Aspire VN7-571G (U3E1) Webcam suddenly stopped working

safesite
safesite Member Posts: 7

Tinkerer
edited October 2023 in 2020 Archives
I have got an Acer Aspire V Nitro or to be exact - Aspire VN7-571G (U3E1) - running Windows 10 Home preinstalled which I bought in 2016 and which ran just fine until recently when the integrated laptop webcam stopped working all of a sudden. The webcam had been working fine for most of the laptop's lifetime with one other exception which happened about half a year ago.

Then, just like now, the webcam issue appeared right after a Skype update (desktop version). Back then I was able to fix the issue (don't remember how though) but this time however, I have ran into a dead end and am at my wit's end, which is why I am turning to this forum in search for help and advice.

When accessing the device manager in Windows 10 the webcam is listed only after selecting "Hidden devices" in the menu and aside from that - when opening the view for "Cameras" - is listed in a greyed out manner with the name/label - "HD WebCam". If I select "update driver" from this item, no new drivers are to be found. Instead, a message says that the "latest and best suited drivers are already installed". I have tried to find drivers for this webcam which I assume is a very generic type of webcam as is found in hundreds of thousands of laptops around the world and which I believe, ought to be functioning on a Windows USB driver or similar.

I have already googled and tried a multitude of solutions including amongst others removing the webcam from the device manager completely (which turned out to be the wrong decision) as well as going back to a Windows restore point to before the webcam stopped functioning but the result is the same as described last paragraph. The camera shows under "hidden devices" in the device manager but is greyed out as "HD WebCam" and doesn't work.

When I used the Windows 10 camera app it reports that it cannot find the camera and asks if the antivirus/firewall etc is blocking the camera (which is not the case, tried that as well) and if the camera drivers are updated. Since this laptop hasn't received any driver updates for years the latter would be a resounding no as well. The app then lists an error code message which is as follows: 0xA00F4244<NoCamerasAreAttached>.

I have tried to google the error message as well and solutions in general but to no avail. Some of the links which includes one user post from around 2017 from this very forum, having the exact same issue, are as follows...

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/491716/hd-web-cam-does-not-work-in-windows-10-pro?breakffcache=ea38a

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/built-in-webcam-not-working-code-45-on-new-acer/e725b1c1-0271-429c-b80a-12aa47f296aa

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/no-camera-driver-found-on-my-acer-aspire-v-15/cce58694-b666-4d1f-a3cc-52c174855be8

https://windowsreport.com/skype-camera-not-working-windows-10/

https://rizonjet.com/fix-0xa00f4244-nocamerasareattached/


Furthermore..., in some of those links, someone mentions the same issues with Skype updates and that the camera hereafter stops working. I am having a similar suspicion but that would make it an issue between Acer and Microsoft and for them to work out a functioning driver update. However, this is just my best guess and it could be anything else. Clearly though it is a driver issue and compatibility problems.

I'd be happy if someone could pitch in with some input or a possible solution to the problem on how to make the webcam work again.

Thanks in advance for any help, no matter big or small.

PS: I also tried to download the following driver for another Acer model and its webcam...

https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/SCANNER-Digital-CAMERA-WEBCAM/OTHER-SCANNERS/Acer-Aspire-VN7-791G-Intel-Camera-Driver-153329916-for-Windows-10-64-bit.shtml

...but unfortunately, this driver reported that it was incompatible (as expected) with my Acer laptop model.

Answers

  • LBSPilot
    LBSPilot Member Posts: 1 New User
    I have the same problem.  I've tried everything above and still, does not appear to help.  While on the ACER site, I got a brief message (popup) about the camera  issues they were having; but, I did not have the Serial number at the time to try what they wanted.  I have not seen the message since.
  • safesite
    safesite Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    edited July 2020
    LBSPilot said:
    I have the same problem.  I've tried everything above and still, does not appear to help.  While on the ACER site, I got a brief message (popup) about the camera  issues they were having; but, I did not have the Serial number at the time to try what they wanted.  I have not seen the message since.
    First of all thanks for your reply and the info LBSPilot.

    Secondly..., wait..., what??

    Acer has acknowledged a problem that they have with the webcam in their laptops of this series through a popup that they displayed to you once with a valid solution and that you haven't been presented for ever since??

    How long ago since you saw that popup and message? And what did they suggest was the solution to fix the issue? Have you tried to contact Acer's support about this afterwards? How long has your camera stopped working for? And do you remember the reason for it to stop working?

    I'd greatly appreciate and am curious to hear more about this.

    Maybe, we could pool our requests and ask them for this information together.

    Looking forward to your reply.
  • safesite
    safesite Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    edited August 2020
    Thanks to the kind help and feedback by LBSPilot, I finally found a solution to my above issue which came originally from and was posted by Carlos000 in this thread.

    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/598941/camera-not-working

    Big shout out and a huge thanks to Carlos000 for finding and posting all the information on this solution including screenshots etc. :)<3
  • rcasWid
    rcasWid Member Posts: 2 New User
    Thanks to other (unsucessful) contributors. My Laptop 2017 model, Acer Aspire 17 Nitro - VN7-791G-52YN.
    Sudden disappearance just last Wed 7th Oct 20 after usiing it OK on Zoom meetings several times recently.
    Please Acer do something - it's in your court - orMicrosoft between you
    "Unable to detect a Camera"...

  • rcasWid
    rcasWid Member Posts: 2 New User
    Done a System Restore (AOMEI BACKUPPER) from a back-up dated 27July this year. For one brief moment the Camera was visible and worked.
    Then reverted to "unable to detect a camera"!!!
    Definitely a Acer or Windows conflict.
    Please when will Acer and MSoft wake up to responsibilities?
  • NDE
    NDE Member Posts: 1 New User
    edited October 2020
    Just found the solution: i followed first what is proposed in this post:

    • Access devices and printers from the control panel
    • Double click on your laptop from the devices listed, or right click and access the properties
    • Click on the hardware tab on your devices' properties dialogue box
    • Scroll down to the end of the list, any device not working will be at the bottom of that list
    • Highlight the device that's not working and click on properties
    • In the properties dialog box you then enable the device
    actually, you have to click on Change settings before being able to enable the device.
    and indeed at the bottom of the list, there is the PCI host controller to USB (not sure about the english name, I did a personal french => english translation). Since I read somewhere else that the embedded webcam are USB one, I thought it was it was not a problem of webcam but rather a problem of usb connection after a weird windows update...
    And finally it worked on my ACER VN7-571G-53G4.

    So as discussed here:

    I hope it will help someone else



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