Camera will not initialize

[rlarsen462]

I never use the Surface camera (front or back) but I noticed last night that when I attempt to open it I am greeted with a gray screen and an eventual crash (app exits)... any idea where to even start troubleshooting this? I tried searching but couldn't really find anything other than someone mentioning to restore the Camera Roll folder, but mine has never been touched in the first place.

Kind of frustrating in case I want to use Skype or something I'm not going to be able to.

 

[rlarsen462]

Okay just noticed that if I go into Skype and options, I do see the forward facing camera initialize and show me my face in the small window, so it does appear to still be working there, although I can't test it in a full video call situation.

So it just seems like the Microsoft camera app that's messed up... any clues? Prefer not to consider a refresh at this time...

 

[r0b123]

Do a system update for software/firmware and restart to see if it helps.

Does Skype crash as well? Is it the Skype MUI version? You can also download the desktop version which I prefer to use.

 

[GreyFox7]

Ok, silly question but which camera is selected in the Camera App?
For security reasons I have a piece of paper over my front camera. If I select the front camera the screen is completely gray until I remove the paper.

 

[rjwerth]

Have you ever attempted to change the location of your default Pictures folder? If so, that is what is crashing your camera. When it can't find the stupid hidden system folder that gets moved when you change where you want to put your pictures, the silly program just stops. Microsoft at their finest.

So, if you told your surface that your pictures are stored on an external drive, and then forgot to hook that drive up, the camera app just goes boom rather than doing something helpful. You have to a) restore the default path of your pictures folder and then b) find the hidden system file in the directory you pointed Windows to and move it back to the default directory.

MS will make you refresh your system if you call them about this silly bug....and it won't work!

 

[rlarsen462]

No system updates available, nothing over either camera, and haven't moved the camera/pictures folder (I saw that solution on TechNet too).

I'm totally stumped. It works for Skype, but the Microsoft camera app just shows a gray screen with the icons on the right side, I can actually select between front and rear cameras but the screen stays a uniform gray then eventually it crashes back to the start menu...

My luck to find a new bug...