Microsoft Surface Pro X users suddenly found last week that their ARM laptops could no longer use the camera and camera-related features, such as Windows Hello, and any attempts to open applications using the integrated camera resulted in the “0xA00F4271 ( 0x80004005)” error. Now, Microsoft has deployed a temporary fix to alleviate the issue.
The updated Windows Release Health dashboard contains all the details about the issue that causes the camera to go down in ARM-based Windows PCs. According to Microsoft, the vulnerability affects Qualcomm 8cx Gen 1, 8cx Gen 2, Microsoft SQ1 / SQ2 chip devices running Windows 11 version 22H2/21H2 as well as Windows 10 22H2. In other words, it is not an issue unique to the Surface, while the external USB camera works fine.
Some users have reported that the integrated camera is working again, thanks to Microsoft deploying a Critical Troubleshooter to alleviate the issue on most affected Windows devices. This troubleshooter starts automatically and does not require any action from the user. Users can check ARM-powered PCs by looking for the following entries in the troubleshooting history:
"Hardware and Device Troubleshooting Automatically change system settings to fix problems on the device"
Although the camera is back to normal, Microsoft says the relief is temporary. In addition, the fix is not available on managed devices because the administrator disabled the troubleshooter. Resolving the camera error on these PCs requires the following command to be executed with administrator privileges:
Reg add “HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Qualcomm\Camera” /v EnableQCOMFD /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
The command line method can be used on unmanaged devices if the critical troubleshooter has not been received. However, Microsoft warns that it only works on affected devices, so do not feel free to modify the system’s registry if the integrated camera is working properly.
Beyond that, the workaround has side effects, Microsoft says it may disable certain camera features or degrade image quality, and Microsoft is working with OEMs to develop new camera drivers to get the cameras back up and running. it
