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MICROSOFT surface pro 7 camera taken over by nothing till restart

Eric Dehart 0 Reputation points
2023-03-18T21:31:09.6366667+00:00

I am unfortunately the owner of a Microsoft surface pro 7 and it's by far the absolute worst computer I've ever used. What is driving me crazy and I could really use a fix is that my camera and windows hello randomly stops working the camera thinks it's being used by something and won't allow me to regain control untill I restart, among many other bugs this crap computer had this annoying bug happens like 7-10 times a day and the only way to recover my camera is to restart the computer, yup shutting down everything I'm working on 10 times a day so I can do a video call for work. It's maddening. I did some searching myself and it seems a lot of people have this problem (among other major issues with the surface pro) for years and Microsoft has not been able to fix it as far as I know. AND THEY LITERALLY MAKE THE OPERATING SYSTEM FOR THE BUGGED OUT COMPUTER THEY MAKE. I can't believe that they charge so much for their computers yet can't even get their own software to run correctly. Pathetic... Anyway if anyone knows how my camera can stop being taken over by nothing I would be much obligated, I'm seconds from tossing this PoS out the window... If anyone ever considers buying Microsoft hardware you better think twice about it, this computer is a nightmare. I hate Microsoft

Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | User experience | Other
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  1. Limitless Technology 44,766 Reputation points
    2023-03-20T14:38:26.76+00:00

    Hello

    Thank you for your question and reaching out. I can understand you are having query\issues related to Camera not working.

    1. Disable any Antivirus program or Windows firewall you may have for temporary purpose.
    2. Reset Camera app.

    Open Settings -> Apps -> Apps & Features -> click Camera app -> click Advanced options -> click Reset.

    1. Update or Rollback the Camera driver in the Device Manager.

    Open Device Manager -> click Camera -> right- click your Camera driver -> click Update Driver.

    If the system says that you have the latest driver installed. Try to Roll back the driver. Right-click your Camera driver -> click Properties -> click Driver tab -> click Roll back driver.

    1. If you are not using Camera app, I suggest that you temporarily turn-off its camera access from privacy settings.

    Open Settings -> Privacy -> Camera -> Turn off Camera app.

    1. Run sfc /scannow from elevated prompt.
    2. Run below DISM commands from elevated prompt.

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

    DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

    Reference :

    https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/camera-in-use-by-another-app-but-it-isnt/93b6d9cc-5724-4cc0-8e50-8281b57236d2

    --If the reply is helpful, please Upvote and Accept as answer--

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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