Right-click and choose uninstall > Restart the device to reinstall.

- Install the drivers package. Check the specific OS build of your Windows Settings> System> About. Download the driver and firmware for Surface, choose Surface Book and click download on the next page. Please choose the .msi file that matches your current OS Build and click Next. After the download, runand installthe .msi then Restart the Surface Device.

- Uninstalling and reinstalling the Camera app. Press Windows Key + R on your keyboard > Key in PowerShell and hit Enter > Right click on the PowerShell icon on the taskbar and select Run as Administrator > Now paste the following command in the Administrator: Windows PowerShell window and press Enter key:

get-appxpackage *Microsoft.WindowsCamera* | remove-appxpackage

Wait for PowerShell to execute and complete the command. > Reinstall the Camera app, go to Microsoft Store > Search Camera > Install then test.

Keep us updated by replying on this thread.

Answer 2

Anonymous

Hello!

Thank you for responding to my issue. Unfortunately, I was still unable to get my camera to work and turn on after following the list of methods you have provided. Is there anything else I could do?

Please and thank you!

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Answer 3

Thank you for confirming, OceanAlam. Please reimage the Windows System using USB recovery image. This process will wipe everything out on your device and install a fresh operating system. Please make sure that you have back up your files and data either in an External Hard drive or use your OneDrive app. You’ll need a USB (USB stick) with at least 16GB/32 GB and format it clean (make sure that you have chosen FAT32 as the file system while formatting the USB). You'll need a PC running Windows 10 or Surface Device to download the system files/recovery image on the Microsoft Website. Note: USB/Flash drives are the only required device for you to perform the follow steps below successfully.• Download the System Files or Recovery Image:1. Go to the Download a recovery image for your Surface.2. If you’re signed in with your Microsoft account, you will be prompt to choose the device from the list of devices on your Microsoft Account. If you’re not signed in, choose a product on the drop-down menu and provide the Serial Number of the device.3. Once the download is finished, go to the file, right-click and choose Extract all then choose the USB/Flash drive.

• Perform the USB recovery:

Shutdown the device by pressing/holding the power button for 10 seconds until it’s off.
Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port.
Press and hold the volume-down (-) rocker.
Press and release the power button.
When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down (-) rocker.
Choose your language options and keyboard layout.
Select Troubleshoot.
Select Recover from a Drive. Choose Remove Everything and Fully Clean the Drive. Recovering this PC. If prompted for BitLocker Key, tap Skip this Drive.
Select “Recovery”.