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HP Pavilion dv6500t CTO Entertainment Notebook PC Troubleshooting

Testing a Webcam Using YouCam

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This document pertains to HP Notebook PCs with Windows Vista or Windows 7.
Most webcam problems are caused by missing or incompatible hardware drivers, or by incorrectly configured video display applications. This document will help you test the basic functionality of the webcam using a known good webcam hardware driver, and a simple video display application. Once you have determined that the webcam works, you can adjust the quality of the image or use a more sophisticated application to manipulate the image.

Opening YouCam

To test the webcam with Cyberlink YouCam, click Start , type youcam in the Search field, and select YouCam from the list.
If YouCam does not appear in the list of search results, go to Installing the YouCam Application for instructions on installing the YouCam application. Otherwise, continue following the instructions below.
When the application opens, assuming the area in front of the webcam is brightly lit, you will see an image of yourself displayed in the center of the application.
Figure 1: YouCam screen with image
Image of YouCam screen with customer image
If the YouCam application opens and you see your image displayed in the center of the application, go to Capturing and playing a video image to continue testing. Otherwise, read a section below that matches your error and follow the instructions to correct the error.

Error message displays when opening

The YouCam application may not open or may display an error message similar to the following:
Cannot connect to this video device (USB Video Device).
Please select another capture device via Settings or close any application that may be using this video device and restart YouCam.
Follow the steps below to resolve the webcam display problem.
  1. Exit any secondary video application
    The webcam driver can only be used by one program at a time. For example, you cannot open and use YouCam while doing a video conference with an instant messaging program.
    If there are any other video programs open on your computer, close them, and then go to Opening YouCam to continue testing. Otherwise, continue with the next step.
  2. Verify the webcam hardware is recognized in Device Manager
    1. Click Start , enter device manager in the Search field, and select Device Manager from the list.
    2. In the Device Manager window, find the Imaging Devices category.
      If a webcam or video device driver is listed in the Imaging Device category, go to, Selectively update the webcam driver .
      If there is no Imaging Devices category, click Action , and then select Scan for hardware changes to scan for the webcam video display device.
      If no Imaging Device entry displays in Device Manager after running the scan, there is a hardware issue. Contact HP Support for technical assistance.
  3. Selectively update the webcam driver
    1. In Device Manager , expand the list of Imaging Devices , right-click the webcam driver, and then select Properties .
    2. In the Webcam Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab, and then click the Update Driver... button.
    3. In the Update Driver Software window, select Browse my computer for driver software , and then, when prompted, select Let me pick from a list of devices on my computer .
    4. When prompted, in the Model section, select USB Video Device , and then click Next to update the webcam driver software.
    5. After the message, Windows has successfully updated your driver software , click the Close button, close all open dialog boxes, and then go to Opening YouCam to continue testing.

No image displays on application window

If the YouCam program opens, but displays an image of the application's name rather than your image, there is an incompatible driver selected by default. Follow the steps below to resolve this webcam display problem.
Figure 2: YouCam screen with application's name
Image of YouCam screen with application's name
  1. Configure YouCam and select the proper webcam driver
    1. In YouCam, click the Configure icon.
      Figure 3: YouCam configure icon
      Image of YouCam screen showing configure button
    2. Click the Capture Device drop-down list, and select USB Video Device from the list.
      Figure 4: YouCam Settings
      YouCam settings screen showing capture device
      If no webcam capture device is listed, go to Verify the webcam hardware is recognized in Device Manager .
    3. You can also select the Capture quality and Video size .
    4. Select OK to accept the selection. Exit and restart the YouCam application to view an image.
  2. Update YouCam application
    1. Connect the computer to the Internet.
    2. Open YouCam , and then click the Cyberlink YouCam registered name in the upper left corner.
      Figure 5: Cyberlink YouCam software update
      Image of Cyberlink Youcam software update link.
    3. If an update or upgrade is available, installation instructions will be displayed on the screen. Restart the computer if prompted.

Capturing and playing a video image

To verify that the webcam and YouCam software are operating properly, perform the following actions.
  1. To record a short video, click Capture in the main control bar. Let the application record the image for a few seconds, and then press Stop . A thumbnail image of the video is displayed in the right panel.
    Figure 6: YouCam - Main control bar and thumbnail section
    Image of YouCam main control bar and thumbnail section location
  2. To capture a single frame image, click Snapshot in the main control bar. A thumbnail of the image is displayed in the right panel.
  3. To view the video clip or a full size image, double-click the image in the right panel.
  4. To remove the video clip or full size image, right-click the image in the right panel and select Delete .
    NOTE:By default, the captured videos and snapshot files are saved in the
    C:\<user name>\Documents\YouCam folder. The file name given to the captured file is based on the date and file format; such as Capture_20080327.wmv (video) or Capture_20080601.jpg (still snapshot). These files can be copied or moved to any other location on the computer.

Installing the YouCam Application

If the YouCam application was removed from your system for some reason, or the operating system was changed to Windows 7 or Vista, go to the Cyberlink YouCam Software page (in English) , to download and install the latest version of the YouCam software.