Elonex WBB209 - webcam not working

[jifjaf]

Elonex WBB209 notebook
Win 7 Starter SP1
No built in optical drive

The built in webcam is not working. It’s not listed in system information, device manager (though there is a USB webcam listed), or the BIOS, & there are no problem devices listed in any of them. Everything else seems to be working fine. It’s almost as if the webcam doesn’t exist. I don’t know anything about the machine's history & don’t have any discs.

Shouldn't it still appear in device manager & system information even if it’s a hardware fault i.e. the webcam’s dead? Any ideas on how I can check whether it’s a hardware fault without actually dismantling the machine?

Rolled it back to the earliest restore point available, & then updated all drivers (using Driver Genius Pro - it didn’t list webcam drivers as needed), but no success.

Phoned the Elonex “support” line & they said to just download any webcam driver & it should work. I've tried various drivers but they don’t seem to help.

I'm thinking that if it’s a software issue maybe I should use the recovery partition to wipe & restore C: to its original state. I can see the recovery partition in command line &/or in comp management>storage>disk management, but I'm not sure how to actually use it.

Elonex support said it wouldn't be possible to use the recovery partition as there's no inbuilt optical drive....can that be right if the recovery partition's on the hard drive?

I know I need to change its status from hidden to active & then either run it from the HDD (not sure how) or I should create a recovery CD from it & use that instead - which is better?

TIA

 

[WR2]

It’s not listed in system information, device manager (though there is a USB webcam listed), or the BIOS, & there are no problem devices listed in any of them.

Do you have a USB webcam connected?
If not that USB webcam listed in device manager is your webcam.

How did you test to see if the webcam was working?

 

[jifjaf]

Do you have a USB webcam connected?
If not that USB webcam listed in device manager is your webcam.

How did you test to see if the webcam was working?

I don't have a USB webcam attached, but a previous owner did, so I think that's what that refers to. Why would an inbuilt webcam be listed as a USB webcam (in device manager, system info, & control panel>devices & printers)?

Maybe it is working, but I can't find any way to turn it on. The manual says to press Fn + F6 but that dims the screen instead. My reasoning, in considering using the recovery partition, was to reset everything back to manufacturers settings in case the cam had been disabled somehow.

Control panel>device manager>imaging devices>USB camera>properties>device status (general tab) - "no drivers installed for this device" but if i try to update the driver it tells me that the best/most up to date drivers are already installed. I don't know what's going on there.

 

[jifjaf]

Problem resolved, sort of:

OK, I've found out that an inbuilt webcam can show up as USB in device manager etc because it has an internal USB cable connection.

I've been told by someone with years of experience, that the fact that the cam's recognised by the computer, but not working, despite uninstallation/reinstallation, update of drivers, etc possibly means there’s a fried chip somewhere.

Anyway, the person that asked me to look at it has it on loan so doesn’t want it opened up etc, so that’s it.

Thanks for all the help & great suggestions everyone!