Windows Movie Maker 2.1 FAQThese are some of the most frequently asked questions in the 18 Microsoft Windows XP newsgroups. To participate in these newsgroups, by reading messages or posting your own comments, check out the Microsoft Windows XP Newsgroups.
Installing Windows Movie Maker 2.1| Q. | How do I get Windows Movie Maker 2.1? | | A. | Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is included in Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). To download Windows XP SP2, go to the Microsoft Update. | | Q. | How can I tell which version of Windows Movie Maker is installed on my computer? | | A. | You can determine which version of Windows Movie Maker is installed on your computer by completing the following steps: 1. | In Windows Movie Maker, on the Help menu, click About Windows Movie Maker.
| 2. | In the About Windows Movie Maker dialog box, note the version information. |
The following image indicates that Windows Movie Maker 2.1 is installed on a computer running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 (SP2).
 The following image indicates that Windows Movie Maker 2.0 is installed on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 (SP1).
 | | Q. | After upgrading to SP2 with the Windows XP Multilingual User Interface Pack installed, I get an older version of the Windows Movie Maker Help file. What can I do to fix this issue? | | A. | Install the latest Multilingual User Interface Packs (MUI) for Windows Movie Maker 2.1. You can download the latest MUI packages from the Download Center. | | Q. | Where can I find more information to help me use Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | Here are some places to go for more information: | • | The Microsoft Windows Movie Maker Web site. This Web site contains instructions, information, and articles about using Windows Movie Maker. | | • | PapaJohn's Windows Movie Maker Web site. This non-Microsoft Web site is maintained by PapaJohn, a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), and contains information about using and troubleshooting common issues in Windows Movie Maker. | | • | Windows Movie Makers Web site. This non-Microsoft Web site contains tutorials that focus on how to use Windows Movie Maker. | | • | Dean Rowe's blog. This is a Web site maintained by one of the Windows Movie Maker Development Leads. It contains information about Windows Movie Maker—including details about how parts of Windows Movie Maker work together. | | • | Windows Movie Maker newsgroup. This online group contains helpful postings in a Q&A format from other Windows Movie Maker users. | | • | Windows Movie Maker 2.1 FAQ. This Web page contains a list of frequently asked questions and answers that focus on Windows Movie Maker 2.1. | | • | Windows Movie Maker Help. In Windows Movie Maker, on the Help menu, click Help Topics, and explore all the fun things you can do in Windows Movie Maker. |
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Saving a Movie| Q. | When I save a movie from Windows Movie Maker 2.1. to a tape in a DV camera, why are there small patches of blue in my video? | | A. | The hard disk drive cannot continuously send enough information, which results in the computer not being able to send all the required video information to the DV camera. To fix this issue, try one or more of the following: | • | Make sure the temporary storage location that is specified in Windows Movie Maker has a large, unfragmented amount of disk space available. When you save your movie to a DV tape, Windows Movie Maker creates a temporary DV-AVI file that eventually gets sent back to your camera. This file can be very large (approximately 13 gigabyte (GB) per one hour of video) and Windows Movie Maker will try to use the largest unfragmented space available in your temporary location. | • | To determine the temporary storage location for video in Windows Movie Maker, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then note the path in the Temporary storage location box. | | • | To determine if your hard disk is fragmented, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. |
For more information about Disk Defragmenter, see Disk Defragmenter Help | | • | Make sure you're using a fast hard disk drive. For best results, choose a temporary storage location located on a hard disk drive that has a speed of 7200 RPM. Currently, most laptops have a hard disk drive speed of 4200 RPM. | | • | Close any other programs that are running before you save your movie back to DV tape. Programs that need to access the hard disk drive could slow down your computer when you're saving your movie. | | • | Make sure the temporary storage location is located on a NTFS partition (uncompressed) rather than FAT32. For information about how to convert a partition from FAT32 to NTFS, see this Microsoft Support Knowledge Base article. |
| | Q. | When I save a movie to tape in my DV camera, why are the first few seconds of my video missing? | | A. | The first few seconds of your movie may not have been successfully recorded to tape. This problem occurs if a DV camera does not start quickly enough when saving a movie to DV tape in Windows Movie Maker. In this situation, Windows Movie Maker begins sending the video to the camera before the camera is ready to begin recording to the tape, so the first few seconds of the movie are not recorded to the video tape. You can work around this issue by creating an image with a black square, adding it to the storyboard/timeline so it appears for a few seconds, and then try saving the movie back to tape again. To create and add an image to the storyboard/timeline 1. | Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Paint. | 2. | On the Image menu, click Attributes. | 3. | In the Units area, select Pixels. | 4. | In the Width box, type 320. In the Height box, type 240. | 5. | In the toolbox, click Fill With Color, and then choose black as the fill color. | 6. | On the File menu, click Save. In the File name box, type a name for your image, and then click Save. | 7. | Open Windows Movie Maker, import the picture you just created, and then add it to the beginning of the storyboard/timeline so it appears for a few seconds in your movie. | 8. | Record your movie to tape by choosing the DV camera option in the Save Movie Wizard. |
When your movie is sent to tape, the first few frames of blank black frames are sent to the video camera but not recorded to tape. The DV camera should then begin recording to tape with the content of your movie. | | Q. | Why does Windows Movie Maker stop responding, or "hang," when I'm saving a movie? | | A. | This is caused by a combination of having a complex storyboard/timeline (which may include many images, video effects, video transitions, and video) and an insufficient amount of memory. Work around this issue by removing some effects or transitions, or by saving your movie in different pieces. For complete information, including step-by-step procedures, see this Microsoft Support Knowlege Base article. | | Q. | What can I do if Windows Movie Maker stops responding at about 58% when I try to save a movie to a CD using Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | When you select the Recordable CD saving option in the Save Movie Wizard, select a different movie setting rather than the Best fit for recordable CD (recommended) setting. To select a different movie setting 1. | On the File menu, click Save Movie File. | 2. | In the Save Movie Wizard, select Recordable CD, and then click Next. | 3. | On the Saved Movie File page, type a name for your saved movie, and then click Next. | 4. | On the Movie Setting page, click Show more choices, click Other settings, and then select a movie setting from the list. | 5. | Click Next. | 6. | After your movie has been saved, click Finish to close the Save Movie Wizard. |
| | Q. | Why do I keep getting an error message that says a recordable CD drive was not detected when saving a movie to a CD using Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | This can be a result of having third-party CD-writing software installed that does not work properly with the CD writing functionality of Windows XP, or a result of having a recordable CD that has already been written. To resolve this issue, try one of the following: | • | If you have an HP DVD+R/+RW DVD writer installed on your computer, the HP Direct Letter Access (DLA) driver might be installed on your computer. You can turn off DLA, which should let you successfully save your movie to a recordable CD. For specific information, including step-by-step details, see this Microsoft Support Knowlege Base article. | | • | Verify that the CD was not already written to, using a third-party CD writing program such as Nero. Windows Movie Maker expects a CD to have a Joliet (mode 2) disc format; however, some CD writing programs write discs using a different format. |
To work around the issue, try one or more of the following: | • | Insert a blank recordable CD into the recordable CD drive, and then try saving the movie to a CD again through the Save Movie Wizard in Windows Movie Maker. | | • | In Nero, choose Joliet (Mode 2) when originally writing to the CD. You should then be able to save your movie in Windows Movie Maker 2 by choosing the Recordable CD option in the Save Movie Wizard. |
| | Q. | What can I try to do if I cannot send a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message? | | A. | If you cannot successfully save and send a movie in e-mail by using the E-mail saving option in the Save Movie Wizard, try one of the following: | • | Verify that your default e-mail program is installed correctly, and verify that it supports Message Application Programming Interface (MAPI) and that you can send e-mail attachments. | | • | If an error message indicates that the video file is too large to send in e-mail, reduce the size of your movie by reducing the amount of video or audio on the storyboard/timeline, or by increasing the file-size limit for sending a movie in e-mail as an attachment as follows: 1. | On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab. | 2. | In the Maximum file size for sending a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message box, enter the new file-size limit. Note Some e-mail providers set a file-size limit for e-mail attachments, so check with your e-mail provider to determine if a file-size limit for e-mail attachments already exists for your e-mail account. |
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Also, if your movie can be sent in e-mail, but the video in your movie plays back unevenly, increasing the file-size limit in this way will result in your movie being saved at a higher movie setting in Windows Movie Maker, which can help to increase the smoothness and overall quality of your movie. | | Q. | What can I do if I'm having problems uploading my movie to a video-hosting provider through Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | First, verify that you have a working Internet connection. This is required to upload your movie to a video hosting provider's Web site, and ensures that a current listing of video hosting providers for your country/region is automatically downloaded to your computer. If you cannot successfully send a movie to a video hosting provider's Web site, try the following: | • | Make sure the user name and password is entered correctly. | | • | Verify that you have enough available disk space for your account on the video hosting provider's site. | | • | Verify that a movie with the same file name does not already appear for your account on the video hosting provider's site. | | • | Verify that the movie setting is not set too high. For example, some video hosting providers place a limit on the maximum bit rate for a movie file that you can upload to their site. |
| | Q. | What can I do if the video in my movie plays unevenly? | | A. | If you saved your movie using one of the DV-AVI movie settings, the movie may play back unevenly on a slower computer. Increasing the amount of memory or processor speed, or using a faster hard disk drive can all help to improve playback. If you saved a movie as a Windows Media Video (WMV) file and the video plays back unevenly, try the following: | • | Reduce the amount of transitions or effects on the storyboard/timeline in Windows Movie Maker, and then try saving the movie again. Many transitions and effects can result in dropped frames in the saved movie, which degrades the quality of the movie. | | • | Save the movie using a movie setting that has a smaller display size. For example, rather than saving the movie in the Save Movie Wizard with a movie setting that displays video at 640x480 pixels, choose a movie setting that displays video at 320x240 pixels. | | • | Choose a movie setting that uses variable bit rate (VBR), which can increase the smoothness in the video. To choose a variable bit rate (VBR) movie setting 1. | On the File menu, click Save Movie File. | 2. | In the Save Movie Wizard, choose My Computer, and then click Next. | 3. | On the Saved Movie File page, type a name for your saved movie, and then click Next. | 4. | On the Movie Setting page, click Show more choices, click Other settings, and then choose one of the "High" quality video settings, such as High quality video (large) or High quality video (small). Click Next. | 5. | After your movie has been saved, click Finish to close the Save Movie Wizard. |
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| | Q. | What can I do if my saved movie contains solid black frames for a portion of the video? | | A. | This issue may occur for one or more of the following reasons: | • | An older version of Microsoft DirectX is installed on your computer. | | • | The computer you use to save your movie has two processors with hyperthreading capabilities. | | • | The current project contains many different video effects and transitions. The result is the audio portion of the movie is saved correctly, but only portions of the video are saved correctly. |
To work around this issue, try one or more of the following: | • | Verify that you have the latest version of Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime installed on your computer, which you can download from the Microsoft Download Center. | | • | Remove some of the video transitions or effects from the storyboard/timeline, and then trying saving the movie again. | | • | Keep the transitions and effects on the storyboard/timeline but save the movie in pieces as several smaller DV-AVI files. You can then import the saved AVI files into Windows Movie Maker, add them to the storyboard/timeline, and then save it as one movie file. |
| | Q. | How can I improve the quality of a movie that I want to send as an attachment in an e-mail message? | | A. | You can improve the quality of your saved movie when you choose the E-mail saving option in the Save Movie Wizard by increasing the maximum e-mail attachment file size limit in Windows Movie Maker. Some e-mail providers, such as MSN Hotmail, are now allowing larger files to be attached to an e-mail message. This means that your movies can be saved at a higher movie setting when you choose to send a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message through Windows Movie Maker. Notes | • | The maximum file size for an e-mail attachment is determined by the e-mail provider. For specific information regarding the maximum file size for e-mail attachments, visit your e-mail provider's Web site or contact your e-mail provider. | | • | When a movie is saved for e-mail, the display size of the final movie might be smaller than the source video file. However, the display size of the final movie will not be larger than the original source video file. |
To set the maximum movie file size for sending movies as an attachment in an e-mail message 1. | On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Advanced tab. | 2. | In the Maximum files size for sending a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message box, enter the maximum file size for movies you want to send in an e-mail message. For example, if you use MSN Hotmail as your e-mail provider and your account has been upgraded already, the maximum file size for an attachment to an e-mail message is 10 megabytes (MB). |
To find file size limits that may exist for sending files as e-mail attachments, contact your e-mail provider. To send a movie as an attachment in an e-mail message 1. | On the File menu, click Save Movie File, and then click E-mail. | 2. | After the movie is saved, do any of the following: |
| • | To play the movie in your default player before sending it, click Play the movie. | | • | To save a local copy of the movie on your computer in addition to sending it as an e-mail attachment, click Save a copy of my movie on my computer, enter a movie file name in the File name box, and then click Save. | | • | In your default e-mail program, enter the e-mail address of the person you're sending the movie to, add any additional text to the body of the e-mail, and then send the message. |
Note If your movie cannot be attached to an e-mail message automatically by Windows Movie Maker, you can still send your movie by saving it to your computer, and then manually attaching the movie to an e-mail message in your e-mail program. | | Q. | Can I save my movie by using a movie setting that is not listed in the Save Movie Wizard? | | A. | Yes, you can create your own movie settings and use them to save your movie in Windows Movie Maker. To create your own movie settings, you can use Windows Media Profile Editor, which is installed with Windows Media Encoder 9 Series. For detailed information and step-by-step instructions about creating and using custom movie settings for Windows Movie Maker, see the article Creating Custom Profiles for Windows Movie Maker. | Q.
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Importing Video| Q. | Can I import video recorded using Windows Media Center Edition 2004 into Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | Unfortunately, video recorded in Windows Media Center Edition 2004, which is an MPEG-2 file that has a .dvr-ms file name extension, cannot be imported into Windows Movie Maker. | Q.
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Capturing Video| Q. | Why doesn't Windows Movie Maker recognize my Sony MicroMV video camera? | | A. | Sony MicroMV video cameras record and put out video in the MPEG-2 video format, which unfortunately, cannot be captured in Windows Movie Maker. To work around this issue, do one of the following: | • | Use the software that came with your Sony MicroMV video camera to capture video from the camera, and then import the resulting video file into Windows Movie Maker. | | • | Connect your Sony MicroMV camera to your computer using an analog connection, such as an S-video cable or RCA cable, and then capture the video using Windows Movie Maker. |
| | Q. | How can I prevent dropped frames in a captured video file? | | A. | To prevent dropped frames, try one or more of the following: | • | Defragment your hard disk drive. To start Disk Defragmenter, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. For more information about Disk Defragmenter, see Disk Defragmenter Help. | | • | Close any other programs that are running when you are capturing video. Programs that need to access the hard disk drive could slow down the hard disk drive when capturing video, which could result in dropped video frames. | | • | Make sure the temporary storage location is located on a NTFS partition (uncompressed) rather than FAT32. For information about how to convert a partition from FAT32 to NTFS, see this Microsoft Support Knowlege Base article. | | • | Turn off previewing video when capturing video from a DV camera. To turn off previewing video, clear the Show preview during capture check box in the Save Movie Wizard. | | • | Choose a lower video setting in the Video Capture Wizard when capturing video. | | • | If possible, upgrade your computer. Because video editing is very system-intensive, upgrading your computer with one or more of the following—a faster processor, hard disk drive, or more memory—can help to prevent dropped frames when capturing video. |
| | Q. | Can I use DV pass-through in Windows Movie Maker to capture from an analog device through a DV camera? | | A. | Windows Movie Maker 2.1 supports DV pass-through. To learn more about connecting video devices to your computer and using the DV pass-through in Windows Movie Maker, see Capturing Video in Windows Movie Maker 2.1 by Using DV Pass-Through. | | Q. | Why does my captured audio and video get out of synch for longer video clips after saving my movie? | | A. | This can occur for several reasons. If you capture video on your computer under "stressful" conditions for the computer, such as if your computer is low on disk space, your hard disk drive is fragmented, or if the computer processor was being used by another application while capturing video. This may also occur if you capture the audio for the video with lower setting, such as 16 kHz rather than 44.1 kHz, and do not edit the video. To work around this issue, split the video clip on the storyboard/timeline into several shorter clips, add a short video transition between clips or trim a few frames from a video clip, and then save the movie. | | Q. | What can I do if Windows Movie Maker stops capturing video when I use the DV camera controls in the Video Capture Wizard to rewind or fast forward when capturing video from a DV camera that is connected to my computer using a USB 2.0 connection? | | A. | This is a known issue in Windows Movie Maker. Video might not be captured successfully when you capture video from a DV camera that is a USB Video Class (UVC) device and is connected to your computer using a USB 2.0 connection. This issue primarily occurs when you press and hold down the fast forward or rewind buttons that appear in the DV camera controls area in the Video Capture Wizard in Windows Movie Maker. To workaround this issue and capture video, do the following in the Video Capture Wizard: 1. | Make sure your DV device is connected to a USB 2.0 port, and then set the camera mode to play recorded video (often labeled VTR or VCR on a DV camera). | 2. | On the File menu, click Capture Video. | 3. | On the Video Capture Device page, in Available devices, click the DV camera. Note If you have only one video device installed on your computer, this wizard page is not displayed, and you can go to the next step. | 4. | In the Enter a file name for your captured video box, enter a file name for your captured video file. Then, in the Choose a place to save your captured video box, select the location where you want your video to be saved or click Browse to select a location. | 5. | On the Video Setting page, select the video setting you want to use for capturing video and audio. | 6. | On the Capture Method page, click Capture parts of the tape manually. | 7. | Locate the video and audio you want to capture from your tape by using the controls on your DV camera. Note Do not use the fast forward or rewind buttons that appear in the Video Capture Wizard in the DV controls area. | 8. | To begin capturing video, click Start Capture. The tape plays automatically and capturing begins. | 9. | When the tape reaches the point at which you want to stop capturing, click Stop Capture. | 10. | Repeat steps 7 through 9 for each part of the video tape you want to capture. | 11. | When you have finished capturing, click Finish to close the Video Capture Wizard. |
The captured content is imported into a new collection with the same name as the specified video file. | Q.
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Previewing and Editing Video and Audio| Q. | Why is the audio distorted, and playing much faster than normal? | | A. | This can occur if the InterVideo Audio Decoder (Iviaudio.ax) video filter, which is installed with InterVideo WinDVD, is on your computer. To fix the issue, make sure this video filter is turned off in Windows Movie Maker: 1. | In Windows Movie Maker, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Compatibility tab. | 2. | To turn off a filter, clear its check box. |
| | Q. | How can I edit AVI or DiVX files in Windows Movie Maker when I cannot seek from one frame to another? | | A. | After importing the AVI or DiVX video file into Windows Movie Maker, add it to the storyboard/timeline without editing the video, and then save the movie as a WMV file by using the Save Movie Wizard in Windows Movie Maker. You can then import the resulting WMV file into Windows Movie Maker and edit the file. | | Q. | What can I do if Windows Movie Maker shuts down unexpectedly when I add video transitions or effect? | | A. | To resolve this issue, you can do one or more of the following: | • | If the DivX AnitFreeze Filter (Divx.ax) is installed on your computer, make sure it is turned off in Windows Movie Maker: 1. | In Windows Movie Maker, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Compatibility tab. | 2. | To turn off a filter, clear its check box. |
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| • | Lower the hardware-acceleration settings on your computer: 1. | In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. | 2. | In the Display Properties dialog box, click Settings, and then click Advanced. | 3. | In the Plug and Play Monitor dialog box, click the Troubleshoot tab. | 4. | Drag the Hardware acceleration slider to the third line from the left. |
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| | Q. | Why do I get an error message about hardware acceleration when I use the Take Picture button? | | A. | In Windows Movie Maker, you can take a picture of a frame of video and save the individual frame as an image (with a .jpg file name extension). However, if hardware acceleration is turned off, or if your display adapter does not support hardware acceleration, you cannot take a picture. If your display adapter supports hardware acceleration, turn on hardware acceleration by doing the following: 1. | Close Windows Movie Maker. | 2. | In Control Panel, click Appearance and Themes, and then click Display. | 3. | In the Display Properties dialog box, click Settings, and then click Advanced. | 4. | In the Plug and Play Monitor dialog box, click the Troubleshoot tab. | 5. | Drag the Hardware acceleration slider all the way to the right. | 6. | Start Windows Movie Maker, play the video, pause playback at the frame you want to capture as a picture, and then click the Take Picture button under the monitor to take a picture. | 7. | Close Windows Movie Maker. | 8. | Reset your hardware acceleration settings to the original position. |
| | Q. | What can I do if Windows Movie Maker stops responding when I drag the playback indicator on the timeline for a project that has a lot of audio, video, images, or titles on the storyboard/timeline? | | A. | You can prevent this from happening by adding a new value in Registry Editor. Note Before making any changes in Registry Editor, you should back up valuable files on your computer and the registry itself. For more information about the registry, see the Windows Help and Support Center. To add a new registry key for Windows Movie Maker to prevent the timeline from not responding 1. | Click Start, and then click Run. | 2. | In the Run dialog box, type regedit.exe, and then click OK. | 3. | In Registry Editor, navigate to the following location: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MM20] | 4. | Click anywhere in the pane on the right that contains the different registry keys and corresponding values. | 5. | On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD value. | 6. | For the new registry key name, type DynamicSourcesforPreview, and enter the value 0. | 7. | Close Registry Editor and restart Windows Movie Maker. |
Windows Movie Maker should no longer stop responding when you drag the playback indicator on the timeline. Important This change can decrease the performance of Windows Movie Maker. | | Q. | Why do I get an ActiveMovie window when I play back audio and video in Windows Movie Maker? | | A. | This issue is often caused by a DirectShow video filter, the DirectShow Subtitle Filter (subtitds.ax), that is installed by a non-Microsoft software program. Turn this filter off in Windows Movie Maker by doing the following: 1. | In Windows Movie Maker, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Compatibility tab. | 2. | To turn off a filter, clear its check box. |
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