NewSurface Pro 9 camera now working properly during video calls

Question

Hello

I have a new surface Pro 9, using it about 10 days now and I'm having a lot of trouble with the camera during video calls.

Sometimes the camera freezes during calls, sometimes it will not work at all and I just have a black square. On occasion, turning the camera off and on can help, other times I need to completely reboot the device. In most of these cases, the surface gets quite hot and I can hear the fan working at a loud volume.

I purchased the device for work and, as a remote worker, video calls are a large part of what I do on a daily basis so this is having a significant impact. It happens on both Teams and on Zoom so it does not seem to be an issue with a particular video confernece software.

I've run the diagnostics though the surface app and worked through the troubleshooting page but neither of these game me any resolution.

Answer 1

Hi Therese Dolan,

Thank you for reaching Microsoft Community. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.

I'm aware of the issue you're having with your Surface Pro's camera freezing up at odd times while you're using Teams and Zoom video conferencing. And when this occurs, the surface warms up. I am here to help and let us work on this together. Let me ask some questions.

• May I know which Surface pro 9 processor do you have, the Intel or 5G(SQ3)?
• What build version of Windows you are currently running?
• Did this happen when device is plugged in or on battery?
• When did this issue started?
• Do you have a third-party anti-virus software installed?

Kindly try the following steps below to troubleshoot your device.

Test your camera with the Camera app. Select Start, then choose Camera from your apps. If you're asked to allow access to the Camera, select Yes.

Force the device to shut down and restart

Press and hold down the power button until your Surface shuts down and restart and you see the Windows logo screen (about 20 seconds), then release the power button.

Check any pending updates available. Also check optional updates.

Go to Settings >> Windows updates >> Check for updates. To view optional updates, click on advanced options and select optional updates.

Check for any updates for your Teams and Zoom applications.

Run the system file checker to check if there are corrupted system files that are just looping around causing this kind of issue to exist.  See Using System File Checker in Windows - Microsoft Support.

Remove and reinstall driver.

1. Select Search on the taskbar, enter Device Manager, and select it from the results.
2. Select the arrow next to Cameras to expand the list, and check to see if one of the following adapters is listed:

Intel(R) TGL AVStream Camera

Intel(R) AVStream Camera

1. Double-click the camera, select the Driver tab, and then select Uninstall Device.
2. Select Attempt to remove the driver for this device and then select Uninstall.
3. Restart your Surface.

Let me know how it goes.

Kind regards,

Lavenia

Answer 2

Thanks Lavenia

To answer your questions:

• May I know which Surface pro 9 processor do you have, the Intel or 5G(SQ3)? - it is the 12th Gen Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-1235U 2.50 GHz
• What build version of Windows you are currently running? - Windows 11 home version 22H2
• Did this happen when device is plugged in or on battery? - Both. the first time it was on battery. More recently it has been when the device was plugged in but fully/almost fully charged
• When did this issue started? - From day 1. I only have the device about 2 weeks and I had the issue from the first call I ever did on it
• Do you have a third-party anti-virus software installed? - no not yet, as i said the device is quite new so I haven't done anything additional to it just yet.

I've tried the troubleshooting steps you gave below, I'm not sure anythng changed though and the device is still getting quite hot too

Answer 3

You're welcome, Therese Dolan.

If a Windows application or service uses lots of CPU resources for an extended period, the processor will get warm. That is expected and normal, regardless of what brand of computer you're using. You can determine this by looking at task manager in the CPU column (sort by) to see if particular application is consuming the CPU.

You can also check Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) and click on the CPU column to see which programs may be consuming the device's resources, thus, causing the device to heat. If you see that a specific program is consuming CPU usage beyond normal, I suggest you update or uninstall then reinstall the app.

Also try to manually update the drivers and firmware for your Surface and observe if it makes any changes.

1. Go to Download driver and firmware for Surface, choose Surface Pro.
2. Then click the link next to Surface Pro 9 then click Download on the next page.
3. Choose the .msi file that matches your current OS Build and click Next.
4. After downloading, run and install the .msi then Restart.

Surface devices adhere to all laws and guidelines related to temperature and thermal. It complies with the user-accessible surface temperature limits defined by the International Standards for Safety (IEC 60950-1 and IEC 62368). See Product safety warnings and instructions - Microsoft Support refer to sections called “Heat related concerns” and “Heat related concerns for wearable devices”.

Answer 4

Hi Therese Dolan,

We haven't heard from you, so we assume that your issue has already been addressed. We will not be monitoring this thread moving forward so, if you need further assistance, please create a new thread to discuss these concerns by clicking this link: Create a new question or start a discussion (microsoft.com)

Thank you for understanding. 

Kind regards,

Lavenia