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I am fairly new user to Ubuntu. I have a fresh install of 64 bit Ubuntu 12.10 with the gnome remix. The laptop is Lenovo thinkpad T430u. The issue is my integrated laptop webcam is not working with Skype and Cheese. 

lsusb

gives

 Bus 003 Device 002: ID 04f2:b327 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd

as the webcam identifies.

With guvcview the camera works (poor choppy video quality). I installed skype from the Skype webpage and used the mixed architecture 12.04 download. I hope some one can provide a solution! Will be glad to give more info if needed! I know there are a lot of similar questions on askubuntu but in my case the webcam seems to be identified and works with one software. Moreover I had a previous 12.04 installation of ubuntu where skype video worked like a charm on the very same machine!

prasannavb
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1 Answers1

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Edit: It looks like this has been fixed with the latest kernels for 12.10 (3.5.0-26-generic) and 12.04 (3.2.0-39-generic).

--

It seems that the latest kernel broke webcams for some laptops. Try this:

  1. Run this command in a terminal to see which kernel you're currently using, and make a note of it:
    uname -r

  2. It seems that the last known working kernel for Ubuntu 12.10 was 3.5.0-23. Make sure it's installed by running this command in a terminal:
    sudo apt-get install linux-image-3.5.0-23-generic

    For Ubuntu 12.04, install this kernel:
    sudo apt-get install linux-image-3.2.0-37-generic

  3. Reboot your machine, and at the GRUB boot menu, go to Previous Linux versions --> Ubuntu, with Linux 3.5.0-23-generic (choose Ubuntu, with Linux 3.2.0-37-generic for Ubuntu 12.04)

If these instructions work for you, go to this bug report, log in, and near the top where it says Does this bug affect you? click it and select Yes:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1147729

It would probably also be good to add a comment with:

  • Your specific laptop model
  • The version of Ubuntu you're running
  • The version(s) of the kernel where the webcam doesn't work
  • The version(s) of the kernel where the webcam works

Hopefully if enough people report this bug it should get fixed soon.

bmaupin
  • 4,930
  • your post is old. Do you stand by your suggestion for a more recent upgrade of Ubuntu? My camera stopped working upon upgrading ubuntu versions. Does your solution still hold---even today?? – Michael Levy Jan 16 '22 at 18:51
  • @MichaelLevy The answer is it depends. Newer kernels contain newer device drivers and so generally have better hardware compatibility. But newer kernels can have regressions that break things. For this reason I only use LTS releases of Ubuntu as they're more stable and supported for longer. This question is specific to the Thinkpad T430u. Is that what you have? The camera still works for me on the latest Ubuntu LTS (20.04). Although it does suffer from a regression that prevents it from booting without a specific kernel parameter: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1808418 – bmaupin Jan 17 '22 at 13:42
  • @MichaelLevy ... I should also add that if you're not using a Thinkpad T430u running Ubuntu 12.10, then it would probably be worth searching this site to see if there's an existing question for your specific hardware/Ubuntu combination. If not, feel free to ask a new one. Without knowing anything more, it sounds like it could be a kernel regression. But hardware issues are complex and depend on a lot of factors. Hope that helps! – bmaupin Jan 17 '22 at 13:58