Activate web cam

hawksfan92 · 02-09-2017, 05:41 AM

I have a Toshiba satellite C55D A5108 it came with windows 10 on it. And I decided to install Linux on it. The laptop has an integrated web Cam on it and since I changed from windows to Linux I haven't been able how to use the web Cam. Do I have to install something? Or set it up in terminal?

beachboy2 · 02-09-2017, 06:14 AM

hawksfan92,

Assuming that it was working in Windows and is switched on (e.g. Fn + F6), open Terminal and type:

Code:

lspci

Press Enter.

Code:

lsusb

Press Enter.

A Device ID should be listed for the webcam.

Check the ID against this list and see whether the device works or not:
http://www.ideasonboard.org/uvc/

hawksfan92 · 02-09-2017, 01:05 PM

It was working before I switched to Linux. I went through terminal following your instructions and I got I'd numbers starting with 1d6b. And I did not see any that matched on that list, so my built in one isn't compatible with Linux?

ardvark71 · 02-09-2017, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawksfan92

It was working before I switched to Linux. I went through terminal following your instructions and I got I'd numbers starting with 1d6b. And I did not see any that matched on that list, so my built in one isn't compatible with Linux?

Hi...

Please post the results in their entirety. This might give us a better idea of what's going on.

Regards...

hawksfan92 · 02-09-2017, 01:15 PM

Just decides to take a pic for ya

ardvark71 · 02-09-2017, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawksfan92

Just decides to take a pic for ya

It appears your web cam is the Importek device (10f1:1a52.) Unfortunately, the device isn't listed in the page beachboy2 linked to. However, just as an additional check, please open a terminal and post the results of this command...

Code:

dmesg

Post the entire results. Don't upload a picture, please. If nothing else, you can purchase a Linux compatible web cam at a store, using the information that beachboy2 linked to, unless you want to reinstall Windows.

Regards...

beachboy2 · 02-09-2017, 02:15 PM

hawksfan92,

The command lsb should give a result like this:

Code:

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 04f2:b008 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd USB 2.0 Camera

It is possible that there is a setting in the BIOS which controls the webcam.

There should also be a webcam indicator light somewhere.

Open Terminal and please give us the output of:

Code:

usb-devices

Code:

dmesg | grep -i usb

Code:

lsmod | grep uvcvideo

Code:

ls /dev/video*

In your reply, copy and paste the outputs separately into the text box.

Then highlight the outputs individually and click on # (above this text box).

beachboy2 · 02-09-2017, 02:18 PM

hawksfan92,

The command lsb should give a result like this:

Code:

Bus 003 Device 002: ID 04f2:b008 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd USB 2.0 Camera

It is possible that there is a setting in the BIOS which controls the webcam.

There should also be a webcam indicator light somewhere.

Open Terminal and please give us the output of:

Code:

usb-devices

Code:

dmesg | grep -i usb

Code:

lsmod | grep uvcvideo

Code:

ls /dev/video*

In your reply, copy and paste the outputs separately into the text box.

Then highlight the outputs individually and click on # (above this text box).

@ardvark71,
Importek does not sound very promising! Never heard of that webcam make before.

hawksfan92 · 02-09-2017, 02:35 PM

And just looked in my bios I have version 1.80 and web Cam is enabled.

ardvark71 · 02-09-2017, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beachboy2

@ardvark71,
Importek does not sound very promising! Never heard of that webcam make before.

Hi...

Take a look through here.

Regards...

hawksfan92 · 02-10-2017, 02:57 AM

Yeah, I'm sure all of my drivers need updated. But I did some diggin around in terminal to find out what's wrong with my laptop cause it's been running like crap for a long while now. And I have a lot of debugging to do, somehow I have coding errors... not sure how that happens, I don't mess with that. I'm thinkin I might just back it up and reinstall Linux

Shadow_7 · 02-10-2017, 03:42 AM

Most times webcams are on the usb bus, even when they're built into the laptop.

$ sudo apt-get install guvcviewer
$ guvcviewer

If the driver is working (or appearing to), you should have a /dev/video# device. Otherwise you're missing some low level driver stuff, or it isn't supported.

hawksfan92 · 02-10-2017, 03:45 AM

I'll try those commands before I reinstall Linux so I know, but my system is so bad I think I just have to do that

hawksfan92 · 02-12-2017, 10:56 AM

HEY!!! good news guys!! So here I was messing around on vlc and on the playlist menu there is a video capture option under devices and I clocked on it and over on the play list pops up Toshiba web Cam click on that and it works! Now thinking about it makes sense I had a hard time finding it cause it had a program on windows and switching to Linux took that away. Now I just got to download a program for it. I hear cheese is good, and opinions on the programs available?

ardvark71 · 02-12-2017, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawksfan92

HEY!!! good news guys!! So here I was messing around on vlc and on the playlist menu there is a video capture option under devices and I clocked on it and over on the play list pops up Toshiba web Cam click on that and it works!

Hi...

Awesome, glad you got it working!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hawksfan92

Now I just got to download a program for it. I hear cheese is good, and opinions on the programs available?

I think Cheese is one of the better ones. I used it once to test my laptop's webcam but not extensively at all. There is also guvcview and some other ones listed here, if you want to check them out.

Let is know how it goes...

Regards...