Why Could I Not See the Other Party on the Webcam in Skype?
When Skype's video call feature works properly, you and your contact can see and hear each other clearly. The picture should flow smoothly without freezing or being choppy, and the sound should be perfectly in sync with the video. In other words, an ideal video chat session is almost like sitting across the table from each other. Sometimes, out-of-date software and webcam problems can prevent you from seeing the other person at all, but you can fix these problems.
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Basic Webcam Problems
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Ask your contact to check his webcam for two basic problems. First, have him ensure that it's turned on. If he accidentally turned it off at some point, or simply forgot to turn it on, he can easily resolve that. If that doesn't work, ask him to check for and close any other programs that could be using his webcam. If another program is already using it, the webcam may not work properly with Skype and you may end up staring at a black square.
Updates
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Suggest that your contact make any available updates to her software. This may be enough to get the webcam working properly again. Software to update includes Skype, DirectX, webcam drivers and even Windows itself. Failing to update any of these can lead to problems with the webcam and leave you unable to see your contact during a video call.
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Webcam Drivers
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Ask your contact to sign out of Skype and un-check the boxes that allow Skype to start and sign in automatically when the computer starts. To do this, he would click the Windows orb and then "Control Panel." Navigate to the Device Manager option in the Devices and Printers section. From there, click "Imaging devices" to ensure that the webcam is listed. If so, ask the contact to restart his computer and then manually open Skype and sign in. Try the video call again to see if this resolved the issue.
Call Settings
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Check the "Call Settings" indicator, located in the bar of options above the area where you chat with your contact. This updates you on the status of your microphone, speaker, webcam, computer and Skype connection. A poor connection can lead to a wide variety of problems with the call. You can also suggest that your contact check this indicator, as it may tell her what's wrong with her webcam.
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References
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