On Tuesday, reports of camera malfunctions circulated on online forums such as the Microsoft Community and Reddit. These sources pointed to malfunctions of both the front and rear cameras on the tablet-laptop hybrids, hampering the functionality of apps like Zoom and Windows Hello facial recognition. The error code reported was “0xA00F4271 (0x80004005)”. Microsoft is aware of the issues and is working to resolve them.
The @MicrosoftHelps Twitter account responded to requests for resolution with “…Thank you for informing us of your concern. We understand that your device’s Windows Hello and camera have stopped working. We know how important it is to sort this out. We’re here to help. We have sent you a DM.”
To address the issue, users should go to their device’s Date & Time Settings and disable the automatic time setting. Then they can adjust the time to before May 23, 2023. However, users should be aware of the risks, as messing with the time can break other apps and make them falter. Additionally, Windows users in managed environments may not be able to change the time, as there are specific policy settings for controlling time changes.
Strategy Analytics estimates that Microsoft will have sold 1.9 million tablets by 2021. Many of these users are now waiting for a fix.
