Answer

There are a few easy steps to troubleshooting and fixing a malfunctioning webcam. Each step below might fix the problem. After each step, test the webcam. If it works, stop troubleshooting. If you don't want to go through each troubleshooting step, you can skip to the "System Recovery" section.

Check Device Manager

Open Device Manager. (In Windows 10 or Windows 8, hold the Windows key and press the 'x' key to open a menu in the lower-left. Select "Device Manager" from this menu. In Windows 7, search for it in the Start Menu's search field.) There should be an entry titled "Imaging devices" that can be expanded. The webcam should be listed under Imaging devices. If it's listed, continue to the next troubleshooting section. If it isn't there, try slowly closing the laptop while continuing to watch the Device Manager. If it suddenly appears, it indicates a hardware failure and a repair would be needed. If it never appears, continue to the next section.

Reinstall Software

Right-click the camera in the Device Manager and select "Uninstall," then restart your computer. The computer should reinstall its camera driver.

If that doesn't work, check the Toshiba support site for an updated camera driver. For instructions on how to find your downloads from Toshiba, please see the following Knowledge Base article.

Finding Documents and Downloads on the Toshiba Website

Look under the "Camera" category, and download the appropriate one for your version of Windows. Some laptops may not have one listed. This is fine, as many models don't use a specific camera driver, allowing Windows to provide the driver.

Check the UEFI or BIOS Settings

Some computers have the option of disabling the webcam in the UEFI or BIOS settings. Ensure that's it's enabled by performing the following steps. Note that some computers might not have this setting.

1. Turn your computer off. If your computer uses Windows 10 or Windows 8, hold SHIFT while seleting "Shut down" to perform a complete shut down.
2. Start the computer.
3. Begin tapping F2 when the TOSHIBA splash screen appears to enter the UEFI or BIOS settings. On some models, you might need to hold F2 while booting. If you have trouble entering the UEFI settings, please see the article titled  UEFI BIOS in Windows 8
4. Select Advanced
5. Select System Configuration
6. Select Web Camera.
7. Ensure it's set to Enabled.
8. Save and exit.

System Restore

Try using the System Restore utility to restore the computer to a working state. Select the most recent restore point from before the issue arose.

System Restore in Windows 10

System Restore in Windows 8

System Restore in WIndows 7

Uninstall Other Webcam Applications

Uninstall any other applications that use the webcam besides the pre-installed Toshiba camera application. For example, uninstall Skype if it's installed. This is just a temporary troubleshooting procedure. If uninstalling the other applications doesn't fix the problem, reinstall them. If it does fix the problem, try reinstalling them again to check if the webcam continues to work. If it stops working again, the issue is that specific third-party application.

Contact a professional or perform a system reset

Lastly, you might want to return your computer to factory default conditions. This is sometimes called a system reset or a system recovery. Note that this will remove all of your software and data that you added including applications, documents, photos, etc.

If you do want to proceed with a system reset, the system reset will return your computer to factory defaults. For more information, see one of the following articles:

Resetting a Windows 10 System to Factory Defaults

System Recovery Options

If the problem persists after a system reset, the computer might require servicing, and you should call customer support.