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VFW_E_NO_CAPTURE_HARDWARE
Meaning
Windows documents VFW_E_NO_CAPTURE_HARDWARE as “No Capture hardware is available, or the hardware is not responding”. Here, DirectShow cannot start the requested capture path because no usable capture hardware is present or responding.
Evidence worth preserving
- Evidence 1: device-enumerator results and symbolic link.
- Evidence 2: Plug and Play state and driver error.
- Evidence 3: open handles, exclusive-use owner and connection events.
Relevant contract
Start with the filter graph, device or persisted configuration that first returned the result.
Conditions that can produce it
- Cause 1: the camera or tuner is disconnected.
- Cause 2: the device driver failed to start.
- Cause 3: another process has exclusive ownership of the hardware.
Correction strategy
- Action 1: prompt for or select an available capture device.
- Action 2: release competing ownership and rebuild the capture graph.
- Action 3: respond to removal and arrival notifications instead of retaining stale filters.
Example incident
A USB camera is unplugged while its moniker remains cached; re-enumerating devices before capture prevents it.
Retry and recovery
Retry rule: Retry after the device becomes available; use bounded reconnection and preserve the original device identity.
How it differs from nearby results
VFW_E_NO_AUDIO_HARDWARE concerns playback output, while it concerns an input device required by the capture graph.
Official Microsoft references
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