Hello. I have an issue with my Elgato Cam Link 4K (external) in Windows 11. I recently built a new PC, spec is at the bottom of the post.
Each time I shut down my PC, my Elgato Camlink feed will not show up when I next boot up the PC and open OBS. It just shows a black feed. The same goes for Windows Camera app and Elgato Capture Utility. They all know Cam Link is there, it just doesn’t show the feed.
The only fix I have is to physically unplug it from the USB port and plug it back in, then I have vision. Once I do this, I can freely turn the camera on and off with no problems. But the problem repeats once I shut the PC down again.
It’s obviously not ideal to have to keep unplugging and plugging it back in when you want to seamlessly load OBS and stream without worrying about hardware issues each time.
More detail
It’s plugged into a USB 3 port (10Gbps) and connected to a Sony Alpha ZV-e10 ii via Silkland Micro HDMI to HDMI 2.1 Cable 2M, 8K@60Hz.
The camera output settings are optimized for streaming and when it DOES appear it looks perfect. I have tried multiple USB ports and the problem remains - once I shut down and boot up, it just won’t appear without an unplug.
OBS canvas settings appear to be fine.
I usually power the camera on once Windows has loaded, but have tried keeping the camera on during shut down and reboot and it’s the same result.
Windows recognises Cam Link even when there is no feed vision, drivers are up to date, as is all my Elgato Software (Capture Utility, Camera Hub, Control Center, Wave Link etc.). OBS recognises the audio feed even when the video feed doesn’t show. Elgato 4K Utility capture recognises the camera when powered on regardless of the feed not appearing. It shows it is receiving a 1080p50 feed.
My Windows Power Plan is High Performance, and I have set all my USB inputs in Device Manager to NOT allow the computer to turn off the device to save power.
In the BIOS, here’s what I’ve changed/tested:
I have rolled back to an older version of Windows, same result. Then I updated to the very latest updates (as of 28/3/2025) and still the same.
I’ve ordered a new Camlink and HDMI 2.0 to micro HDMI cable to test, because I had inconsistency with it showing up on my last build as well.
It’s very annoying, because it works perfectly after a simple unplug, so it clearly seems to be some sort of setting somewhere that I just can’t pinpoint. Any help would be much appreciated.
-
Case: Corsair Crystal Series 680X
Motherboard: MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard, ATX - LGA 1851
CPU: Intel CORE ULTRA 7 265K / Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB
GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X OC 12GB GDDR6
RAM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000MHz CL30
SSD: Samsung 990 EVO Plus, 2TB, NVMe M.2 (2280),MZ-V9S2T0BW
PSU: MSI MAG A850GL Fully Modular
Each time I shut down my PC, my Elgato Camlink feed will not show up when I next boot up the PC and open OBS. It just shows a black feed. The same goes for Windows Camera app and Elgato Capture Utility. They all know Cam Link is there, it just doesn’t show the feed.
The only fix I have is to physically unplug it from the USB port and plug it back in, then I have vision. Once I do this, I can freely turn the camera on and off with no problems. But the problem repeats once I shut the PC down again.
It’s obviously not ideal to have to keep unplugging and plugging it back in when you want to seamlessly load OBS and stream without worrying about hardware issues each time.
More detail
It’s plugged into a USB 3 port (10Gbps) and connected to a Sony Alpha ZV-e10 ii via Silkland Micro HDMI to HDMI 2.1 Cable 2M, 8K@60Hz.
The camera output settings are optimized for streaming and when it DOES appear it looks perfect. I have tried multiple USB ports and the problem remains - once I shut down and boot up, it just won’t appear without an unplug.
OBS canvas settings appear to be fine.
I usually power the camera on once Windows has loaded, but have tried keeping the camera on during shut down and reboot and it’s the same result.
Windows recognises Cam Link even when there is no feed vision, drivers are up to date, as is all my Elgato Software (Capture Utility, Camera Hub, Control Center, Wave Link etc.). OBS recognises the audio feed even when the video feed doesn’t show. Elgato 4K Utility capture recognises the camera when powered on regardless of the feed not appearing. It shows it is receiving a 1080p50 feed.
My Windows Power Plan is High Performance, and I have set all my USB inputs in Device Manager to NOT allow the computer to turn off the device to save power.
In the BIOS, here’s what I’ve changed/tested:
- all USB ports are enabled
- XHCI Hand_off is enabled
- ErP ready is disabled
- USB Standby Power at S4/S5 is enabled
I have rolled back to an older version of Windows, same result. Then I updated to the very latest updates (as of 28/3/2025) and still the same.
I’ve ordered a new Camlink and HDMI 2.0 to micro HDMI cable to test, because I had inconsistency with it showing up on my last build as well.
It’s very annoying, because it works perfectly after a simple unplug, so it clearly seems to be some sort of setting somewhere that I just can’t pinpoint. Any help would be much appreciated.
-
Case: Corsair Crystal Series 680X
Motherboard: MAG Z890 TOMAHAWK WIFI Motherboard, ATX - LGA 1851
CPU: Intel CORE ULTRA 7 265K / Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB
GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X OC 12GB GDDR6
RAM: CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000MHz CL30
SSD: Samsung 990 EVO Plus, 2TB, NVMe M.2 (2280),MZ-V9S2T0BW
PSU: MSI MAG A850GL Fully Modular
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