HP Computer Owners : Swap Cyberlink YouCam for HP MediaSmart Webcam

Those of you who have purchased an HP Pavilion / TouchSmart computer, in the last couple years, must be familiar with the Cyberlink YouCam (version 2) software that is installed by default in those models. YouCam is, in my opinion, a darn good webcam tool. However it’s not free and ever since version 3 of YouCam was released, all v2 users have been getting nag screens to upgrade.

This is definitely not what you’d call a pleasant user experience, and therefore HP has proceeded to fix the issue. By partnering with Cyberlink, HP has released MediaSmart Webcam, which closely resembles YouCam but is completely free to use on HP laptops, desktops, and touch screen PCs. To get MediaSmart, you can wait for HP Update (which should be installed on your computer unless you manually removed it) to deliver it to you. Or, you can Google your computer model, proceed to the HP page for the model, select your OS (you should preferably be running Vista or 7), and choose MediaSmart Webcam from the list of downloads available. Here’s the required page for my laptop model running 32-bit Windows 7 – dv5-1006ax.

Screenshot 87 

Running the downloaded file will automatically remove YouCam and install MediaSmart on your laptop, which can then be accessed from the Start menu.

Screenshot 88

MediaSmart will run only on HP hardware, though owners of other models can try and get gobsmacked in the face.

 

P.S. If you’re planning to purchase an HP Pavilion laptop in near future, here’s my advice – DON’T.

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  • MikeS

    I downloaded MediaSmart Webcam for my Pavillion tx2120us (Windows 7 Home Premium – 64-bit), but it doesn’t show up on the start menu. Trying to run the .exe also doesn’t work. Any suggestions?

    • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

      The installation is actually pretty weird, and different from most other software. It’ll install silently in the backround and notify you once it’s done (can take some time). After it’s installed, press the Window key on your keyboard and start typing mediasmart and it should show up in the results. By the way, did you search for your product model in Google? MediaSmart might not yet be available for your model.
      Thanks for stopping by. :)

      UPDATE – Try installing this. ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp48001-48500/sp48236.exe

  • http://defragmentcomputer.com Defragment Computer

    Thanks for the link, problem solved!

  • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

    You should have searched for your specific model, and downloaded the setup from its software support page. Anyway, a System Restore should bring things back to normal. Try it. :)

  • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

    Nice. :)

  • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

    Yes, it’s free and you’ll get the link if you actually read the article and the comments. :)

  • Timahh

    so i downloaded as directed however it keeps telling me to make sure that the webcam is turned on. HOW DO YOU TURN ON the integrated webcam. nowhere does it tell me how to to turn it on.

    • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

      It definitely shouldn’t ask you to do that. :| The job of this software is to turn on your webcam, and show it to you. Anyway, you should try some other apps, like ManyCam or Skype (by video-calling someone) – if they show you the same error, then there might be some problems with your webcam in the first place.

  • Timahh

    so i downloaded as directed however it keeps telling me to make sure that the webcam is turned on. HOW DO YOU TURN ON the integrated webcam. nowhere does it tell me how to to turn it on.

    • http://pctonic.net/ Ashutosh Mishra

      It definitely shouldn’t ask you to do that. :| The job of this software is to turn on your webcam, and show it to you. Anyway, you should try some other apps, like ManyCam or Skype (by video-calling someone) – if they show you the same error, then there might be some problems with your webcam in the first place.