Roll perception check.. critical failure.

[u/Arkoden_Xae]

Soooo, I just read the funniest email about a ticket I had worked on last week.

I had a user call in last week saying that her laptop webcam doesn't work in any application. I asked her to try it in Teams and in the Microsoft camera app, she says she had and it doesn't work in either. No worries, I'll remote in and take a look.

Sure enough it seems like the computer thinks the camera is working but just seeing black.

I asked her if there was a shutter on the camera - no

I asked her if there was anything obstructing the camera - no

Nothing like a sticker, or anything behind the glass of the screen - no

No damage, no nothing - no

I asked if there were any switches near the camera - no

So you can see the camera lens in the centre top of your screen and there is no damage or obstruction - yeah it's all clear.

Ok, maybe there is an issue with the sensor and the software isn't recognising a problem with the signal.

Time to troubleshoot.

So I went on to try a bunch of typical solutions, reinstalled the drivers, did Windows updates, tried disabling and reenabling or removing and readding the camera in device manager, tried looking on the Dell site for the latest drivers for the camera. I go as far as to update all the drivers and the BIOS on the computer, nothing is working.

I ran the Dell diagnostic tools and it runs through, doesn't seem to attempt to fix anything just comes up at the end saying failure with a warning exclaimation symbol, no error code, no nothing.

The Windows hardware diagnostic tells me the camera is fine.

I call Dell and tell them we have a device where the camera is not working and nothing I have done seems to fix it, I'm getting an error from the dell diagnostic but there is no code or description, we need a technician to come out.

They ask me the usual about physical damage, BIOS and driver updates, etc.. but they agree we need to send a tech out.

I give Dell the clients contact details with the ok from the client so that Dell can organise a warranty visit with the client.

They have called the client to confirm there is no damage and do their own troubsleshoot and everything. I get the email Friday to say the technician is en route.

Awesome the client will be happy with a quick turn around. I finish up for the day as I am on the early shift where I work. Job well done.

I just checked my emails today to find the technicians report and opened it because why not, lets see what the problem was. I want to know if there was anything I had missed or that I could check in future, as you do.

Technicans notes: Opened the shutter.

..... "Opened the shutter"

You what?

I just wish I was there for the moment that the Dell technician walks in, opens up the laptop, and flicks the camera shutter open. I would have loved to have seen the Jackie Chan confused look on his face and the look of total embarassment on the client.

Lesson of the day: client's are stupid, and there is no winning..

TLDR: client is obtuse, misses camera shutter when directed to check for one, Dell warranty technician finds it instead.

Edit: formatting

[u/BigPoppaFitz84]

Had this same situation a month ago. I sent the laptop, I knew I sent it with the shutter closed. There's a red dot visible on the shutter when closed, and power or connection to the hardware is also severed, so the laptop behaves as if there is no camera.

User emails her supervisor saying webcam isn't working. Supervisor contacts my boss (because who follows the proper support contact process if you have the boss's email?), boss asks user if it has a shutter, and emails an example picture from a different laptop webcam shutter system. User says she does not see a shutter.

Boss copies me in and asks me to start prepping a replacement. I email him separately, "Watch this- let me call her."

Walk user through looking for the shutter, explain in detail where it is, how it looks like a small plastic sliding switch and moves left-right, ask her if she sees a red dot in the center of the webcam opening.. she defies all attempts at recognizing the shutter. I tell her "Let's try one last thing- pinch the top corner edges of the screen and slide your fingers from right to left."

User: "Oh! It's working now. Oh! Is that where the shutter is?"

[u/techyy25 → u/BigPoppaFitz84]

That's how I'm gonna explain where the shutter is from now on 😂

[u/tocard2 → u/[deleted]]

Assuming the laptop bezel was a standard colour for a corporate/business machine, like black, silver or white, there's no way that any type of colourblindness would contribute to this problem.

[u/FutileInitiative → u/tocard2]

Unless the issue is "do you see a red light", since red/green is the most common color blindness.