Camera Not Working and Crackling Noise During Video Calls – Surface Pro 6 Hello Microsoft Support,

Hi Abhishek Sharma

A few additional details may help narrow this down further:

• Does the camera appear under Device Manager > Cameras (or is it missing entirely)?
• If you open the Camera app, do you receive a specific error code such as 0xA00F4244 or 0xA00F429F?
• Does the crackling/static noise occur only during camera use, or is it also present when recording audio with the built-in microphone?
• Have you tested whether the issue persists in a clean boot or in the UEFI environment?

If the cameras are missing from Device Manager, remain undetected after the UEFI re-enable procedure, and the crackling noise continues, that would strengthen the case for a hardware fault involving the camera/microphone assembly or related internal connections. In that scenario, contacting Surface Support to discuss repair or replacement options would likely be the next step. Microsoft also recommends updating Surface drivers/firmware and using the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit as part of the support process.

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Hi Abhishek,

This is a frustrating issue, especially since a software engineer has already looked at it. The combination of the camera app failing to open and a continuous crackling/static noise during video attempts strongly suggests either a severe hardware conflict or a physical failure in the camera/microphone module assembly (as they often share the same flex cable and internal grounding paths).

Before declaring it a hardware failure, here are the definitive steps to isolate and hopefully resolve the issue:

1. Force a Hardware-Level Reset

Sometimes standard restarts don't clear stuck firmware in the camera module.

Shut down your Surface Pro 6 completely.

Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, then release both. (The Surface logo may flash, but keep holding for the full 15 seconds).

Wait a few seconds, then turn it back on normally and test the camera.

2. Check the Surface UEFI Settings

We need to ensure the hardware isn't disabled at the motherboard level.

Shut down your device.

Press and hold the Volume Up button, then press and release the Power button.

Release the Volume Up button when the Surface logo appears; you will enter the UEFI menu.

Go to Devices and look for Front Camera, Rear Camera, and IR Camera.

If they are toggled On, toggle them Off, save and exit, and let Windows boot up.

Then, restart back into UEFI and toggle them back On. This forces Windows to completely re-detect the hardware.

3. Reinstall the Intel Control Logic Driver

The crackling sound combined with a camera failure usually points to the audio/video interface driver.

Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.

Expand the System devices section.

Look for Intel(R) Control Logic (there might be more than one).

Right-click it and select Uninstall device. If prompted, do not check the box to delete the driver software.

Restart your Surface. Windows will automatically reinstall the driver.

4. Run the Official Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

Microsoft provides a dedicated tool that checks for specific hardware-firmware mismatches on Surface devices.

• Download and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit from the official Microsoft support page. It will run an automated suite of tests specifically tailored to your hardware.Hi Abhishek, This is a frustrating issue, especially since a software engineer has already looked at it. The combination of the camera app failing to open and a continuous crackling/static noise during video attempts strongly suggests either a severe hardware conflict or a physical failure in the camera/microphone module assembly (as they often share the same flex cable and internal grounding paths). Before declaring it a hardware failure, here are the definitive steps to isolate and hopefully resolve the issue:

  1. Force a Hardware-Level Reset

  Sometimes standard restarts don't clear stuck firmware in the camera module.
  • Shut down your Surface Pro 6 completely.
  • Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, then release both. (The Surface logo may flash, but keep holding for the full 15 seconds).
  • Wait a few seconds, then turn it back on normally and test the camera.

  2. Check the Surface UEFI Settings

  We need to ensure the hardware isn't disabled at the motherboard level.
  • Shut down your device.
  • Press and hold the Volume Up button, then press and release the Power button.
  • Release the Volume Up button when the Surface logo appears; you will enter the UEFI menu.
  • Go to Devices and look for Front Camera, Rear Camera, and IR Camera.
  • If they are toggled On, toggle them Off, save and exit, and let Windows boot up.
  • Then, restart back into UEFI and toggle them back On. This forces Windows to completely re-detect the hardware.

  3. Reinstall the Intel Control Logic Driver

  The crackling sound combined with a camera failure usually points to the audio/video interface driver.
  • Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
  • Expand the System devices section.
  • Look for Intel(R) Control Logic (there might be more than one).
  • Right-click it and select Uninstall device. If prompted, do not check the box to delete the driver software.
  • Restart your Surface. Windows will automatically reinstall the driver.

  4. Run the Official Surface Diagnostic Toolkit

  Microsoft provides a dedicated tool that checks for specific hardware-firmware mismatches on Surface devices.
  • Download and run the Surface Diagnostic Toolkit from the official Microsoft support page. It will run an automated suite of tests specifically tailored to your hardware.