Students can't get iSight camera working

[Kineas]

We currently have a Mac and Windows network, with the AD server managing the accounts and user folders/files and the AD server managing the settings for the Macs.

 

Came across a problem where student users don't seem to be able to use the built in iSight camera. When they use an application that requires it, such as Photo Booth, there's a constant swirling looking for a camera and under Camera on the toolbar, it stats no cameras available. When I'm logging into the Mac with either a local admin account or with a staff members network account, the camera works just fine.

 

This is the first time the kids have been attempting to use the camera since we've had all of Macs installed 12 months ago to my knowledge so I was unsure whether it has ever worked for them, whether the company (KRCS) who installed them for us had set up a restriction on the student group to restrict use of it but I can't seem to find a setting for it in Parental Control both in Workgroup Manager and Profile Manager.

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

[Brimstone]

We currently have a Mac and Windows network, with the AD server managing the accounts and user folders/files and the AD server managing the settings for the Macs.

 

Came across a problem where student users don't seem to be able to use the built in iSight camera. When they use an application that requires it, such as Photo Booth, there's a constant swirling looking for a camera and under Camera on the toolbar, it stats no cameras available. When I'm logging into the Mac with either a local admin account or with a staff members network account, the camera works just fine.

 

This is the first time the kids have been attempting to use the camera since we've had all of Macs installed 12 months ago to my knowledge so I was unsure whether it has ever worked for them, whether the company (KRCS) who installed them for us had set up a restriction on the student group to restrict use of it but I can't seem to find a setting for it in Parental Control both in Workgroup Manager and Profile Manager.

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

It always amazes me, have you not called the supplier who sold this to you? Surely they can give you some tech support?

[tobiasclarity]

We currently have a Mac and Windows network, with the AD server managing the accounts and user folders/files and the AD server managing the settings for the Macs.

 

Came across a problem where student users don't seem to be able to use the built in iSight camera. When they use an application that requires it, such as Photo Booth, there's a constant swirling looking for a camera and under Camera on the toolbar, it stats no cameras available. When I'm logging into the Mac with either a local admin account or with a staff members network account, the camera works just fine.

 

This is the first time the kids have been attempting to use the camera since we've had all of Macs installed 12 months ago to my knowledge so I was unsure whether it has ever worked for them, whether the company (KRCS) who installed them for us had set up a restriction on the student group to restrict use of it but I can't seem to find a setting for it in Parental Control both in Workgroup Manager and Profile Manager.

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!

Have you attempted to use it under a local administrator account?

[Kineas]

@Brimstone

 

Yes I have contacted them. Every time I contact them for tech support, the person on the phone never has a solution for me and always gets the employee who installed it for us to contact me in-between jobs. This time his response was "Make a test staff account, see if it works. If it does, move the account into the students group, see if it works. If it doesn't, then there's a setting somewhere".

 

@tobiasclarity

 

When I'm logging into the Mac with either a local admin account or with a staff members network account, the camera works just fine.

[tobiasclarity]

@Brimstone

 

Yes I have contacted them. Every time I contact them for tech support, the person on the phone never has a solution for me and always gets the employee who installed it for us to contact me in-between jobs. This time his response was "Make a test staff account, see if it works. If it does, move the account into the students group, see if it works. If it doesn't, then there's a setting somewhere".

 

@tobiasclarity

Sorry matey i didnt see you had already answered that, its really difficult to tell if you are saying settings are coming straight from a binded AD, is there nothing being controlled by either PM or WGM?

[Kineas]

No problem. As far as I can see, theres nothing in PM or WGM that's restricting the camera, but I can't find any option in either that would allow it anyway. Do the students need some sort of admin privilege to be able to access it?

[njc235]

Don't know if this helps at all.

 

How to disable the built-in iSight Camera | OSXDaily

[Brimstone]

@Brimstone

 

Yes I have contacted them. Every time I contact them for tech support, the person on the phone never has a solution for me and always gets the employee who installed it for us to contact me in-between jobs. This time his response was "Make a test staff account, see if it works. If it does, move the account into the students group, see if it works. If it doesn't, then there's a setting somewhere".

 

@tobiasclarity

 

So have you tried to run this test just to see if this moves you forward?

[Kineas]

Yes I have.

 

The user groups of Staff and Students on the Mac server are linked to the Staff and Students groups in AD. I created a new user and put it in the Staff group in AD and it didn't work, same when I put it in the Students group.

 

I even added a new user to all the administrator groups and it didn't work.

 

So it appears new users can't access it either.

[samurl_]

Are you 100% sure there isn't a restriction in place under ANY of the possible grouping tabs (user, computer group, user group, etc...) for system preferences or anything else relevant to block the camera?