Windows 10: Check if webcam being used with script / reading hardware properties values

Today occured to me that I could monitor the webcam usage through scripting and then generate some kind of alert through e-mail, for example, this would be for Windows 10 computer. After some research I found some possibilities and I would like to know if someone could help me to solve this.

For me, the tricky part is what to monitor, I think some way of getting webcam usage would be the following interfaces:

• WMIC
• Powershell
• Hardware EventLog
• Linux subsystem (probably the "not so clean" solution)

So during my research, I found a powershell command:

Get-WmiObject Win32_PnPEntity | where {$_.caption -match 'camera'}

This command gave a lot of information about the integrated camera right of the box, but none of the parameters give me information about camera being used.

Looking for Computer Management > Device Manager, I look for Integrated Camera Device Properties > Details > Power Data parameter and I thought that I could to use the D state to know if the camera is being used (D0 State) or not (Other than D0 state).

I tried to find a way of matching or building a WMI query to look to the device and then get the D state but no luck! Anyone knows how to do it or where to search for it? Is this a wrong approach or do you recommend to do something else?



The data I want to get via script

My idea then could be create some kind of monitoring service using that query and than notify me about the D State change.

submitted by /u/dmouraplm
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:)

 

How to check which process is using Webcam?

Hi,



Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community. Let me help you.

• 
  What is the make and model of your computer?
  

This issue might appear due to the incompatible drivers. I suggest you to
uninstall and reinstall the webcam drivers from your computer and check if it resolves the issue. If the issue persists,
download and install the latest driver from your computer manufacturer website and check if it helps.



You can also run hardware troubleshooter and check if it helps.

Follow the below steps.

• 
  Press Windows key + "W" key on your keyboard.
  
• 
  Type Troubleshooting and click
  Troubleshooting under Settings.
  
• 
  Now type Hardware Troubleshooter in the search option.
  
• 
  Click on Hardware troubleshooter to run the troubleshooter.
  

Check if it helps.



I hope the information helps. If you need any further assistance, please feel free to contact us again. We will be happy to assist you accordingly.

 

webcam issue

Hi,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. I understand the inconvenience you are facing. I will certainly help you with this.

The information which you have provided is not enough for us to determine the issue. Please provide us more information.

• What exact error message do you receive while using Webcam?
• Does this issue persist while using specific app/program or does it persist with all app using Webcam?

Method 1:

I suggest you to run the Hardware and Devices
troubleshooter and check if it helps.

• Type troubleshooting in the search bar.
• Select Troubleshooting.
• Select View all on the top left corner.
• Click on Hardware and Devices.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to run the troubleshooter.
• Check if issue persists.

Method 2:

If issue persist, I suggest you to try installing Webcam drivers in compatibility mode. Compatibility mode runs the program using settings from a previous version of Windows. Follow these steps to install the drivers in compatibility mode and check
if that helps.

• Download the Webcam drivers from the manufacturer’s website.

• Right-click on the driver setup file and click on ‘Properties’.
• Click on the ‘Compatibility’ tab and check the box
  ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for’ and select Windows 8/8.1 operating system from the drop down menu and proceed with the installation. Once this is done, restart the computer and check if the issue persists.

Hope this information is helpful. Do reply if you need further assistance, we will be happy to help you.

Thank you.

 

windows 10 webcam not working

Thank you for the information.

To resolve your webcam issue, we suggest uninstalling the webcam drivers and scan for hardware changes. Here are the steps:

• Go to Device Manager.
• Select Properties.
• Choose the Driver tab, click Uninstall, select
  Delete the driver software for this device, and hit OK.
• In the Device Manager, select Action tab, click
  Scan for hardware changes. (Note: It will scan and reinstall the updated drivers on your PC.)
• Once done, restart your computer, open the Camera app, and check if that will do the trick.

Get back to us with the outcome so we can help you out further.