Microsoft Surface Pro X cameras not working, but fortunately there is a temporary solution

It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Surface Pro X in the headlines. The original and updated models offered an excellent design that came in a compact size, which also delivered great battery life. However, what really limited the Surface Pro X is that it only supports the installation of 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (Arm64) apps. With all that said, it looks like the Surface Pro X has once again been in the news, and this time, because the cameras on the device have stopped working. Reports of the problem are fairly recent, and Microsoft appears to be aware of the issue. Fortunately, if you need to use your cameras ASAP, there is a temporary workaround that should get you up and running.

What’s going on with the Surface Pro X?

The news has been picked up before the edgebut complaints about this problem can be found all over the internet, with many contenders redditAnd Microsoft Feedback Portal. While Microsoft has not released a direct statement about the issue, the portal does show that the company is tracking and “investigating” it. Those who own a Surface Pro X are seeing the error message “0xA00F4271 (0x80004005)”, when your cameras start up. Since there’s no official comment, it’s not clear what causes this issue, but fortunately, there is a workaround if you need to get your cameras working.

This is how you solve the problem at the moment

Fortunately, it’s a rather simple fix, only requiring the user to manually change the system date to May 22, 2023. It also seems to work if you go back. Of course, while this will make the cameras work, it can cause other problems, such as going to a website or using a service that requires authentication. But if you’re in a bind, it appears to be the only solution available for now, so hopefully Microsoft will act quickly to release something more official.

If you are not completely clear on how to set the date and time manually, you will need to go to the file settings menu, head over to time and languagethen date and time. Once there, switch the Set the time automatically The option is turned off, then you will see a setting to set date and time manually. From here, just change the date, and you’ll see the cameras magically revive.

There was no immediate impact but talk of bad timing, as Microsoft kicked off its annual Build 2023 developer conference the same day the Surface Pro X issue started surfacing online. The Redmond giant showed off a lot of its software and services, but with so much to advertise, you’ll probably want to see the keynote above, and also dive into the top five Build announcements and five great Build announcements that have been under the radar.