how to close applications using webcam dell integrated webcam?

Question

I am using Dell Latitude. I don't know from when the issue started. I am not able to use my integrated webcam. it is telling "Close any other video streaming application to start video.". I confirmed this is not a hardware issue by using the webcam in my virtual XP and it worked perfectly there but its not working in my Win 7. I tried uninstalling all my players and applications that i have installed in my pc and tried but not working.

I hope if it was possible to know which port the Dell webcam application is using so that if possible script some kind of code such that the port can be reseted. any suggestions..

Updates :-

The Webcam is working on the virtual XP installed on Win 7 perfectly. I tried doing the setting specified in the [link]=>Using and Troubleshooting the Dell Webcam and Dell Webcam Central Software and still the cam is displaying the same message "Close other video streaming Application"

I Installed Microsoft silverlight and tested, the webcam in the silverlight configuration is working perfectly fine, On the other side webcam central Application Software showing the Message "Close Other Video Streaming Application"

I Connected an another USB Camera and checked,here both the cameras are showing the same message.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The article Using and Troubleshooting the Dell Webcam and Dell Webcam Central Software, section 2 "Windows XP, Vista or 7 is Installed", sub-section C "Troubleshooting Webcam Issues" :

Messages and errors such as No supported webcam connected, Please plug in a supported device and Close the other video streaming application to start video can be resolved by uninstalling, reinstalling or updating the webcam driver.

The process for uninstalling and reinstalling the webcam driver depends on which Operating System your computer has installed.

For Windows 7 we have this procedure :

1. Change the compatibility setting of the Dell webcam central software to Windows Vista (Service Pack 2). The file is :
   C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell Webcam\Dell Webcam Central\WebcamDell2.exe.
   Right-click the file, select Properties, click the Compatibility tab, check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for", using the drop-down menu select Windows Vista (Service Pack 2), click Apply, click OK, then start the Dell Webcam Central Software

2. Reinstall the webcam driver.
   Start Computer Management, click on Device Manager then Imaging deviceş, right-click "Integrated webcam or USB camera", click Uninstall then OĶ once uninstalled restart the computer.

The article says that for best results the webcam software should also be uninstalled and reinstalled after the drivers are installed (but remember then to reset the compatibility setting of the Dell webcam central software).

Answer 2

I just read this Lifehacker article about finding out the processes that are currently using the webcam on your computer. It worked for me. You might want to give it a shot.

Here's what you need to do (instructions from Lifehacker):

1. Start Device Manager
   (WIN+R → "devmgmt.msc" → OK)
2. Find your webcam among the list of devices (check under Imaging Devices)
3. Open the properties window of the device and switch to the Details tab
   (Right click → Properties → Details)
4. In the dropdown menu, select Physical Device Object Name and copy the string
   (Right click → Copy)
5. Download Process Explorer
6. Make sure you have opened Process Explorer in Administrator Mode
   (File → Show Details for All Processes)
7. Hit CTRL+F and enter the string you copied earlier
   (it should be something like \Device\000000XX)
8. Hit the Search button and you should see a list of processes using the webcam (if there are any)

This could potentially smoke out any webcam hijacking spyware that's running on your computer.

UPDATE:

It's possible that you're facing these problems on account of a spyware infection. An unwanted process may be using the webcam because of which other processes are denied access to it.

Since you say the webcam works fine in a virtual machine running on the host OS (did you install the same Dell webcam driver on the virtual machine that you installed on the host OS or did you let Windows install a generic webcam driver?), I think the problem might have something to do with either:

1. An interfering process
2. The Dell webcam driver

If it's the latter, what you could do is update your virus scanner and schedule a boot time malware scan. The procedure for this varies from one AV product to another. If you use Avast Antivirus, follow the instructions here. Or you could consider using a bootable rescue disk like Sophos Bootable Anti-Virus or Kaspersky Rescue Disk to scan your computer at boot time.

You might also want to scan your machine with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and if nothing else works, try ComboFix as your last resort.

However, if the problem still persists after the malware scan, the webcam driver could be the culprit. If that's the case, you could try uninstalling the Dell webcam drivers completely from the Device Manager

Make sure that before you uninstall the driver, you note down all the driver related files (DLLs, EXEs, etc.) that will be removed. You can do this by clicking on the "Driver Details" button in the driver properties window:

After driver uninstall is complete, verify that all the driver files were indeed deleted. If not, delete them individually. Now do a hardware scan in Device Manager (Action → Scan for hardware changes) and let Windows Update find the required drivers automatically. Windows might install a generic webcam driver and that might do the trick.