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iSight not working?

Ok, I've looked through everything and tried the troubleshooting provided. I checked out the system, uninstalled programs, restarted my Mac, etc., and I'm not sure what the issue is. iSight was working perfectly fine, and then all of a sudden on Thursday it would not connect when I opened Photobooth. It is still not working with that, Skype, iChat, or any other program. It says I do not have a camera on this computer. I also tried making a new account to check the setup, and still nothing.

Not really sure what else I can do short of calling Apple...any other suggestions?

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.6.1)

Posted on Nov 9, 2009 3:23 PM

Reply
22 replies

Nov 9, 2009 6:16 PM in response to sweetclementinex

sweet_clementine wrote:
Ok, I've looked through everything and tried the troubleshooting provided. I checked out the system, uninstalled programs, restarted my Mac, etc., and I'm not sure what the issue is. iSight was working perfectly fine, and then all of a sudden on Thursday it would not connect when I opened Photobooth. It is still not working with that, Skype, iChat, or any other program. It says I do not have a camera on this computer. I also tried making a new account to check the setup, and still nothing.

Not really sure what else I can do short of calling Apple...any other suggestions?


Beyond the suggestions in http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090, the only possibility I know is that your software might be damaged in some way, especially if anyone has updated, modified, or reconfigured your Mac's software since your iSight worked properly.

If System Profiler still does NOT show your iSight as a USB device after trying all relevant suggestions from Apple, contact your AASP for professional service. However, if System Profiler does show your USB built-in iSight, restoring your software might help.

If you think software is a possible culprit, you can try restoring your Mac's OS from a backup dated earlier than the start of your problem.  Don't fail to backup important files before you restore.

If you do not have such a backup, you can follow the instructions in the User Guide that came with your Mac on how to restore your Mac's OS.

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.1)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.1)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nov 10, 2009 3:43 PM in response to OS Lucinity

OS Lucinity wrote:
I have an issue where iSight does not register during start up, and requires that I unplug & replug it in order to work. You might try unplugging, and replugging it if it's not found in your System Preferences > Sound list. This seems to happen occasionally.


FYI, OS Lucinity

OP is using a MacBook that has built-in iSight. Unplugging and replugging internal iSight is not easy, and it would likely void the MacBook's warranty.

Moreover, the fact that OP has marked the topic " answered" seems to me to indicate that this problem is solved.

Regards,
EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.1)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.1)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nov 12, 2009 5:47 PM in response to Mauzzy

Mauzzy wrote:
For the record, I have the exact same problem with a 17 MBP5,2. Its worked perfectly since I've had the computer and now all of a sudden it has stopped working tonight. I'm running 10.6.2...


I read your post to mean that the "it" that "stopped working tonight" is your "17 MBP5,2".

If you use third party hardware that requires software installation (mouse, keyboard, A/V interface, etc.,) or software (including Microsoft Office or Exchange, plugins such as Perian, Flip4Mac, etc.,) check their support sites to see if any of them have known-issues with 10.6.2. Perhaps you need to update the software or drivers for your third-party system components.

If your system has no third-party components, or at least none that require updating for OS X 10.6.2, reinstalling the update may help you.

If you updated to 10.6.2 using your Mac's  > Software Update... feature, here is one more thing you can try.



Use Disk Utility to repair permissions. Then download and install the

Mac OS X v10.6.2 Update (Combo): http://support.apple.com/kb/DL959



Immediately after the restart that completes the update, repair permisssions again and test whether your problem persists.

Properly applying relevant Combo Updates is so reliable for me that this is the only way I now update any of my Macs' OS X system software.

EZ Jim



Mac Pro Quad Core (Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/Mac OS X (10.6.2)  MacBook Pro (13 inch, Mid 2009) 2.26GHz (10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4 PowerBook 1.67GHz (10.4.11)  iBookSE 366MHz (10.3.9)  External iSight

Nov 17, 2009 7:48 PM in response to EZ Jim

Hello Jim. I have a 2 week old iMac 21.5in/500GB that just recently did the same thing. When you say to "repair permissions" before the combo update which drive to you choose. When disk utility is brought up it gives you a choice of 3 drives. I'm sorry if this is a ridiculous question but I'm new to the whole mac thing so I'm not familiar with the system.


Thanks

Nov 17, 2009 9:56 PM in response to ds1717

ds1717 wrote:
.... When you say to "repair permissions" before the combo update which drive to you choose...


answer: The startup drive.&ensp.(In Mac OS 10.6.x, the name ends in "Media")

If you “hover” the mouse pointer for a moment over each of the iCons in the sidebar at the left side of the DU window, it will tell you whether you are pointing at a disk or a "volume."

You want to _repair the Disk that contains the startup volume_ rather than repairing the volume itself. Therefore, once you know which is which from the "hover" info, click once to highlight the iCon for the startup disk. Then click the "Repair Disk Permissions" button and let DU run until it reports that repairs have been completed.

EZ Jim



MacPro QuadCore(Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/MacOSX (10.6.2)  MacBookPro(13inch,Mid2009) 2.26GHz(10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4PowerBook1.67GHz(10.4.11)  iBookSE366MHz(10.3.9)  External iSight

Nov 19, 2009 8:27 AM in response to ds1717

ds1717 wrote:
Hey thanks Jim. I tried this and still no luck. I guess I'm going to have to just take it in for service,


You're welcome!

I like your plan. Your new Mac will work right, and I am sure the Techs can get it going for you.

Please let us know what they find and the results, too.

We will watch for your status update.

Cheers,
EZ Jim



MacPro QuadCore(Early 2009) 2.93Ghz w/MacOSX (10.6.2)  MacBookPro(13inch,Mid2009) 2.26GHz(10.6.2)
LED Cinema Display  G4PowerBook1.67GHz(10.4.11)  iBookSE366MHz(10.3.9)  External iSight

iSight not working?

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