Webcam does not work. At all.

Crap, my webcam has become green. It shows stuff, but everything is tinted very green. Does this in XP and Linpus. Tried reinstalling drivers, no dice.

Is this a hardware problem, or is it a software problem? I'm leaning toward hardware, because it's in both Linpus and XP. I don't even know when this happened. The last thing I remember doing with the webcam, is trying video annotations with CamStudio. And it worked fine then.

UPDATE: Read the next post. More updated info on my problem there.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

Okay. Now it's undetected by the Suyin driver installer, and the Linpus webcam software doesn't present a greenish image either, it's a greyed-out box, like something you can't click.

1 thing I noticed, is that, even if I could install the driver/whatever, in both Linpus and XP device manager, the webcam shows as "USB2.0 Camera". Doesn't show up as USB video device, or Acer Crystal Eye webcam. What's with that?

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

Anyone have any information? I did notice a strange process a few days ago: plfseti.exe. I've seen it in the Lite-On webcam driver, but not sure what it is. Couldn't find anything on Google, so I just ended the process, but then it disappeared from my Windows folder. Could someone with the SuYin driver confirm that they have it running, or at least in the Windows (possibly system32) folder?

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

sounds like one of its cables got damaged or a going bad signal converter.
Or mousture int he lense causing some kind of tint effect inside the Image sensor.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

OT: I think maybe that your jerk tendencies may be catching up to you...maybe no one wants to help you out because of how mean you can be to people who make simple errors and mistakes...

On topic: I am not sure about your webcam issue, as I do not use mine. Yes, I do have that process running, it always is as far as I know. I know it is enabled in my startup items. FWIW, in Win 7, my camera shows as "USB2.0 Camera", and works just fine. Do you still have the "Acer Crystal Eye Webcam" software listed in your add/remove programs?

Have you cleaned the lens lately? Could have some sort of weird grease or something on there distorting things, maybe...just an idea...

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

My "jerk" tendencies? Sorry if I'm just trying to keep this forum clear of questions that are being repeated over and over again. Sorry if I would like for people to learn how to search before asking. At least I don't swear at people/swear at all. Why does no one care about swearing, but being "mean" is so horrible? You probably haven't noticed, but I've had less of these so-called jerk tendencies lately. I'm trying to be less mean. Reminders of the past aren't helping that much.

On topic: Thanks for your answer though. If other people think I'm mean, well, too bad for me, I can't change it. But at least you're nice. Thank you. I don't know what FWIW means, sorry. Can you take a screenie of where it shows that your plfseti.exe runs on startup? Is this in XP?

I no longer have Acer Crystal Eye Webcam in my Add/Remove Programs list. Don't clean the lense. Like I said in my last post, there is no green anymore. Nothing shows up at all.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

Nothing at all ??? Not even an unknown USB device or USB error device ???
You can try force roll back drivers in xp or new Driver install. (Maybe some DLLs got damaged with windows update)

I am not sure of you did any mods ? Check any cable conection of the Cam, I remember if cams missing one wire they go uni color. But since there is no signs of the cam maybe check the hardware ? Maybeb the Conroller USB board/chip got damaged somehow if moded. loose cables and so on.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

I've seeing this problem in this forum for too long and most of it doesnt have solution, how frustrating it is..i have the same problem..webcam cannot be detected..even if you installed the latest driver...and all those new drivers for WLAN as what other users are saying...it would be probably that Acer installed a cheap kind of webcam that causing the problem.

Anybody tried removing the webcam and attached it to the external USB?

Sorry guys..i was just a bit frustrated...i bought external webcam anyway..but still trying to find out what causing this internal webcam not to work.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

FWIW= for what it's worth...yeah, actually, I have noticed, and I apologize if I said some stuff I shouldn't have. I do not know how to take screenshots, but am willling to do so if you want to give me a brief explanation how. Yes, this was under XP.

 

Re: Webcam gone green.

@ipearl, nope. When I click "USB Video Device" under Explorer, it shows black. Nothing at all. Using ECap, shows black too. In Linpus, it shows a greyed-out box. However, I am thinking the problem started in XP, so Imma try to figure it out in here first.

I never use Windows Update, haha. Rolling back drivers, I doubt would work. I could try.

Didn't do any mods besides upgrading ram. Mind telling me (a pic would be even better) on where the webcam cable is?


@ismaelpc, yeah, I noticed a couple of these problems. I want to find out why...I don't want to send it back to Acer, and get a another one...I like this one. Lol. Have you tried formatting, and reinstalling XP? Don't think you can attach the webcam to USB, as it's like a header or whatever you call those things.

@jeremysdad, no, no. I don't need you to say sorry, ahaha. I was just trying to explain. Don't worry about it; you're helping me, that's what counts. To take a screenshot, just press the button in the top right corner that says PrtSc. Then, open up Paint or something like that, and do a normal paste, CTRL+V. BTW, do you have the Suyin webcam?

Oh, so can anyone else confirm the existence of plfseti.exe in their process list? Even better if you can confirm that it runs on startup.

Thanks very much for the help guys, we might be getting somewhere!

 

@DiSK:
Here are screenshots of: My startup list, and also my Processes in task manager right after startup. You will notice the service/process in question is present in both.

Also have posted my device manager listing for the camera; I think I have the LiteOn version (it says Sonix???).

Thanks for teaching me a new trick!

 

@DSK, ive done reformatting and installing XP, Vista and Linux but in no luck at all...same message im getting..webcam not connected to USB..well i opened and unplug and plug it already if ur thinking that i need to do it hehe.

Physicall removing the camera module and rewiring it to fit to the external USB..i also dont want to bring my netbook to service center as this will took them time ..minimum of 15 days...i cant live without it hehe..well i just wish someone could resolve this problem...or why ist that acer wasnt recalling there netbook..hehe ..i guess it was a cheap camera in it hehe..

just standing here waiting for someone to resolve this issue...i can wait coz i have external webcam lol.

 

Ok, i had this problem as well... then my Brother solved it for me.

All he did, was change the camera driver (under imaging devices) to usb, by manually selecting a the compatible usb driver for it. Then scanned for hardware changes and it should detect the camera and install the correct driver.

The "USB Video Device" under "Imaging Devices" is ver. 5.1.26000.5512 driver
the "Acer Crystal eye Web cam" driver that appears under "USB controllers", is the ver. 5.6.2600.0 driver

both of these drivers should show up!

I might as well add this only happened after the 4th reinstall of XP from the recovery partition >.> so it did work perfectly all other times. just this 4th time, never worked. Tell me if this still doesn't resolve the issue, as i can make a decent walk through with pictures if need be

 

Thanks jeremysdad for the pics. Glad I could teach you something.

I noticed that the Lite-On driver actually did have a PLFSetI.exe in it, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was running. However, mine's a Suyin, and yet I saw that process before...

@RangerWolf, I would appreciate it if you could do a picture tutorial for me. May I ask you which webcam you have, and if you have PLFSetI.exe in your process list too?

Actually, I just looked, and I don't have an Acer Crystal Eye webcam under my USB controllers section. I have USB composite device, which is probably the webcam. Lol.

 

@RangerWolf, i dont have imaging device, the reason because i cant install the webcam driver itself...can i force install the driver? Whenever I tried running the webcam driver installation, message window appearing that my webcam is not connected to USB..how sad

Note: I reinstalled my XP 3rd time...do i need to make it 4th time to work hehe...i installed also linux...and Vista..but same problem, webcam not connected to USB...dont tell me to reattached the webcam..i did open my netbook and reattached the cable of the camera module.

 

@ DiSK:
Upon some further researching, it appears that my camera is indeed a Suyin. I searched for files using "Suyin" and "Liteon" as keywords, in separate searches. Liteon returned nothing, while Suyin returned the following results:[attachment=0:15jrkifm]scrshtsuyin.JPG[/attachment:15jrkifm]

Furthermore, I believe that I saw in msconfig that the PLFSetl.exe is by SONIX, and I think may just be some generic Windows deal...going along with the Windows Imaging Service, in services...who knows. Just giving you some food for thought, and some updated research. Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Tried Ranger Wolf's thing, nothing happens. I got the actual Suyin driver to install instead of the generic Windows one, but that didn't help...

@jeremysdad, I remember that I used to have that folder. However, I tried looking again today, and nothing's there. I don't recall ever seeing SuyingNBCamdriver, or SuyinCam.PNF. May I ask you link to where you got your webcam's driver?

 

It is just the stock driver, but I have never had any of the webcam associated issues. I'll try to attach it; if that doesn't work, I can email it to you, maybe??? Okay, just tried attaching it...apparently, .sys is not an allowed extension, lol...you wanna PM me your email, I'll snap it to you, no problem...let me know...

Edit: Searched around, and found a dl link http://www.getpcmemory.com/drivers/down ... p-drivers/
Toward the bottom of the list...
Not official Acer site, but it is an exact match of what I have. Don't know if it will help you at all, but there it is. Good luck...

 

Should be what I have as well. But I've never seen those processes you've mentioned.

Oh well. I might do a format one of these days. Gotta back up stuff first. Will let you know how it goes, later.

Thanks to all the people who helped!

 

hi guys, this is my first post, I have the same problem...
in imaging devices I have " USB Video Device #5 "(yes the number keeps increasing every time i try reinstalling)
and in USB contrllers i have "Acer Crystal Eye webcam"...
I tried what Ranger said, changing the one under "Imaging devices" and scan for hardware changes, but with no success... this usually leaves one of them with an error.... ive been all over this board and tried almost everything...
...just thought I'd add my two cents, ill be lurking around still trying to fix it.