HP laptop webcam stopped working, and driver problems

One day my integrated webcam worked, the next day it didn't and hasn't since.
Under device manager, I had no "Imaging devices" listing, and no cam under "Sound, video and game controllers". Then under View, I checked show hidden devices and Imaging devices appeared, with my cam in it. But the cam still wouldn't work.

As suggested by online guides, I tried clicking roll back driver, but after asking if I really want to, and clicking yes, it wouldn't do anything.
Then also as suggested, I removed the device (and driver) from device manager, and rebooted, but Windows didn't reinstall the cam and now it's gone. I clicked action>scan for hardware changes, but it didn't work.

Settings > Privacy > Camera > "Let apps use my camera" is checked.
I have no camera app under Settings > Apps > Apps & features > Camera. I don't think that's required though is it? I think that's one of the many default apps Windows installs that either I or my work tech support removed, as they did remove several of them through pushed updates not long after we got these laptops.


I downloaded HP Universal Camera Driver for my laptop model from:
Access Denied
The driver unpacks to C:\SWSetup, which leaves a bunch of folders and subfolders and no instructions (unlike what the driver website says, which is follow the onscreen instructions). I went to C:\SWSetup\SP85691\Realtek and ran setup.exe, which seemed to install it, and I rebooted. But I still don't have the cam in devmgr.

FYI, other choices the downloaded file unpacked were:
under C:\SWSetup
SP77379
SP77379_H
SP85691 (this is also the name of the original file I downloaded, so not sure why the other two folders are there)

under C:\SWSetup\SP85691
Realtek (in device manager, my driver page said Realtek)
Sonix
Sunplus


Not sure if it's related but the internal mic also stopped working a few months ago, and I've been using a USB headset mic instead. I haven't tried installing new drivers.

HP has been horrible about updating their camera drivers. I have a laptop for which newer drivers have existed for about a year and half but HP has never posted them on their web site. I had to manually find the drivers from the Microsoft Update Catalog.

First, have you checked your BIOS settings? I believe that some systems now include the ability to disable the camera and microphone in the BIOS for security purposes. If there is any such setting, make sure to enable it.

If that yields nothing, could you please post the full model number of your Laptop? I want to see what the HP description of the camera in your laptop is and see if I can then correlate that to updated drivers found elsewhere.

NOTE: The laptop model name should be one that will yield a valid search from this location:

Access Denied

I have not looked in the BIOS yet. I'm in the middle of development work on it so I can't shut it down right now.

The laptop is a ProBook 650 G2. The link I gave above goes directly to the drivers page for that model (and you'll see the model # there).

I downloaded the BIOS user's guide and sure enough, there are options to enable or disable both the camera and the microphone. I would start there.

hsehestedt said:

I downloaded the BIOS user's guide and sure enough, there are options to enable or disable both the camera and the microphone. I would start there.

Thanks. I looked in the BIOS but can only find an option for the microphone, which was enabled. Nothing for camera.

Sorry, wish I could help further. The BIOS user guide indicated that the ON / OFF setting for the BIOS was in Advanced Menu / Built-in Device Options Menu / Integrated Camera.

On my HP for some reason the driver is always downloaded from microsoft by windows update!
You should try to get the MS one I guess.

Look at the attached images:


This is how you see it in device manager.


Maybe you should try to update the driver manually or even choose :
Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer and see if
you can find it.

hsehestedt said:

Sorry, wish I could help further. The BIOS user guide indicated that the ON / OFF setting for the BIOS was in Advanced Menu / Built-in Device Options Menu / Integrated Camera.

That's where I found the mic setting. I found a thread for a different HP laptop where the person was saying HP was wrong for stating in the docs that that setting is in the BIOS.

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rezpower said:

On my HP for some reason the driver is always downloaded from microsoft by windows update!
You should try to get the MS one I guess.

This is how you see it in device manager.

Maybe you should try to update the driver manually or even choose :
Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer and see if
you can find it.

Thank you but as I said in the OP, it's not in device manager, so I can't update the drivers. I'm thinking it's hardware failure.