Surface Pro 7 Front Camera Not Working

Hello TASagent,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Community. Please follow all the instructions below and test your Camera.

Step 1:

Open Settings > Apps > Camera App > Advance Options > Click each buttons “Terminate, Repair then Reset.”

Step 2:

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Expand Human Interface Devices.
3. Right-click on "Surface Camera Front" and select Uninstall. (Note: If prompted with a checkbox stating "Delete the driver software for this device", check it then hit Uninstall. This is to remove the driver completely. Do not restart the Surface yet if prompted.)

Go to Download drivers and firmware for Surface and download the .msi file.

• If there's not an .msi file that corresponds to the build of Windows 10 you have installed, select the .msi file that's closest to your build number.

• To find out which version and build of Windows you're using, select Start > Settings  > System  > About , then look under Windows Specifications to find your operating system version and OS build number.

5. Restart the Surface Twice to apply the changes.

Hope that helps. Please keep us posted.

Regards,                                                                                                                 

KarenJune_F

Unfortunately, the problem persists.

A couple notes that I don't think affect the outcome:

There was no Repair button in the Camera app's advanced options, just Terminate and Reset, so obviously I tried doing that instead.

The Surface camera was classified under System Devices, but obviously that group was already expanded because of the malfunctioning state.

After following the instructions, the Surface Camera Front is still Code 10'd.

Hi, thank you for getting back to us. We suggest a Fresh Start. However, it removes third-party antivirus software and all apps that don't come standard with Windows. You can do this without losing your personal files.

Fresh Start:

• (Optional) Back up your files. We recommend this precaution, even though Fresh start keeps your data intact.
• In the search box on the taskbar, type Windows Security, and then select Windows Security in the list of results.
• Select Device performance & health.
• Under Fresh start, select Additional info, and then select Get Started to start the process.

If issue persist, we highly recommend that you Reset the device using a USB Recovery Image. This option reimages the entire device, including the partition on the hard drive. It is the most complete form of reset and you need to back up your personal data. You must have 16GB/32GB of Flash Drive and it must be formatted into FAT32 prior to downloading the Recovery Image. I am providing you the instructions on how to create a USB recovery drive for your Surface. 

How to Download, Create and Use a USB recovery drive

To download the Recovery Image:

• You'll need a PC running Windows 7 or later.

1. Visit the page at http://www.surface.com/support/warranty-service-and-recovery/downloadablerecoveryimage
2. Sign in with your Microsoft Account (this is the email address we asked you for at the start of the call)
3. From the list of Surface devices available, select the device that you need a recovery image for

Please note that while you will only be presented with devices that are currently registered on your account, you will also be presented with the option to get an image for a different type of device. If you try to use this option, you will be prompted to enter the serial number for that device 4. Download the recovery image using the button on the page 5. When the download bar pops up at the bottom of your screen, save the file in a location you will be able to find it.

 Format USB Drive:

• Note: Formatting a recovery drive will erase anything that is already stored on your USB drive. Make sure to transfer any important data from your USB drive to another storage device before using it to create a Surface USB recovery drive.

1. Insert your USB drive into the USB port of your PC.
2. From the desktop, open File Explorer
3. Tap and hold or right-click on the USB drive and choose Format
4. Select FAT32 as the file system and enter a Volume label to name the USB drive, such as RECOVERY, and then tap or click Start
5. Tap or click OK to erase the contents of the USB drive
6. Tap or click OK when the format is complete

Create a recovery drive:

1. On your Surface or PC, open recovery image that you downloaded by double-clicking it or right click then select Extract and then Extract all.
2. Select the USB drive you formatted earlier for the location and click Extract.

Use a USB recovery drive to reset your Surface (Cannot load Windows):

1. Turn the Surface off by pressing the power button
2. Insert the USB recovery drive into the USB port
3. Press and hold the volume-down (-) rocker
4. Press and release the power button
5. When the Surface logo appears, release the volume-down (-) rocker
6. Surface will start the recovery software on the USB recovery drive
7. When prompted, choose your language options and keyboard layout
8. Select Troubleshoot
9. Select Recover from a Drive. Choose Remove Everything and Fully Clean the Drive. Recovering this PC.
10. If prompted, select Repartition the drives
11. If prompted for BitLocker Key, tap Skip this Drive

Please keep us posted.

Regards,                                                                                                                 

KarenJune_F

Hey KarenJune,

Unfortunately, neither the Fresh Start nor the total wipe and reinstall fixed the issue.

The front-facing camera neither worked on initial boot after each of these processes, nor after installing all available windows updates.

same here, done all this twice already and still the camera won't work, very disappointing.