Camera not working.

Question

Win 11 camera app work inconsistently, has trouble starting and then fails. At the suggestion of ms support all drivers have been inspected, updated. It worked for a while and then failed. I went to the Lenovo website and found the recommended driver. It didn't work very long and then failed. At the suggestion of ms support reloaded win 11. The camera worked for a while and then failed. In desperation over the past month, I loaded Linux Mint 22 for dual boot and now the camera works perfectly and consistently on Linux, same machine, same camera.

What are your thoughts?

Best,

Ed W8EO

Answer 1

Hi Ed,

Since the camera functions consistently in Linux on the same hardware, this strongly suggests the device itself is likely not defective and that the issue is Windows-related (driver handling, updates, or power management).

A few things worth checking:

In Device Manager → Cameras → Properties → Driver tab, check if “Roll Back Driver” is available. Sometimes Windows Update replaces OEM drivers with generic versions.

Prevent automatic driver replacement temporarily:

Press Win + R → type sysdm.cpl

  Hardware tab → Device Installation Settings
  
     Select **No (your device might not work as expected)**
     
     Also review the Power Management tab in the camera device properties and disable “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
     

If the issue persists, checking Event Viewer logs at the time of failure may provide additional clues.

Answer 2

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

This tells us that your camera hardware is completely fine and that the issue is certainly on the Windows side.

There can be several reasons for this, such as Windows driver corruption, a Windows update overwriting the Lenovo camera drivers, or other applications that may be using or blocking access to your camera.

First thing to check:

• Open the Device Manager.
• Expand the arrow next to Cameras.
• Right-click your dedicated camera driver > Click Properties > In the Drivers tab, check if you have the option to roll back the driver.

Next, disable/block Windows from auto-installing drivers:

• Click Windows + R key, type sysdm.cpl, and click Ok.
• In the hardware tab, select Device Installation settings.
• Switch to NO (your device might not work as expected) and click Save Changes.

After making these changes, please check if your camera works as expected in the Windows environment.

If you are still having issues, let us know.

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