Samsung Series 3 - NP300E5E-S01CA - Webcam seems to be disconnected

Hello everyone,

So recently, the built-in webcam on my Samsung NP300E5E-S01CA seemed to have disconnected itself. Skype and/or the Camera app no longer recognizes a device. Originally device manager had "Webcam SC-10HDD12636N" under Imaging Devices grayed out indicating it was not connected. I thought it was a driver issue thus I installed "updated" Realtek camera drivers after a quick google search of the device name. Upon restart there was no longer a device under Imaging devices, even after scanning for hardware changes and showing hidden devices.

From this I concluded I may need to physically "reconnect" the webcam and fix a potential loose connection. Or worse find myself a replacement webcam. However there are not many resources online that show me how I go about doing this. From what I understand, in order to access the webcam I will need to remove the panel surrounding the LCD screen. Unfortunately most of the video tutorials online for dis-assembly do not have the same surrounding panel around the screen. Most videos (searching NP300E5E) show that removing four rubber pads reveals screws around the screen. I only have two circular rubber pads and underneath seems to be plastic.

Has anyone attempted to replace a screen with this exact model and if so how would I go about accessing the Webcam component? Or does anyone know if any other fixes that could resolve this problem.

I guess I should note that the microphone that is present beside the webcam is functional. Also upon boot the blue flash from the webcam is no longer present.

Thank you and sorry for the long explanation!

 

While a physical disconnection cannot be ruled out (I would first remove / replace the cable connection on the mainboard), it is also possible that the BIOS has decided that there is no camera. Try using the Reset to Defaults in the BIOS (tapping the F2 key a few times immediately after starting the computer should get you into the BIOS setup). If that doesn't work then I would try reloading the BIOS. Unfortunately, Samsung don't make this easy because their BIOS updater is designed to only run if there is newer BIOS to load. However, people have figured out work-arounds and one method is described here. Only after that would I consider trying to pull the display apart.

John

 

Thanks for the suggestions John! A quick load of the default BIOS config doesn't seem to do anything. I'll give reloading the BIOS a shot once I figure out all the instructions. For the motherboard connection, is there anything I should be looking out for as to where it may be connected and what its near? I haven't yet tried opening up my laptop, since it seems a bit tricky to access the motherboard.

 

The norm today is to use a flat film type of cable with a pull out connector. Be careful with these connectors as the pull pou is very delicate. If you pull too hard it is easy to break them, even the force of using your finger nail can break these.

 

If / when you get inside (some notebooks are better than others in this respect) the easy way to find the right cable is to look at the hinges because the cable has to pass through one of them. However, as noted above, you need to be careful with the connector on the board. Some use a latch which you can lift with a small screwdriver or fingernail. If in doubt about how to open the connector then take a photo or two and post them here.

John

 

Hello again,

I'm just a bit cautious about opening up my laptop. I've been watching

At around 6:50 he gets to the motherboard. Which connector would the webcam one be?

Oh using USBDeview I managed to bring back the Webcam under Imaging Devices in Device Manager. As seen below in my print screen. However I don't think this fixes any problems.

 

At 13:51 you can see the camera goes via flat ribbon cable to the primary video cable. With this video it seems the camera uses that same cable going back to the main board.

 

Since my screen still works, does that means I should try to access my that flat ribbon cable at the back of the screen instead of messing around with the primary video cable on the motherboard? I guess despite being a USB video device its still connected via this video cable?

Sorry, just want to clarify before I try prying apart my laptop!

 

Not being there it is hard to say. A bad connection of just a single pin could cause you issue from either end of the cable.

 

The displays on many recent notebooks aren't built for convenience of disassembly. They are glued, not screwed, together and you will need to proceed with caution.

John