Webcam becomes "Unknown Device" after Windows Messenger 2011 is installed

[boris1234]

I have Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J laptop. I installed Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit. I was able to find drivers for all hardware without any problems.

Recently, I installed Microsoft Windows Live Essentials 2011, i.e. Windows Live Messenger 2011. Ever since that application is running on my computer, my webcam is not recognized by the OS any more. It is listed as the "Unknown Device" and placed in the Universal Serial Bus controllers group in the Device Manager.

There don't seem to be any drivers for this webcam. It happens from time to time that the webcam becomes recognized by the OS again, after a couple of restarts; but not always. Then it becomes unknown again.

I am absolutely positive that this issue is caused by the Windows Live Messenger 2011. I wish to be able to continue to use this software, but also to use my webcam. I was wondering if anyone had a similar issue and is there a way to fix it. Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

[Blencogo]

I think all you can try is to uninstall Windows Live Essentials just to find out if this is the cause of the problem.

As you say, there are no camera drivers - the camera is designed to work automatically with Windows without driver support and diagnosing any problem is not easy.

Does the camera work with Arcsoft Webcam Companion?

[boris1234]

If the camera is in the Unknown Device mode then it is not recognized by any software. So, it doesn't work in Messenger, Movie Maker, Skype, Google Voice and Video Chat, Acrsoft Webcam Companion... nowhere.

I realized a behavioral pattern: When the camera goes astray, the only way to bring it back is to shut down the laptop and to turn it back on. And here's the funny part: Simply restarting the machine does not help. It has to be turned off and then turned back on.

I haven't tried to uninstall/reinstall the Live Essentials, but I'll play with that as well. The only thing I am certain when it comes to this application, the camera works flawlessly until it is installed; thus, I doubt it is a hardware issue. Uninstalling the Live Essentials will tell if it permanently creates a mess or just conflicts while it is present in the system. (You know, when the camera does work, I can video chat using the Windows Live Messenger. What a brain teaser!)