Does anyone know a way to have Privacy Mode defaulted Off for cam on a Lenovo laptop?

[m55]

(different laptop from my other thread)

I have a Lenovo T440p laptop with Windows 10. It has a built-in web camera. This camera's default is set in Privacy Mode meaning it shows a gray icon as the video of me with audio only. To turn off Privacy Mode, you have to go into the Lenovo Settings app and toggle it off to turn the camera part on. The problem is, it toggles back on everytime the computer is put into sleep, hibernate, restarted, or shut down, and is quite annoying. Does anyone have a solution so it stays off?

 

[OldGrayGary]

Hi m55


Lenovo utilities.... I usually uninstall these as soon as possible when setting up a computer for any of my customers.

I'd get rid of the Lenovo utility in question. Really, is there anyone in the world who wants their webcam in Privacy mode all the time (who doesn't work for the NSA?)..... Removing the poorly designed utility should bring permanent relief.

Sorry for the delay in replying ...

 

[m55]

Hi m55


Lenovo utilities.... I usually uninstall these as soon as possible when setting up a computer for any of my customers.

I'd get rid of the Lenovo utility in question. Really, is there anyone in the world who wants their webcam in Privacy mode all the time (who doesn't work for the NSA?)..... Removing the poorly designed utility should bring permanent relief.

Sorry for the delay in replying ...

This is not a solution, sadly. The computer's default is in Privacy Mode, even before I installed the app. I installed the app because without it I had no way to undo Privacy Mode.

 

[OldGrayGary]

I imagine that the Lenovo Settings app is just a front end to settings that manufacturer's shouldn't write bad software to fuss with in the first place. You can check in the Bios just to see if there are any oddball settings that affect the camera, heaven only knows which settings Lenovo has decided to toy with (could be a power or power-savings setting, or an "enable" setting).... I also suspect that it might toggle some of the settings in the Windows 10 on and off (you get to decide which apps use the camera, the Lenovo app might toggle these on and off).

I would be surprised if removing the Lenovo app would cause the camera to stay in "Privacy Mode" forever. I expect that going into the settings in Skype, in Windows 10, and in the Bios, would sort things out - and permanently.

If you haven't already, and you want to keep using Lenovo's bad work, try making sure to update to the latest versions of Skype, the Lenovo Settings app, the Lenovo driver for the camera, and the Bios of the motherboard as well. Somewhere in all that tangle might be an update that causes OFF to actually mean off.

Here's a thread that suggests the update route ... it might actually have worked:
Solved: Integrated webcam not found/working B5-7 - Lenovo Community

I really wish manufacturer's would stick to making good hardware, and let the software houses make decent software. But I won't rag on Lenovo too much, HP and ASUS write pretty awful software too (sadly, terrible drivers all too often) ... ... and, truthfully, I like several of the latest Lenovo laptop designs ...

Let us know if none of the above helps

 

[m55]

I imagine that the Lenovo Settings app is just a front end to settings that manufacturer's shouldn't write bad software to fuss with in the first place. You can check in the Bios just to see if there are any oddball settings that affect the camera, heaven only knows which settings Lenovo has decided to toy with (could be a power or power-savings setting, or an "enable" setting).... I also suspect that it might toggle some of the settings in the Windows 10 on and off (you get to decide which apps use the camera, the Lenovo app might toggle these on and off).

I would be surprised if removing the Lenovo app would cause the camera to stay in "Privacy Mode" forever. I expect that going into the settings in Skype, in Windows 10, and in the Bios, would sort things out - and permanently.

If you haven't already, and you want to keep using Lenovo's bad work, try making sure to update to the latest versions of Skype, the Lenovo Settings app, the Lenovo driver for the camera, and the Bios of the motherboard as well. Somewhere in all that tangle might be an update that causes OFF to actually mean off.

Here's a thread that suggests the update route ... it might actually have worked:
Solved: Integrated webcam not found/working B5-7 - Lenovo Community

I really wish manufacturer's would stick to making good hardware, and let the software houses make decent software. But I won't rag on Lenovo too much, HP and ASUS write pretty awful software too (sadly, terrible drivers all too often) ... ... and, truthfully, I like several of the latest Lenovo laptop designs ...

Let us know if none of the above helps

Weird I had checked for new BIOS last week and it said no update. I checked today again on System Update (note to Lenovo users who upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 reading this: you need to re-download System Update, the upgrade makes it go away) and there were updates for both BIOS and the Integrated Camera itself. One or both of those updates have resolved the issue. Thanks.

 

[OldGrayGary]

Very glad that you found the cure & posted it here. Many Lenovo customers are going to be grateful!


[but since I'm old & grumpy I still wish Lenovo would stop writing those utilities ... they seem to break a little too often... :) ]