Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message

HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

Want to know HOW TO..? Have a FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION..?
If you can't find it here, tell us and we'll publish whatever you need
Post Reply
Message
Author
Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#1 Post by Ladywiz » Fri Oct 07, 2016 10:51 am

Hi, I have a Thinkpad T61 by Lenovo that I bought off of Amazon. I can see there's a little camera icon on the laptop top of the screen, but I can't find how to turn it on or if I need some extra software. I'm on XP and happy to report there's never been an issue with it at all.

How can I check to see if there's any webcam or integrative camera on the T61? Do I need to buy an extra webcam? :D

Thank you for any input out there.

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23800
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#2 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Oct 07, 2016 11:28 am

There is no camera/webcam on any T61.
What you see is the Thinklight, which you can switch on with Fn/PgUp.
So you'll need an external webcam.
IMHO one of the best is the Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000, which you can find on e.g. eBay.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
.

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#3 Post by Ladywiz » Fri Oct 07, 2016 12:22 pm

Thank you for answering so soon. I didn't think there was anything installed on the T61, but since it has a little icon, I thought that might be it. Thanks once again.

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23800
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#4 Post by RealBlackStuff » Fri Oct 07, 2016 2:32 pm

A friend just told me that on the T61 14.1" widescreen models there was a webcam option.
Never seen one of those, but check in your Device Manager under Imaging Devices, if yours has a webcam.

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#5 Post by Ladywiz » Sat Oct 08, 2016 1:08 pm

My T61 doesn't even have an "Imaging Devices" under the "Device Manager." Although there seems to be a camera icon on the top of the screen's lid, there isn't any lens or anything that I can see...just the icon and no mention of a software anywhere under "programs" or otherwise. Thanks for your help people, just the same. I appreciate it.

I guess I'll have to get a webcam ... :)

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#6 Post by rkawakami » Sat Oct 08, 2016 1:37 pm

Looking through the PSREF that covers the T61 systems, there were several widescreen models that did come with the integrated webcam. The best way to check to see if the system originally came with a camera is to enter the 7-characters model type into the link named MTM at the top of this page. If it reports that the system did have a webcam and Windows is not finding one, I can only assume that the camera is either defective or has been removed by a previous owner for some reason.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#7 Post by Ladywiz » Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:19 pm

Thank you, rkawakami, I'll try it as soon as I can. Thank you for the info about MTM. :D

I just ran it, but it only says, "ThinkPad T61 Configure-To-Order system." Whatever that means. :?

ajkula66
SuperUserGeorge
SuperUserGeorge
Posts: 17303
Joined: Sun Feb 25, 2007 11:28 am
Location: Belgrade, Serbia

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#8 Post by ajkula66 » Sat Oct 08, 2016 4:46 pm

There's a sticker on the bottom side of the laptop that shows the serial number (no need to post that), production date AND a 7-character model number, shown in the form of TYPE 7655-12U.

What are these 7 characters on your machine?
...Knowledge is a deadly friend when no one sets the rules...(King Crimson)

Cheers,

George (your grouchy retired FlexView farmer)

One FlexView to rule them all: A31p

Abused daily: T520, X200s


PMs requesting personal tech support will be ignored.

TPFanatic
Senior ThinkPadder
Senior ThinkPadder
Posts: 2202
Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2015 11:29 pm
Location: Boston, Massachusetts

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#9 Post by TPFanatic » Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:01 pm

Does your laptop have a parallelogram shaped indentation at the top of the lid bezel?
Shaped like this: \___0_\
Or like this picture: (hi-res 1600x1359 jpg) https://www.laptops4all.nl/media/catalo ... tebook.jpg

The parallelogram suggests a webcam. Otherwise you may be looking at the Thinklight keyboard lamp activated by pressing Fn+PgUp.

rkawakami
Admin
Admin
Posts: 10327
Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2006 1:26 am
Location: San Jose, CA 95120 USA
Contact:

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#10 Post by rkawakami » Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:42 pm

Ladywiz wrote:I just ran it, but it only says, "ThinkPad T61 Configure-To-Order system." Whatever that means. :?
That means that the configuration of the system, what software and hardware it had installed directly from the factory, was a special order version. The MTM link cannot determine exactly how those systems were set up. In the past, the only way to determine a CTO configuration was to input the serial number of the system at the online IBM Parts Lookup web page. However, I believe that a T61 is too old to be in the database.
Ray Kawakami
X22 X24 X31 X41 X41T X60 X60s X61 X61s X200 X200s X300 X301 Z60m Z61t Z61p 560 560Z 600 600E 600X T21 T22 T23 T41 T60p T410 T420 T520 W500 W520 R50 A21p A22p A31 A31p
NOTE: All links to PC-Doctor software hosted by me are dead. Files removed 8/28/12 by manufacturer's demand.

excal32
BANNED
Posts: 240
Joined: Sat Apr 05, 2014 2:55 am
Location: Banned

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#11 Post by excal32 » Sun Oct 09, 2016 1:43 am

TPFanatic wrote:Does your laptop have a parallelogram shaped indentation at the top of the lid bezel?
Shaped like this: \___0_\
Or like this picture: (hi-res 1600x1359 jpg) https://www.laptops4all.nl/media/catalo ... tebook.jpg

The parallelogram suggests a webcam. Otherwise you may be looking at the Thinklight keyboard lamp activated by pressing Fn+PgUp.
I used to have a T61 that did actually have a built in webcam. It eventually died, but I still have the screen somewhere.

Can confirm this is what a webcam T61 would look like. Otherwise it would be flat black plastic across the top.
1x R500 (P8600), R61e [T9300], X61 (T7300) - RIP T420 (replaced by HP Z420 workstation)

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#12 Post by Ladywiz » Tue Oct 18, 2016 10:52 am

TPFanatic and excal32:

I do know about the Thinklight, so that's not the issue. It's just that my T61 has a camera icon, but no integrative camera listed anywhere, either on the control panel or anywhere else.

I'm trying to get out of spending on a webcam if I already have one in the laptop.

excal32 wrote:
TPFanatic wrote:Does your laptop have a parallelogram shaped indentation at the top of the lid bezel?
Shaped like this: \___0_\
Or like this picture: (hi-res 1600x1359 jpg) https://www.laptops4all.nl/media/catalo ... tebook.jpg

The parallelogram suggests a webcam. Otherwise you may be looking at the Thinklight keyboard lamp activated by pressing Fn+PgUp.
Can confirm this is what a webcam T61 would look like. Otherwise it would be flat black plastic across the top.
Can you recommend a good, inexpensive webcam if I don't have one in the laptop? Thank you.
P.S. What is a bezel? Pardon my ignorance.
:o

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23800
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#13 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Oct 18, 2016 11:35 am

Since you have no Imaging Devices in your Device Manager, there are a few options:
it is either disconnected, broken or missing altogether.
You'll need to remove the LCD-bezel (the rectangular front-plastic around the screen), to check.
To do so, get the HMM for instructions:
if 14.1" widescreen: http://www.thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hm ... 547_05.pdf
if 15.4" widescreen: http://www.thinkpads.com/support/hmm/hm ... 546_04.pdf

If disconnected, reconnect it to see if still OK.
If broken or missing or not OK, buy a webcam such as I suggested earlier.
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Lenovo: X240, X250, T440p, T480, M900 Tiny.

PS: the old Boardroom website is still available on the Wayback Machine
.

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#14 Post by Ladywiz » Tue Oct 18, 2016 12:00 pm

Thanks, RBS15000 it's actually RealBlackStuff

I'd get it, but in reading some of the reviews, they said the clip device, as designed, only works on flat screen bezels and not the T61 slanted-edge lid.

Maybe I'm reading it all wrong, but it was a common complaint or warnings the reviews had, about the clip on device. They said if you used it on an T61, it would leave the camera pointed downwards at the keyboard and not in your face. The only option would be to use masking tape or something like that.

I guess I better keep looking as, my bezel, I think that's what you call it, is not flat, but raised and slanted. Thank you for your help once again.
:D

RealBlackStuff
Admin Emeritus
Admin Emeritus
Posts: 23800
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
Location: Loch Garman, Éire

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#15 Post by RealBlackStuff » Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:54 pm

Well, they got it all wrong!
If you position the folding "leg" correctly it's perfect.
That Logi webcam fits snug and tight on any laptop-lid you care to try.

Ladywiz
Posts: 21
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2016 5:17 pm
Location: Miami, FL

Re: HOW CAN I TELL IF I HAVE INTEGRATIVE CAMERA FUNCTIONS?

#16 Post by Ladywiz » Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:57 pm

Thanks, I think I'll follow your advice. I can also return it via Prime Amazon I guess. Thanks once again.

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “** HOW TOs & FAQs **”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests