iMac camera doesn't work, must restart

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Level 1

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iMac camera doesn't work, must restart

Got a late 2012 27 inch iMac. Lately the built-in camera will stop working. If I restart, it works fine. And it continues to work fine. I think something happens when it sleeps overnight, or for a long time during the day. I called Apple here in Japan, and they had me do that thing where you hold Command, Option and . . . P and R? There's a name for that, but I forget. I'll call Apple again, but if someone has any clever ideas for me, I'm all ears. Thanks in advance.

Posted on Dec 1, 2015 6:57 PM

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Answer 1

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rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,556 points

Dec 1, 2015 6:59 PM in response to EddieT

Reset the SMC and see if that helps, you can also reset the PRAM. Instructions for both are in Intel iMac SMC and PRAM resets

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Answer 2

EddieT Author

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27 points

Dec 1, 2015 7:02 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks, rkaufmann. Yeah, I did that. One of those is what Apple had me do that I described in the original post. Didn't fix it.

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Answer 3

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,556 points

Dec 1, 2015 9:05 PM in response to EddieT

EddieT,

Do each reset 2-3 times back to back and retest.

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Answer 4

EddieT Author

Level 1

27 points

Dec 3, 2015 4:38 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks for your reply rkaufmann. I'll give it a try. Do you mean to do the SMC three times, then PRAM three times? Or do the SMC, then the PRAM, in that order three times?

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Answer 5

rkaufmann87

Level 10

140,556 points

Dec 3, 2015 4:57 PM in response to EddieT

DO the SMC first then test to if it fixes the problem.if not the reset the PRAM and retest. Repeat if necessary.

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Answer 6

EddieT Author

Level 1

27 points

Dec 3, 2015 4:58 PM in response to rkaufmann87

OK. Of course, the restart itself always fixes the problem temporarily. But if it reoccurs, I'll do the reset again. If after three times or so it doesn't go away, I'll call the friendly folks at Apple Support Japan again. Thanks.

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Answer 7

EddieT Author

Level 1

27 points

Dec 9, 2015 5:53 PM in response to EddieT

Well, the resets have not helped. Just updated to 10.11.2. Ran Disk Utility First Aid. Ran Onyx. Called Apple. They had me do some stuff. Now they want me to do a clean reinstall of the OS. I have had this iMac for less than three years. It has already had to be shipped back to Apple for repairs TWICE (thank God I got AppleCare). This is the last straw. I want a new computer.

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