Lap top webcam is a good feature which is used to satisfy many camera demands either to record a video, take a snap shot, transmit video images during chat, etc. While it can be bought and connected to desktops and laptops, most of the modern laptops have a built in webcam. Some of them are set to start by default when the laptop is connected and others may be turned on once and it stays on.
While there are various applications of webcams and despite the fun we have in using them, there may be reasons we may want to turn them off. We often turn them off for security reasons, and privacy concerns.
The method of turning it off may depend on the operating system you are using. And for this reason, we are going to look at how to disable a laptop webcam on the Windows Operating System and then on the MacIntosh Operating System.
Things you need: Your laptop and administrative access to its database.
Windows Operating System
1. Click on the "Start Menu”. It is at the lower left corner of the screen.
2. Select "Control Panel” and click on "Performance and Maintenance”
3. Select "System” and choose the "Hardware” tab
4. Click on the "Device Manager”
5. Under the list of imaging devices, you will see the camera listed. Right-click on the camera device and select the "disable” option from the next menu.
MacIntosh Operating System
1. Open the computer’s hard drive and click on the "System”.
2. Click on the "Library” folder
3. When the Library folder opens click on the "Quick Time” folder and select the "Directory” tab
4. Create a Temporary backup iSight folder on the lap top’s hard drive
5. Look for the "Quicktime USB VDC Digitizer Component” file and copy it to the back up folder you just created.
6. Drag the folder to the trash to erase it, then open a web-based software program to ensure that the iSight camera is disabled.
While there are various applications of webcams and despite the fun we have in using them, there may be reasons we may want to turn them off. We often turn them off for security reasons, and privacy concerns.
The method of turning it off may depend on the operating system you are using. And for this reason, we are going to look at how to disable a laptop webcam on the Windows Operating System and then on the MacIntosh Operating System.
Things you need: Your laptop and administrative access to its database.
Windows Operating System
1. Click on the "Start Menu”. It is at the lower left corner of the screen.
2. Select "Control Panel” and click on "Performance and Maintenance”
3. Select "System” and choose the "Hardware” tab
4. Click on the "Device Manager”
5. Under the list of imaging devices, you will see the camera listed. Right-click on the camera device and select the "disable” option from the next menu.
MacIntosh Operating System
1. Open the computer’s hard drive and click on the "System”.
2. Click on the "Library” folder
3. When the Library folder opens click on the "Quick Time” folder and select the "Directory” tab
4. Create a Temporary backup iSight folder on the lap top’s hard drive
5. Look for the "Quicktime USB VDC Digitizer Component” file and copy it to the back up folder you just created.
6. Drag the folder to the trash to erase it, then open a web-based software program to ensure that the iSight camera is disabled.
