Camera Doesn't Work - Window is Blank, White, or Black

Avatar
Seth
Follow

When you scan bubble sheets or use the document camera feature in ALL in Learning, do you see a blank white or black area?

 

       Screen_Shot_2019-01-01_at_2.00.25_PM.jpeg


 

If so, try these steps:

  1. Be sure you can select your camera from the "Switch Camera" drop-down menu at the bottom of the window. If you can select it, move to the next step. If not, see this article to troubleshoot this specific problem.

  2. You may have other software active that is not sharing the camera with ALL In Learning. It may be that another browser tab is open with the camera running there, or that software by Mimio, Lumens, or another company is running in the background and "hogging" it. It will have to be closed.

    Check all running programs and tabs in the Task Bar at the bottom of your screen.

    Then check the System Tray icons on the bottom right of your screen, next to the clock, battery indicator, network status, etc. There may be a little up-arrow you can expand to see all the system tray apps running, like this: 



    In this example, MimioStudio Notebook  is running, but it may be something else. Right-click the icon and choose Exit, then go back to ALL In Learning and refresh your screen.



    Restart your browser and log back into ALL In Learning to see if it works. If this didn't help, right-click your taskbar (bottom of the screen) and click Start Task Manager, then click the Processes tab and look for any software that relates to cameras or video applications, right-click them, and choose "Kill Process." 

  3. Try quitting and re-launching your web browser. 

  4. Restart your computer. Sometimes it's amazing what quirky windows problems can be resolved forever by restarting! If that doesn't help, go to the next step.

  5. If you are using a Lenovo Yoga laptop: Some Yogas will not work with ALL In Learning at this time, but some do.

    Be sure you have the latest Display Adapter drivers. Go to the Control Panel, change the view to "View by: Small Icons" (on the upper right), click Device Manager, click "Display Adapters," right-click your display adapter, and choose "Update Driver Software." Choose "Search Automatically," and follow the prompts. When the correct driver is installed, it will say "Intel (R) HD Graphics Family."





  6. Change from Mirrored (or Duplicated) Desktop mode to Extended Desktop mode. Some graphics cards have trouble processing camera video feed to two displays at once. If you are mirroring your desktop onto another monitor or a projector, try to change from "mirrored" to "extended desktop" mode. (In extended desktop mode, you can move your mouse across one monitor onto the other. This mode only renders the video feed in the one monitor that window is on.)

    mceclip0.png

    Steps are different in each operating system, but it can usually be done in the Control Panel under "Display." If this step didn't help, go on to the next.


  7. Use WebCamTests.com to test your camera.
    Close out of ALL In Learning and any other apps that use the camera. Then go to webcamtests.com, wait for your camera to be detected, and select Test My Cam. If you see your video feed, this helps confirm that your camera meets UVC standards and you probably do not have any software conflicts at this moment. This will be good information for ALL In Learning tech support to know. Move on to the next step.

  8. Unplug all other USB devices just to see if a hardware conflict is causing a problem. For example, Promethean cameras have been seen to cause problems for other cameras plugged into the same system. After this, restart your browser, go back into ALL In Learning, and try again. If this doesn't help, go to the next step.

  9. If possible, try different cameras on your computer, and try your camera on different computers. If your ALL In Learning Doc Cam doesn't work on any computer but other ALL In Learning Doc Cams do, the camera is possibly defective; contact tech support with this information. The same approach applies to cameras from other companies, but we can't service those! This approach can also confirm that only your computer is having a problem, narrowing troubleshooting down.

  10. Inspect your browser's installed plugins/add-ons/extensions for malware which may be interfering with various browser functions.

    In Chrome, go to the settings menu (upper right icon with 3 dots), click Settings, More Tools, and click Extensions.

    Investigate each one you don't know using Google to learn about them.


  11. Turn on "Hardware acceleration" for your graphics card. Some graphic cards only have enough power if Hardware Acceleration is enabled. Steps vary by the operating system, and can be found searching Google for "hardware acceleration Windows [XP, 7, Vista, etc.]."

  12. Update your graphics card's drivers if needed. This may require the assistance of your IT staff.


If these steps do not help, please contact support and let us know this information:

  • What you tried, and what happened
  • Provide the exact model of camera
  • Provide the version of your operating system
  • Has it ever worked? If so, what's changed?

 

Did this article not match your issue? Click here for more camera help!

 

Additional keywords: cam not working

Powered by Zendesk