"SOS" l can't open my camera in my computer...?

Question

It said that "creation of the video preview failed. please check the device connection and make sure the device is not being used by another application or user" when I tried to open it.
I don't konw how it happened and how do I deal with it.
Please help me if you happen to know this.
The camera is called "HP Pavilion Webcam" and it is together with the computer. l could use it on my MSN but l can't open it without using MSN.



Thanks~~

Answer 1

Sometimes the computer spits out generic messages.
I suggest you first check the device driver:
click Start, Settings, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager.

See if the camera is listed. Right-click on it and select Properties. It will tell you if it is working properly.
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Is it USB connected? Could be another set of problems:

- With Windows Plug & Play feature, Windows is supposed to recognize any device plugged into a USB port -- the problem is after it recognizes something once, Plug & Play will never again try to install that device. You need to erase all memory of the device (printer etc) from the computer.
- Right-click on My Computer, cl Properties, click Hardware, click Device Manager.
- Click on the plus sign next to “Universal Serial Bus.” Look for the problem device’s name and right-click. Now Remove. Restart and reinstall.

Source: Article by James Coates, Chicago Tribune.
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Note: I found that if I did not go through the “safely remove” procedure before unplugging a USB device, the computer did not recognize another item. I had to reinsert the first item, “safely remove,” then plug in another item. This must be like shutting down for USBs.