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Camera does not turn on during startup after update

BearFlag

Member
Though resetting Hello worked for me initially the camera not turning on issue just reappeared for me. Sigh.
 

bobcpa

New Member
Same thing here.....camera doesn't turn on....sometimes the screen is really dark and I have to turn it off and then turn it on again. Windows Hello does not turn the camera on when first booting up. I have to turn off and on a few times to get it to work......this is the first time that I have had any issues with the Surface Book. I am sure Microsoft is aware of this......freak'n annoying.
 

bobcpa

New Member
One other thing....when I press the "detach screen" button on the keyboard, the ok to detach indication in the lower part of the screen does not come on. I only know that I can detach because I hear the mechanism unlock.
 

SurfaceBook160

New Member
I also had the 'Hell'o camera and 'detach screen' issues on my Surface Book. MS now have working patch process:

'Hello' stuck on 'Turning on camera' and 'Preparing security options'

Which states the following:
Step 1: As your Surface is powered on, press and hold the Power-button for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Press and hold the volume up-button and the power-button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, then release both.
The Surface logotype might flash on the screen while performing this step, but just keep both buttons pressed for the 15 seconds.
Step 3: Wait for about 10 seconds after you released the buttons.
Step 4: Start your Surface again by pressing and releasing the Power-button.


The UFEI is actually not a part of the troubleshooting. When you reach the UFEI setting, simply choose 'Exit' and 'Save & Restart' (you may only have the option to choose "Restart").
The 2-button shutdown is a troubleshooting step which searches the Surface for problems, and tries to automatically fix these, and it is really helpful if the problem is caused by drivers which are acting up or installed incorrectly.
Drivers are usually a reason for things that stop working suddenly, so you can use the 2-button shutdown in these cases.
 

bobcpa

New Member
Another issue that I have is the screen will dim after a period of time and there is no way bring the screen brightness back to what it was before the dimming happened
 

Niterider4

Active Member
My Windows Hello stopped working again today, after the reset got it working for a while.

I'm getting pretty damned tired of troubleshooting this brand new expensive computer every two days.
 

SurfaceBook160

New Member
Not sure if it is the same issue as you had, but I had my screen dimming in a quite well lit room which made reading a bit difficult. To override this I had to change settings.
To change:
Open Settings, select Display, then click the "Change brightness automatically when lighting changes" to turn this off.
 

SurfaceBook160

New Member
My Windows Hello stopped working again today, after the reset got it working for a while.

I'm getting pretty damned tired of troubleshooting this brand new expensive computer every two days.
I agree with you that it's sometimes quite frustrating...
Did you try the solution above? I have not had a problem with Windows Hello since I did this one.
 

Nonseven

Member
I seem to have found a fix that so far has been working for me.

Go to the control panel/System and Security/Find and Fix problems/Hardware and Sound/Configure a Device.

Then click Next and go through the process. Mine said it found a problem with a device, and fixed it, and then I rebooted. After that, the camera worked fine and is still working. Seems like it honed right in on what was keeping the camera from turning on and fixed it.
 

bobcpa

New Member
Just wanted to let everyone know that I went through the process that Surfacebook160 suggested and it appears to have fixed all of my issues. When I turn on the Book, the camera comes on and automatically logs me in, when I press the "detach" button the detach indication comes on as expected, and so far, I have not experienced any unexpected dimming of my screen. I will post updates if anything changes
 

mtmowl

Member
Ditto the above. It worked perfectly and the fix lasted through an overnight hibernation and start up, which the previous fixes did not.

Thanks, SB160.
 

Lori Keam

New Member
My Windows Hello stopped working again today, after the reset got it working for a while.

I'm getting pretty damned tired of troubleshooting this brand new expensive computer every two days.

I can completely relate. Still, it's such a beautiful piece of hardware.
 
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