Mac OS X 10.4.8 Special Report: iSight difficulties: "In use," won't turn on, more

CNET staff

Sept. 2, 2009 12:16 a.m. PT

3 min read

The Apple iSight -- both built-in and external versions -- has proven a temperamental device with regard to incremental Mac OS X updates. In some cases, other devices on the FireWire or USB 2.0 bus can generate interference. In other cases, software issues are to blame.

In at least some cases, the conflict is caused by the Classic environment being active -- perhaps with some Classic application or component attempting to gain control of the iSight, obviating other applications from using it.

Stopping Classic (via the Classic pane of System Preferences) then repairing permissions (using Disk Utility, located in Applications/Utilities) can re-allow use of the built-in iSight.

In other cases performing a PMU reset can resolve issues with built-in iSights not functioning properly -- particularly an issue where applications attempting to use the iSight erroneously state that the unit is already in use by another application. Note that this issue can sometimes also be resolved with a simple restart.

Reader reports

MacFixIt reader Irene Fittton writes:

"Stopping Classic does not get the iSight camera to work again. A restart of the computer is necessary. It took a long time to figure this out because most of the troubleshooting I did like resetting PRAM, running Disk Warrior and TTP from startup DVDs, required a restart. I forgot that restarting also meant that Classic was off."

Another reader adds:

"If Classic is turned off and the computer is started, the iSight will start in Photobooth. But if a OS9 program is started and Classic starts, and the Photobooth or iChat is stopped and started again, the computer will say the iSight is in use by another program and in my case not let the Photobooth start up. A simple shut down and restart DID NOT restore function for me. I had to repair permissions from both the start up DVD Disc Utility and the hard drive Disc Utility to get the Photobooth to run. In my case it took a while to figure out the OS 9 connection, because I had some login instructions to start up Classic at reboot. After I turned it off, and 'fixed' the permissions thing, all worked, until I start up Classic again."

One reader writes:

"My experience -- Intel-based iMac -- iSight light came on for either ichat or skype, but screen was black. No Classic possibility for conflict here. In desperation, tried Boot camp into XP. No luck. Re-installed latest Boot camp drivers and isight started working in XP, then was OK for 10.4.8. One added note - suspected, but did not confirm that a USB scanner might have had some role in isight problems. It was unplugged during Boot camp driver install. Now iSight and scanner under Mac OS X 10.4.8 are both OK."

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