X121e cannot install internal webcam

[papi]

Hi ,

after a clean install of my X121e with Win 7 Pro 64-bit and all the drivers from the Lenovo Support website, I still cannot get my internal webcam up and running.It does not work , and is not shown in device manager.

Instead, when trying to install the webcam driver, towards the end of the installation process, the setup asks me to 'plugin' the USB device. With a built-in webcam, there is not much to plug-in, I'd think. So I uninstalled / re-installed the USB devices (all) but with no effect.

What's going wrong here?

Interestingly, the webcam is not listed as a 'missing' device under device manager.

Many thanks for your help, I am pretty desperate and still hope it is not a hardware issue, but rather a driver issue that I have overlooked...

rgds, papi

[ColonelONeill]

Is it enabled in BIOS?

Can you post your 7-digit MTM from the underside? (1234-ABC) Don't post your Serial number.

[papi]

Positively, webcam is enabled in BIOS.

The MTM is 3051-5YG

In the meantime, I found this post here, and I am strongly hoping there is no hardware defect...

rgds, papi

[ColonelONeill]

According to the MTM... there is no internal camera...

[papi]

thanks for your efforts, Colonel, but I'd disagree: in each instance where I google the web for a combination of Lenovo ThinkPad X121e NWS5YGE / 30515YG , it would say therer is a webcam integrated.

not sure where Lenovo themselves stores this information ...

where did you get your MTM-info from?

[ColonelONeill]

I put it into the Quick Find at http://support.lenovo.com and the result had no webcam in it.

It could be wrong... Do you see a webcam?

[papi]

right, I do see a webcam, from the external chassis and the internal BIOS.

In the meantime, I contacted the vendor and they confirmed it should have a webcam installed.

I will now ask for a replacement device.

thanks for your efforts!

[andyP Community SuperMod]

papi,

I can confirm that your system should have a webcam, I've just checked the specs in the Lenovo TopSeller list which retailers receive from Lenovo.

A few questions;

do you have AV software installed? Sometimes an AV software will block the installation of a webcam.

in device manager do you see an USB "Verbund Geräte" or similar?

have you installed the HotKey drivers? Fn + F6 should then activate the camera.

Windows 7 doesn't have any native software to use with a camera, have you installed an app which accesses a camera, e.g. skype?

[papi]

hi,

yes, I did have AV software installed, uninstalled KIS (Kaspersky Internet Security), then tried to reinstall the cam drivers - no change of symptom: "USB video device not found - please plug-in then reinstall..."

My Win 7 Pro is in German, and the device manager > USB-Controller has 9 USB devices showing up:

1. Standard OpenHCD USB-Hostcontroller
2. Standard OpenHCD USB-Hostcontroller
3. Standard PCI-zu USB erweiterter Hostcontroller
4. Standard PCI-zu USB erweiterter Hostcontroller
5. USB Massenspeichergerät
6. USB-Root-Hub
7. USB-Root-Hub
8. USB-Root-Hub
9. USB-Root-Hub

I am going to get this back to my retailer, since Lenovo Hotline support confirmed this thinkpad should have a webcam installed, so we trust it is a hardware defect. What a shame, I hate reinstalling my machine over again, takes far too much time. - Also , if I need to get my machine replaced, any suggestions how to deal with my Windows & Office licences which were activated with this machine's hardware? How do I 'de-activate' my license so I can re-install on the new replacement machine?

Thanks and regards,

all the best - papi

[papi]

sorry, forgot to answer: Fn + F6 does bring up the dialogue to active audio settings for conferencing, but anything referring to the camera is greyed out and cannot be activated.
just for completeness of an epic fail on the cam ... ;-)