As the months go by, in the PC that we use every day we install more and more components or peripherals. We refer to an additional screen, a microphone, a printer, or a webcam.
These make the functionality of the equipment increase, with the benefits that this brings us. But we cannot forget that these do not always work as well as we would like, hence the incompatibility errors that we encounter from time to time. To all this we must add that Windows 10 , installed on most computers, is a system that does not stop growing and evolving.
This is something that is achieved thanks to the almost constant updates that Microsoft itself sends. But of course, as surely many of you already know, these do not always work well, or are installed in the correct way. This causes devices that used to work without problems to stop working, for example.
It is for all these reasons that in these same lines we are going to focus on an element whose use in recent years has not stopped growing. Specifically we refer to the webcam, a product that today we use on the PC for both professional, personal and leisure- related tasks. There are many types, prices and qualities, everything will depend on the use that we are going to give it at a certain time. Similarly, laptops often implement their own already input.
Common problems with the webcam
But as we mentioned before, as it happens with the other peripherals , this may not work well. It is for all these reasons that we will now talk about some of the most common failures that we can find in this regard.
Webcam error with Windows codecs
For some time now, some users have been complaining that their camera suddenly stops working. This is something that occurs, for example, after installing a new version of Windows. Well, specifically this problem is caused by an error when implementing the use of H.264 and MJPEG codecs. This is what is used in Windows to process the images on this device. Thus, after installing the aforementioned system update, some applications are no longer able to correctly use the images captured by the camera.
With everything and with it, we are going to give you a solution for the assumption that you come across this problem that we are talking about. For this we are going to use the registry of the operating system and it works for both webcams connected by USB , as well as those connected in a local network. At this point, we just have to type the command regedit in the search box to access the registry.
Once in the new window that appears, the first thing to do is go to the following registry path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows Media Foundation / Platform. Here we right-click in the right pane and create a new 32-bit DWORD value that we call EnableFrameServerMode and assign the value 0.
Then, once this is done, we must also navigate in the Windows registry to the path HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / WOW6432Node / Microsoft / Windows Media Foundation / Platform. Here again we re-create a new 32-bit DWORD value with the same name as before, i.e. EnableFrameServerMode, and we will also assign the value 0. These two steps should already solve the problem with the codecs when using the webcam.
Skype webcam problems
The application for videoconferencing from Microsoft itself, Skype , is one of the most common platforms in the use of this specific component. As many of you have possibly seen first hand on countless occasions, this program is very useful for communicating with others. This is something that we achieve through the Internet and we can do it by videoconference , phone call, or a simple chat.
Of course, for everything related to videoconferencing, first of all we need the webcam to be selected in the program as such. Therefore, to select this specific product in Skype, it is a simple task, let’s see how to achieve it. The first thing we do is start the application in a conventional way, and we access its configuration through the button located at the top.
Once in the new window that appears, on the left side we find several sections to configure Skype. Well, the one that interests us here is the so-called Audio and video. It is here where we can already choose both the webcam and the audio system that we are going to use in this program to communicate with others.
Update webcam drivers
On the other hand, as is usually the case in other components that are part of the PC , their drivers must be correctly updated. Otherwise, this can lead to a malfunction, which also reaches the webcam that we are talking about here.
Therefore, to solve this, at first we only have to access the Windows Device Manager . This is found by just clicking the right mouse button on the Start menu to select the corresponding entry.
Then we just have to look for the section corresponding to the webcam, and right-click on it. In the contextual menu that appears we can already select the option Update driver and select the source of the same.
Computer antivirus problems
Changing third, it can also be the case that the webcam that we have installed on the computer, stops working or does not start. This may be because it is blocked by the antivirus software that we have installed. That is why another recommended step if we have problems with this device, is to check that the antivirus is not blocking its use.
Similarly, another possible solution is the same sense, is to completely disable the aforementioned antivirus, at least temporarily, to see if the camera works again.
Check that the webcam is enabled in Windows
Of course, for the peripheral to work correctly in Windows, we must also make sure that it is active in the operating system. This is something that we can check first hand in the System Settings application. We access it through the Win + I key combination, and then go to Privacy.
Once here, we can already verify that the webcam is enabled in Windows, as well as the applications that are going to be able to use it. This is something that we can customize based on the preferences of each one.