How to set up a webcam on your computer. What should I do if the computer does not find or stop seeing the webcam?

In the modern world, the Internet plays a huge role. It has become not only a place in which we can receive information and share it with other people, but also a huge platform for communication. One can not but admit that in many respects it would be impossible, there would be no technology providing the possibility of interactive acquaintances.

It's about webcams, with which you can not only talk with someone from the other side of the world, but also see it in real time. As a rule, absolutely all modern laptops are equipped with them by default, and the number of monitors to the PC in which they are, you can not call small.

No wonder that beginners often ask how to set up a webcam on the computer.

What it is?

First, it would not be superfluous to talk about what kind of equipment it is.

This is the name of a digital device whose purpose is to record and then transmit via the Internet a static image or video broadcast.

Images are exchanged by using an intermediate ftp server, the information for which is downloaded either periodically (at regular intervals) or permanently.

The video stream does not always go by using the capabilities of the computer itself. Some models not only can work completely autonomously (via Wi-Fi), but also be used as an ftp server. This is especially valuable when it is required to organize a full and continuous broadcast.

But in the vast majority of cases, users buy the simplest models, which do not have a tenth of such opportunities. But if you need a model with motion fixation, then you have to spend a little more on it.

So how do I set up my webcam on my computer?

Models for the desktop

Today in the shops there are dozens of varieties, the price of which sometimes does not exceed a couple of hundred rubles. If you use a more or less modern operating system (starting with Vista), then no special configuration is required. As a rule, when you connect the device through a USB port, the OS will find it and connect it.

But not always everything is so simple. Typically, if your computer is running Windows XP, then hope for a similar outcome is not worth it. The system, released in 2001, simply physically can not "know" more or less modern devices. Before you configure the webcam on your computer in this case, you will need drivers. Normal manufacturers attach a carrier with them to their products, but semi-underground Chinese artels do this rarely.

Important!

That is why we recommend looking at the camera packaging before buying, it should be noted information on the compatibility of equipment with various OS, specifications and other information. If there are no carriers in the kit, then the label must necessarily contain "Plug-and-Play". This means that the device only needs to be connected to the computer, after which the OS will automatically find and install the required drivers.

Actually, on this basic setup ends. Now you only need to start the program for videoconferencing. Immediately see if the utility detected the camera. Consider the procedure for setting up an example of the popular "Skype".

We configure the equipment in "Skype"

Run the program. The main window of the program appears in which we are interested in the "Tools" item. Select it by clicking the left mouse button, and then activate the "Settings-Video Settings" section. If, after that, the window with the video opens, everything is in order, the camera is found and installed in the system. Before you configure the image of the webcam, it would be superfluous to say a few words about your privacy on the network.

Good to know!

Given that the "Skype" does not always ring only your friends and acquaintances, it is not superfluous to put the checkbox next to the option "None" in the "Show my video" section. In this case, you can decide for yourself who and when to show your bright face when you call. However, we will continue.

Something does not work?

What should I do if the computer does not find the webcam? First of all, make sure that you have hooked it up at all. It sounds silly, but it often happens that the plug comes out of the connector because of careless movements or actions of pets that can pull the cable.

If everything is in order, then make sure that no other programs that can use the camera are running on the computer. Keep in mind! Under this definition, even a browser window, in which a chat is running, assumes the possibility of using the camera. The fact is that this equipment can be used by only one application at a time.

With this, too, there are no problems? Then you have to pay attention again to the status of the drivers. Perhaps they were somewhat wrong. To verify this, right-click on the My Computer icon, and in the pop-up menu that appears, select Properties. A window opens with the characteristics of the computer on the left side of which you need to click on the item "Device Manager".

In the list that opens, find something like "Image Processing Devices". If everything is fine, then opposite this item there will be no icons and icons. When there is a driver conflict, an exclamation mark will appear next to it. In the same case, when the system did not find the camera at all, the item "Device for image processing" does not exist at all.

How to fix it?

If the computer has ceased to see the webcam, then the probability is high that all the same unfortunate drivers are to blame. After some software malfunctions, as a result of the action of viruses or even an incorrect shutdown of the computer, they may be damaged.

To troubleshoot such problems, you need to find the item "Device for image processing" in the "Device Manager". Found? Then click on it with the right mouse button, and in the dropped window of the context menu select the item "Properties". Another dialog box opens, in which you must go to the "Driver" tab. There there are buttons "Rollback" and "Delete".

If you press the first, the system will try in automatic mode to roll back the driver configuration to the last successful state. In the case where this does not help, the driver can be simply deleted. After that, you need to disconnect the device from the computer, reboot the device for reliability, and then reconnect the camera and reinstall the software to work with it.

Adjusting the quality of video and sound

But most often, the claims of users are not even related to the fact that the equipment is not determined by the computer, but because the quality of the image and sound does not justify any expectations.

So how to adjust the quality of the webcam? First, do not forget that the quality of content display directly depends on the speed of your Internet connection. If it does not even reach 128 kbps, then you should not wait for miracles. In this case, only the connection of another tariff or the transition to a more democratic operator can help.

For example, consider setting the image quality in the "Skype" already mentioned. To adjust it to the requirements of its exacting taste, it is necessary to find the "Webcam Settings" item in the settings (how to go there, we already said). In general, before you configure the webcam on your computer, it does not hurt to get acquainted with the menu, you will find a lot of new features that will surely be of use to you.

Entering it, you get into the dialog box with detailed settings, in which you can adjust the contrast, color depth and other options. Advice to newcomers: if you do not understand the meaning of their changes, it is better not to touch anything, because the consequences can be quite serious.

But! For fans of everything "optimize" with their own hands there is a wonderful "Default" button, located just below the list of all settings. If you did something wrong, just click on it. As a result, all options will be reset to the initial ones.

Configuring Wireless Models

Admit it, you are unlikely to be delighted that most webcams need to stretch an extra USB cable that turns an already tangled tangle of wires from the back of the computer into a weave of pasta. To avoid this, you can spend on a wireless model. She looks more stylish, and there will be no confusion.

As a rule, wireless web cameras for a computer in some special configuration do not need. They work through a Wi-Fi connection, so that any modern computer without problems will pick up the signal. But! If you unknowingly bought a wireless model for your old computer, you definitely need a Wi-Fi adapter, which most often is a PCI card that plugs into the corresponding slot on the motherboard.

Of course, there are USB-models, but we do not recommend using them together with old computers, because they are physically unable to provide an adequate data transfer speed. To install the webcam on your computer in this case, you need to understand that problems with image quality and synchronization may depend on your router. If the video is "jerky", or even completely disappears, try to move the router to the line of sight.

Problems with Wi-Fi

The concrete wall and the abundance of other wireless networks in your building can also interfere with signal transmission. If the reason is, then before buying, you should focus on models that can operate at a frequency of 5 GHz. They are less susceptible to interference, but lose in the effective range of signal transmission.

If the computer does not see the webcam wirelessly, try to look for those places in your apartment where the signal level will be as high and stable as possible. In addition, try to repeat all those actions with the drivers that we described above.

Once again we remind that new webcams can be extremely difficult to "make friends" with old computers, so this should be borne in mind even before the purchase. Having such an opportunity, it is better to purchase time-tested USB-models.