Webcam on my laptop (model # VPCCA28EC/R) no longer works since upgrading to Windows 8 Pro

[Burlo24]

Hi guys! I need some help getting my webcam to work again on my laptop. Since I upgraded to Windows 8 Pro, it's stopped working and the drivers were preinstalled with windows 7. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[rich912]

Hi joshburlo,

This would not seem to be a European model. Have you checked the support site from the country of origin for a camera firmware update?

If it is a European model then check the underside of the notebook for a white sticker stating Product Number.

Rich

[Burlo24]

Hi Rich,

Thank you for your reply! You're right, it's not a European model - I bought the laptop in China. I've checked the China support site and tried running an update from there which correlated to my laptop's model number, however it was unsuccessful - when I tried to run it an error message just came up (I'm not entirely sure what the update was for though, as it was difficult to maneuver round the site which was being translated from Chinese to English).

The webcam is a USB2.0 Camera and I've tried running various other programs (such as Driver Manager) which after scanning tells me that my imaging devices are out of date which is called 'Standard SATA AHCI Controller'. I'm not sure if this is related to the problem or not, but before I did a clean install of Windows 8 Pro upgrade, there used to be software on my laptop called ArcSoft Magic-i. Would no longer having that program have affected being able to use the webcam now?

Cheers,

Josh

[Burlo24]

I may have found the solution. I've downloaded a program from cnet called SlimDriversFree which seems to have detected all the missing drivers! I'm trying it now. Will post another comment with the results. Hopefully this will help others who are experiencing the same/similar issues too.

Here's the link: http://download.cnet.com/SlimDrivers-Free/3000-18513_4-75279940.html?tag=dre

[rich912]

Hi joshburlo,

Please let us know the outcome as there are are number of members experiencing the same problem after upgrading to Win 8.

Rich

[Burlo24]

Hi Rich

Unfortunately it's not good news. SlimDriversFree did it's job and found downloads for all my missing drivers (and the out-of-date ones too). After downloading each item, it automatically unpacked/unzipped the files and installed them for me. Then, I tried out the camera app - it still says that there's a problem with the camera (the green light on the webcam actually goes on now, but quickly disappears again). I also tested the webcam through Skype and found that I actually have the video-calling option now, whereas before the updates I didn't - however it fails to establish a video call (or receive video for that matter!). On the plus side, all my other drivers are now up-to-date.

I wonder if USB2.0 webcams just aren't compatible with Windows 8. Do you know if this is the case?

Cheers,

Josh

[rich912]

Hi Josh,

We have had a number of reports of the camera not functioning after upgrading to Windows 8 and have raised this issue with Support.

Please bear with us while we attempt to get an explanation/solution. As and when this is forthcoming it will of course be for European models but hopefully will also apply to your model.

Rich