What you need to know
- A bug prevents the camera of the Surface Pro X from working.
- The issue stops you from using your camera for photos or video and affects sign-in through Windows Hello with an IR camera.
- There is a workaround for the issue, but it requires you to manually change the date and time of your PC.
- Update: Microsoft confirmed the issue and is "actively investigating" the bug.
Microsoft Surface Pro X owners are running into a frustrating bug. Affected users are unable to use their PC's camera. People on Reddit and Microsoft's support forums have run into the problem.
The error code "0xA00F4271<MediaCaptureFailedEvent> (0x80004005)" will appear when someone tries to open the camera app on an affected system. The bug also appears to prevent Windows Hello sign-in with an IR camera from working.
There appears to be a workaround for the bug, though it isn't a perfect solution. Reddit user rRamjet71 shared that you can manually set the date and time of a Surface Pro X to a few days ago to resolve the issue. That's not an option for everyone, however. The Verge's Tom Warren highlighted that authentication to some websites and services could be affected by your PC's date being manually set to a different day.
While it may be frustrating to not have access to your PC's camera, the best option is likely to wait for Microsoft to roll out a permanent fix for the issue.
Reddit user Motor-Roll-1788 shared the following exchange with Microsoft:
"Just got off the phone with a Microsoft troubleshoot person and they confirmed it is a known issue that Microsoft is currently working on and the only way to fix it immediately is if you do a full system reset which deletes all applications and files. He said doing a reset that retains user files does not fix the problem. He advised waiting a few days to see if Microsoft puts out a fix versus doing a full reset unless the cameras are needed immediately."
We'll keep an eye out for official word from Microsoft about the problem and when a fix is available.
