Webcams are a great tool for staying in touch, particularly when it comes to keeping in contact with far-flung friends and family. But sometimes they don’t always work as they should. In this troubleshooting guide, we reveal the steps you can take to get your Advent laptop webcam up and running again.
1. Check webcam in Windows
The simplest way to check if your webcam is working is to see if it’s detected in a program that uses it. For example, in Skype you would log in to your account, choose Tools> Options and select Video settings. After a short pause the webcam should be detected and a video feed appear. If it doesn’t, leave the dialogue box open and read on.
2. Use the function keys
Your webcam can be toggled on and off using a keyboard shortcut. Hold down the [Fn] key and look on the function keys at the top of the keyboard for a key with a picture of a webcam on it – it’s the [F7] key on the Monza series of laptops, for example. Press this and a Webcam on message should appear on the screen, as the light next to your webcam switches on. After a short pause, the video feed should spring into life in Skype.
3. Check other function keys
If nothing happens, hold down the [Fn] key and press the function key marked OSD. This should bring up a list of function keys on screen that will disappear after a short pause. If nothing happens, try the other function keys in conjunction with [Fn] to see what happens. If you get an error or nothing happens, read on; otherwise jump to step six.
4. Locate OSD software
The OSD software may be corrupt or missing from your laptop – if so, you’ll need to repair or reinstall it to switch your webcam back on. Open a folder and browse to C:\Applications\Drivers.
If this folder doesn’t exist, or there’s no OSD folder inside it, you should be able to download the OSD software from the Product Downloads section of our site – click here to select your make and type of computer (typically Advent> Laptop) before clicking Show models. Select your model from the Choose dropdown menu and click Go. Save the zip file to your hard drive, then double-click it and drag the OSD folder you find inside on to the desktop.
5. Repair OSD software
Open the OSD folder, double-click the setup file inside and follow the wizard, choosing to repair the OSD software when prompted. If this doesn’t work repeat the process, but this time remove the software, restart your computer and then repeat the process one last time to reinstall the software.
6. Check BIOS settings
Some Advent laptops come with webcams that can be enabled or disabled via the computer BIOS (Basic Input-Output System). To access this, shut down and restart your laptop, then look for a prompt to press a key to enter Setup – typically [Del] or [F2]. Press this and wait, then use the arrow keys to navigate the BIOS menus, looking for a Webcam option. Make sure this is switched on or set to Enabled before saving and exiting the BIOS.
7.Fix ‘No Function’ error with the Advent Modena M200 and M201
If you get this error with an Advent Modena M200 or M201 laptop, you can download a special update that will fix the problem and restore your webcam’s functionality – please note that this update will not work on any other laptop.
Advent M200 users: click here and select the Download link next to Driver Webcam "No Function" BIOS Update (with instructions) to download Advent_Modena_Update_105.zip to your computer. Advent M201 users should click here to download the update.
Once complete, right-click the zip file and choose Extract All followed by Extract. Open the Advent_Modena_Update_105 folder that appears then double-click the PDF file to read full instructions on applying the update.
8. Get it checked out
The webcam may have stopped working due to hardware failure or a loose cable that connects it to the laptop’s motherboard. We don’t recommend trying to resolve this issue yourself – use the Got A Question link opposite to speak to our experts and discuss your repair options (if your laptop is under warranty, this repair will be free). Alternatively, purchase an external webcam as a replacement, which might prove more cost effective (and convenient) than having the internal webcam fixed.