Webcam Does Not Load

[livelushlove]

I just got rid of an error (the avgsstx.dll error) about a week ago or so. Well, ever since I got rid of it, my webcam has not been working properly. It will only work when it onces to. I uninstalled and reinstalled it my webcam. I've tried just restarting my computer and it still will not load. It won't load on my Cyberlink YouCam or any online webcam software. I have an HP Presario CQ50 purchased almost two years ago. I have not had a problem before the error. I also have a 32-bit computer and it's still on the first service pack, I was not able to upgrade to the second.

It does not work on MSN or AIM for video calling either.

 

[Lorien]

Hi livelushlove,

Welcome to Vista Forums!

What EXACTLY did you do to get rid of the error you mentioned? Chances are very good that whatever that was is what is causing your current problem (and so knowing what you did may help identify the cause and help us to find the solution).

You may be having troubles with your device drivers, firmware, and/or software. Go to Device Manager by going to start / search box and type device manager and enter and then double-click on the program icon that appears. Check each device for a red x, yellow ! or white ?. These identify devices with problems (probably drivers, but also conflicts or something else). Click on each for further details and troubleshooting tips. If you need to get device drivers, firmware, and/or sofware (and you should get whatever applies to your webcam even if Device Manager says everying is OK), do so from the computer vendor or device manufacturer (NOT from Microsoft Updates). Proceed as follows to get the drivers: http://pcsupport.about.com/od/driverssupport/ht/driverdlmfgr.htm. Once you have the drivers, you can install them through Device Manager as follows: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/193584-device-manager-install-driver.html.

If that doesn't work, try to boot into safe mode (repeatedly click the F8 key while booting and go to safe mode with networking). Then let's check some of your system files:

Go to Start / All Programs / Accessories / Command prompt and right click on command prompt and click run as Administrator.

Type sfc /scannow and enter and let it run. It will scan and try to fix some of your system files. Hopefully it will complete with no corruption it could not repair (if there is such corruption post back here or try to analyze it to find the problem file(s) using http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928228. Try to attach the report (you may need to copy it to your desktop before it will permit you to attach it) here so we can see if they can be repaired with good copies from the installation disk (unless there are too many).

While in Command Prompt, type chkdsk /f /r and enter and let it run. It will want to schedule itself to run at the next restart. Answer yes and then reboot to run the program. It will scan and try to fix any corruption or bad sectors on your hard drive and mostly remove that as a potential cause.

If that doesn't work, then please post any error messages (click on the message, open the details tab, and copy what is there) from the Event Viewer concerning the webcam (Start / Control Panel / Administrative Tools / Event Viewer). Here's how to use Event Viewer: http://www.petri.co.il/vista-event-viewer.htm. Look in the Application section and the System Section.

You may be infected with malware. Try to run anti-malware programs (in safe mode with networking if necessary). To fix this problem (if it is a problem) download, install, and run the following two programs: http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php and http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html. You may also want to try the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/Microsoft-Security-Essentials-Download-131683.html (with the caveat that only ONE AV program can be installed and running on your system at any one time). Use removal tools when appropriate http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2009/05/05/comprehensive-list-of-uninstallers-or-removal-tools-for-antivirus-software/. You may also want to try the free Avira at: http://www.free-av.com/ and Avast at: http://www.avast.com/index. Reboot after completing all the scans. You may also want to try the free OneCare at http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/whatsnew.htm and let it run all the options (except the registry cleaner) because that’s good maintenance (it will take some time to complete but can be done in the background).

If that doesn't work, try a clean boot http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135. If the problem goes away then it's just a matter of tracking down the culprit causing the problem. Follow the procedures in the article. Once found, delete, remove, deactivate, or uninstall it. Once done be sure to reset Vista back to normal status as explained in the procedures. If the problem occurs in clean mode then just restore the system to normal status and reboot - this solution is not going to work.

Boot into Safe mode with networking and see if the problem occurs there. Either result helps us narrow down the search for the cause.

Hopefully something here will either resolve or at least help identify the problem. If not, we'll try some other options.

Good luck!

 

[livelushlove]

I used Regrun and Registry Booster (I believe). I honestly couldn't tell you exactly what I did but it was kind of trial and error. But I know I had to manually go in and get rid of it, rather than use an anti-virus software. I know the error came from me downloading AVG Security Software (even though I have not used it in a few months and it wouldn't uninstall after going through my software and getting rid of some unused ones). I may have used the unhack or whatever. I don't remember exactly, but I went directly to the folder ( C:\windows\system32\avgstx.dll) that it was located at.