Modern laptops have built-in webcams. Now it is impossible to find a model that does not have a camera. But, like any other module, this one may also be faulty. Or users often just don’t know how to turn on a webcam on Windows 7. We will try to solve this problem once and for all.
How to turn on a webcam on Windows 7 in a laptop?
To begin with, the default webcam on a laptop works with preinstalled drivers. That is, when you buy a laptop in a store, then there is already Windows 7 (or another version) with drivers for the webcam. If you have reinstalled the OS or there was some kind of malfunction in the camera, then the drivers must be installed again. But we will talk about this later.
The easiest way to turn on a webcam on Windows 7 is to use Skype. Everyone has this program, and if not, then it's easy to download. In the "Skype" settings there is a section "Camera Settings". Already there, in the settings, you can turn on the camera and see your image. However, if you want to know how to turn on a webcam on Windows 7 without Skype, there are other ways.
Alternatively, you can do this on a dedicated website for testing webcams. Just go to webcammictest.com and click on the "Test Webcam" button. If everything is okay with her, then she will start, and you can see yourself in the image. In the event of a malfunction or any problem, the message "Webcam is not connected or malfunctioning" will be displayed.
Checking the camera on social networks
The same can be done on the social network Vkontakte or Facebook, for example. There you can create a profile photo using a webcam by clicking on the "Take a snapshot" button. After that, a small window "Adobe Flash Player Settings" will pop up and ask for permission to use the camera. You need to click "Allow" and "Close". After that, the camera is activated, and you can take a picture. It is worth noting that the camera can only work on websites if the Adobe Flash Player plugin is installed. If everything is not OK with the camera, for example, drivers are not installed, then you will see the inscription "Webcam is not detected."
You can also use special programs that enable and allow you to configure the camera: Active WebCam, RGS-AvaCam, Webcamoid, etc.
Status check
If the described methods, how to turn on the webcam on Windows 7, do not help, then you need to check its status. To do this, go to the device manager and check whether this module is present in the system at all. The easiest way to do this is to write on the command line: devmgmt.msc. This immediately opens the "Device Manager" window, and there we need to look for the camera in the list. It will be located in the drop-down list under the line "Image Processing Devices". Expand this list, and if there is a webcam there, it means that everything is in order with it. But there may be other situations:
- The webcam is not in the list of equipment at all. This is the worst of the options, which means that either the device is physically broken or hardware disabled.
- There is some unidentified device. It may be a camera (or something else) that the computer simply cannot recognize. In 90% of cases, this means that there is no software, that is, a driver.
- There is a camera, but it is marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. This means that the device is recognized and, in general, works, but there may be problems in operation. This is treated by removing the old driver and installing a new one.
Therefore, before you turn on the webcam on Windows 7, first check its status. If it suddenly turns out that the computer simply does not see it, then it will not work at all.
How to enable a webcam on Windows 7 on an HP or Asus laptop?
On laptops, there is special functionality for quickly starting the camera using the Fn buttons. In laptops, these buttons allow you to slightly expand the functionality. For example, you can make the sound quieter or louder, brightness higher or lower. You can also turn off the display and make the computer sleep. How to turn on a webcam on Windows 7 on an Asus or HP laptop in this way? Just press the Fn button and, without releasing it, click on the camera icon. Depending on the model, this icon can be located anywhere: at the top or bottom of the keyboard. It may not be at all. When clicked, the built-in application for the camera with different settings starts. On some laptops, the combination of these keys allows you to enable or disable the camera module itself. It all depends on the model.
But even if nothing happened in this case, then your case is difficult. At a minimum, you should try to install the driver.
Installing a driver for the camera
If you have tried all the methods described how to turn on the webcam on Windows 7, but it still didn’t work, it means that you need to install the driver.
The information sticker on your laptop indicates the model. Find this sticker and identify the model. This is important, because one or the other camera may be installed in your laptop depending on the model number.
Did you recognize the model? Now go to the website of the laptop manufacturer and click on the "Support" section. All manufacturers on their site allow users to download drivers. In the "Support" section, select "Download software" and indicate the model of your laptop there. This will display a complete list with drivers for all devices that are used specifically in your model. You are interested in a driver for a camera, which may be referred to as a Camera driver or otherwise. After downloading the driver (or camera application), install it, restart the computer and check again using one of the suggested methods.
If the problem really was the absence or incorrect operation of the driver, then reinstalling it should solve the problem. But if this did not help, then there remains the last option with a malfunction of the module itself. In this case, you will have to bring the computer to the workshop, because the hardware problem cannot be solved by the software method for sure.
Conclusion
Now you know how to turn on the webcam on Windows 7 in the computer, and what you need to do if this does not work. Unfortunately, in laptops, cameras often break down in hardware, not software. However, their replacement does not imply any difficulty.