Docs / Camera / Install

Camera Installation Guide

The DeservedTools camera ships with two driver modes: a DLL camera (DirectShow filter) and a kernel driver (AVStream). This guide covers both, including the system requirements for the kernel driver.

Overview

The camera tool creates a virtual webcam on your system that other applications (browsers, Zoom, antidetect browsers, etc.) can select as a real camera. Behind the scenes, the DeservedTools app processes your images/videos and streams frames to the virtual device.

Two driver modes

DLL camera - DirectShow filter registered via regsvr32. No special boot settings needed. Works for most use cases.
Kernel driver - AVStream camera driver (deserveddriver.sys). Registers as a real hardware webcam at the OS level. Requires Secure Boot off and test signing on.

Which driver do I need?

DLL Camera

Quick setup, no reboots
Works with most apps and browsers
No Secure Boot or test signing changes
Registered as a DirectShow filter

Kernel Driver

Appears as a real USB webcam in Device Manager
Passes deeper hardware checks
Supports Windows Camera app and UWP
Requires Secure Boot off + test signing on

If you're unsure, start with the DLL camera. You can switch to the kernel driver later without reinstalling the app.

DLL Camera Install

The DLL camera is the default mode and requires no system changes. Everything is handled from inside the app.

Download "Deserved Cam" from the launcher

Open the Deserved Launcher and log in. On the main page, click DOWNLOAD on the Deserved Cam card. Wait for it to finish downloading and extracting.

Launch the camera app

Click LAUNCH on the Deserved Cam card. The launcher passes your license automatically, so the app authenticates on startup.

Go to Settings → Drivers → Driver Settings... and click Register Drivers. Accept the admin prompt (UAC). The DLL files are registered with Windows via regsvr32.

Refresh and test

Click Refresh System Filters, then Test Virtual Camera Available. If it passes, you're good. Open your browser or target app and the camera should appear in the device list.

If the camera doesn't show up in your target app, restart the app after registering. Some applications only scan for cameras on startup.

Kernel Driver Install

The kernel driver makes the virtual camera appear as real hardware in Windows. This is the recommended mode for deeper verification flows, but it requires two system changes first:

Prerequisites

Secure Boot must be disabled in your BIOS/UEFI firmware
Test Signing must be enabled in Windows
Administrator privileges
Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)

Both changes require a reboot. Do these steps first, then proceed to the driver installation.

Disabling Secure Boot

Secure Boot prevents unsigned/test-signed drivers from loading. Since the kernel driver is test-signed (not production-signed by Microsoft), Secure Boot must be off.

Physical machine (most common)

Restart your PC and enter BIOS/UEFI setup. This is usually F2, F12, DEL, or ESC during boot (depends on your motherboard).

Navigate to the Security or Boot tab.

Find Secure Boot and set it to Disabled.

Save and exit (usually F10). Your PC will reboot.

Virtual machines

Hyper-V: VM Settings → Security → Uncheck "Enable Secure Boot"
VMware: VM Settings → Options → Advanced → Firmware type: BIOS (or disable Secure Boot in EFI settings)
VirtualBox: Settings → System → Uncheck "Enable EFI" or disable Secure Boot in EFI shell

You can check if Secure Boot is currently on by running msinfo32 and looking at "Secure Boot State". It should say Off.

Enabling Test Signing

Test signing mode tells Windows to allow test-signed drivers to load. Without this, the kernel driver will fail with a digital signature error.

Open an admin terminal

Right-click the Start button → Terminal (Admin) or Command Prompt (Admin).

Enable test signing

bcdedit /set testsigning on

Reboot

shutdown /r /t 0

After rebooting, you'll see a "Test Mode" watermark in the bottom-right corner of your desktop. This is normal and confirms test signing is active.

If bcdedit returns "The value is protected by Secure Boot policy", you haven't disabled Secure Boot yet. Go back to the previous step and disable it in BIOS first.

Removing the watermark later

To turn test signing off again later: bcdedit /set testsigning off and reboot. The kernel driver will stop working until you re-enable it.

Kernel Driver Step-by-Step

Once Secure Boot is off and test signing is on, install the kernel driver using the Deserved Launcher:

Open the Deserved Launcher and log in

Enter your license key if you haven't already. The main page shows three product cards: Deserved Cam, Deserved Cam (driver), and Account Warmer.

Download "Deserved Cam (driver)"

Click the DOWNLOAD button on the Deserved Cam (driver) card. Wait for the download and extraction to finish - the button will change from "DOWNLOADING" to "EXTRACTING" and finally to "LAUNCH" when it's ready.

Run DeservedCameraTool

Open the products/drivercam folder (next to your launcher executable) in Explorer. Run DeservedCameraTool.exe from there. The installer handles everything automatically - it installs the test certificate, registers the driver files, and sets up the virtual camera device. Accept the admin elevation when prompted.

Confirm the device appeared

Open Device Manager and expand Cameras. You should see "Integrated Camera" (or your configured device name). If it shows a yellow warning icon, check the troubleshooting section below.

Manual install (advanced)

If you prefer to install manually, the driver package contains the following files:

deserveddriver.sys - kernel driver

deservedcamera.dll - device MFT

deservedcamera.inf - install script

deservedcamera.cat - signature catalog

package.cer - test certificate

Install via admin terminal:

certutil -addstore -f Root package.cer
certutil -addstore -f TrustedPublisher package.cer
pnputil /add-driver deservedcamera.inf /install

First Run

After the driver is installed, go back to the Deserved Launcher and launch the camera:

Click LAUNCH on "Deserved Cam (driver)"

In the launcher, the button should now say LAUNCH. Click it - the launcher passes your license token automatically and the app opens.

Load an image or video

Use the Image tab → Load Media to load a file, or use the built-in IDGen tab to generate one.

Start the camera

Click Start Camera. The app begins writing frames to the kernel driver via shared memory. Any application that opens the camera will now see your feed.

Select the camera in your target app

In your browser or antidetect browser, go to camera settings and select the virtual camera from the device list.

Verifying the Install

Quick checks

Device Manager: Cameras → "Integrated Camera" should show with no warnings
Windows Camera app: Open the built-in Camera app. It should show your loaded image/video (kernel driver only)
Browser test: Visit any site that requests camera access. Your feed should appear
In-app test: Use Driver Settings → Test Virtual Camera Available for a quick sanity check

Uninstalling

DLL camera

In the app: Settings → Drivers → Driver Settings... → Unregister Drivers. This runs regsvr32 /u on the DLL files and removes the DirectShow registration.

Kernel driver

Open an admin terminal in the driver folder:

pnputil /remove-device /deviceid ROOT\DESERVEDCAMERA
pnputil /delete-driver deservedcamera.inf /uninstall

Or use Device Manager: right-click the camera device → Uninstall device → check "Attempt to remove the driver".

To fully clean up, also remove the test certificate: open certmgr.msc, find the deserved certificate under Trusted Root and Trusted Publishers, and delete it.

Troubleshooting

Error 52 / "Digital signature" error

Test signing is not enabled. Run bcdedit /set testsigning on as admin and reboot.

"The value is protected by Secure Boot policy"

Secure Boot is still on. Disable it in BIOS/UEFI first, then retry the bcdedit command.

Camera not showing in apps

Click Refresh System Filters in the driver settings dialog, then restart your target app. Some apps only enumerate cameras on startup.

Yellow warning icon in Device Manager

Usually a signing issue. Confirm both Secure Boot is off (msinfo32) and test signing is on (bcdedit). Then uninstall the device and reinstall.

Duplicate or stale camera entries

Use Deep Clean Drivers in the app, or manually remove all instances from Device Manager, then reinstall.

"Access Denied" during install

You need admin privileges. Right-click the terminal or installer and select "Run as Administrator".

Camera shows but output is black/wrong size

Make sure the camera app is running and Start Camera is active. Try a fixed resolution preset (1080p) instead of "Follow Consumer (Auto)".

Still stuck? Reach out in the private group or message support directly for 1-on-1 help.