Fast Fixes Webcams
Improve sound and image quality, fix Windows 10 Anniversary Update errors and replace an outdated driver
Webcam not working after W10 Anniversary Update
You may see the error message ‘Launcher_main.exe has stopped working’ when you try to use your webcam. This is most likely caused by the Windows 10 Anniversary Update (AU), which caused millions of webcams across the world to stop working because it removed support for video codecs that many webcams depend upon.
At the time of writing, Microsoft has yet to release a fix for this, but there is a workaround if your webcam has been affected. Click the Start button, type regedit then press Enter to launch the registry editor. Navigate to HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\windows Media Foundation\ Platform. Right-click Platform, click New, then ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’ (see screenshot below). Rename it Enableframeservermode, then double-click and set the value to 0.
At this point, those with 64bit systems (to check, click Start, type about, click Enter, and look for ‘System type’) have to return to the registry editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\WOW6432NODE\MICROSOFT\ Windows Media Foundation\platform. Again, right-click Platform, click New, then DWORD (32-bit) and rename it Enableframeservermode with a value of 0.
Now users of both systems should close the registry editor and any open programs that use the webcam (such as the Windows 10 Camera app or Skype). When you reopen these programs your webcam should work with them as it did before the AU was installed.
Replace an outdated webcam driver
Outdated drivers are the most common culprit if you see the error message ‘we can’t find your camera’ when you try to use it. Your webcam may simply be too old for Windows 10 (and therefore not compatible).
To check this, click the Start button, type device manager then press Enter. You’ll find an entry for your webcam driver under ‘Imaging devices’ or ‘Sound, video and game controller’. Once you’ve found it, right-click your webcam’s entry, then select Properties. Click the Driver tab, then Driver Details and look for any file name that contains stream.sys. If you find one, your webcam is too old to work in modern versions of Windows.
If you don’t see a filename containing stream.sys, your best course of action is to uninstall your webcam’s driver and install the latest version afresh. To do this, in Device Manager right-click your webcam, select Properties, click the Driver tab then Uninstall (see screenshot below). In the pop-up window, tick the ‘Delete the driver software for this device’ box and click OK. Now return to the Device Manager, click Action, then ‘Scan for hardware changes’. This scan should find your webcam and reinstall the most up-to-date drivers. Once it finishes, restart your PC.
Webcam produces video without audio
You might find your webcam streams or records video without sound – or perhaps the recipients of your video calls can’t hear you. This is probably a problem with your microphone settings.
Click Start, type control panel, then click ‘Hardware and Sound’ then Sound. Click the Recording tab, Microphone, then Properties. Next, click the Levels tab and move the Microphone Array slider (see screenshot below) to the right to turn up the recording volume, then click OK to save the changes. If the recording volume is still too quiet, try moving the Microphone Boost slider. Move this back to the left if the webcam’s audio becomes too loud or distorted.
Poor video quality
If your webcam’s footage is too blurry, too dark or generally substandard, there are a few things you can try.
First, try installing the latest driver for your webcam (see ‘Replace an outdated webcam driver’ tip left).
Second, increase the amount of light in your room. The small aperture sizes of most webcams means they perform badly in low light (much like phone cameras). Switch on lights and open curtains – just make sure you don’t have a bright light directly behind you or you will be in silhouette. For best results, place a desk lamp behind the webcam, with the light directed up towards the ceiling to create a bright source of light.
Another cause of poor video quality is grease on the lens. Use a soft, lint-free cloth (also known as a microfiber cloth) to clean the webcam’s lens.
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