What To Do When Windows Movie Maker 2012 Stops Responding During Saving A Movie

If you have Windows movie maker, you're probably visiting this blog post because you having problems with being able to save your movie. Windows movie maker has a systemic problem with being able to render movies. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't have an answer for you.

If you visit the Microsoft windows movie maker support forums and look up issues where users are not able to save their movies because Windows movie maker becomes nonresponsive; the most the technicians will do in the support forums is ask users to supply activity logs, from which they submit those to an escalation, from which, you never get a response.

It's a ploy to make them look like they're getting your issue the attention and importance that it needs, in the meantime, it's backup 5 yards and punt…

Apparently the problem is not specific to system resources. You can have a huge hard drive, ultrafast CPU and lots of memory, but the problem is still going to occur because Microsoft has failed to address the overall problem; it's been in the application for at least three versions and I've done nothing to address it.

The recurring diagnosis, suggestion and option that seems to be working for issues with Windows [Essentials] Movie Maker are:

1. Converting Media

The suggestions from the support forum start off from having users examine the content of the movies that you're trying to create. From the video types to the audio files that you're using. As troublesome as it is, the idea is to go in and start removing audio and video clips from your movie and then see if you can save your movie off to WMV or MP4. If you're able to complete the saving process, then that means either the audio or video clip that you removed was preventing Windows Movie Maker from working properly.

If/once you find the problem video or audio clip from the movie, it's suggested that you take that clip and then convert it to something more compatible or standard Windows; being an AVI or WAV file. Using the standard file formats for Microsoft, and those files/clips back into your movie and try to save again.

I have some suggestions for video conversion. I have used all three of these video converters and think are are very good; and easy to use. They all have the video conversion options you'd be searching for and handle plenty of formats— and they're all free.

Link:
     http://www.videoconverterfactory.com/free-video-converter/
     http://videoconverter.hamstersoft.com/
     http://www.freemake.com/free_video_converter/

 

2. Splitting the Project

It has been proven that depending on the size of the video file that you're generating can create problems with Windows Movie Maker; the solution being too split the project in half and save off two different pieces of the project and coming back later to rejoin the two videos.

So, the option is to go in to your Windows Movie Maker project [.wlmp] file and make two copies of it. You're going to want to leave the original copy alone, but with one of the two copies, go in and delete half of the project information. It's a text file, it can be opened with notepad and then saved. After that, you're going to want to go over to the second copy and delete everything prior to the spot from the first file; saving the file. Effectively creating two parts of your original Windows Movie Maker project. You probably want to rename the project files that you modify to part one and part two so that you know which one to working with.

You then go to Windows Movie Maker and open up the new project files that you modified. All of project information, from the project file, should still reference all of the information and offsets that you created previously from the whole project.

This is an alternative DVD authoring software package for converting your videos directly to VOB, to be placed on a DVD disc. It offers functions for Standard quality and HD quality, it has functions to control the DVD menu and chapter controls… and it's without charge of any kind.

Link:
     http://su.pr/2g63vV

 

3. Codecs and Video Drivers

If you continue to have problems with Windows Movie Maker, another issue could be the codecs or video drivers that are using on your system. It's been documented pretty heavily in the support forums that from time to time the video codecs are out of date and therefore cause a problem.

Windows Live Movie Maker isn't compatible with a lot of the formats it says it's until you load the CODECS in to the operating system. If you're having issues/problems with opening/editing your audio/video media, it could be your installed codecs [or the lack of] or maybe you need to update your CODECS; ultimately, it's all about the CODECS.

Audio and Video, both, require current CODECS to play the proper media [correctly].

As a suggestion, you can download the most ubiquitous CODECS yourself and installing them very easily...It's FREE, REPUTABLE and updated regularly.

Link:
     http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_codec_pack.htm
     http://www.windows7codecs.com/

AND it's also documented that historically depending on your device drivers, it can interfere with Windows Movie Maker's ability to render videos properly, which could interfere with the saving process of the movie.

Display drivers; if not already, you should visit WINDOWS UPDATE and see if there are any updates to your video card. This might help you. It's not an absolute, but it has helped others; based on other experiences and responses from the Windows Live Movie Maker forum.

Link:
     http://update.Microsoft.com

If Microsoft update doesn't download the video drivers for you automatically, all you need to do is contact the website for the video device you have [like Nvidia]. Normally, by visiting these websites they'll have support sections or download sections where you can get the latest drivers, or if you need to, downgrade your video driver. This may be something you want to do in situations where video rendering or problems with Windows Movie Maker just started.

 

4. Complex video projects

It's unfortunate, but Microsoft technicians for Windows Movie Maker, have confirmed that creating complex video/movies with Windows Movie Maker can be the problem with being able to save the movies. in the course of troubleshooting problems with Windows Movie Maker, technicians have endorsed the concept of removing transitions and special effects and different aspects of movie projects in order to address problems of the application not being able to save off users projects.

So, if you're running into issues with not being able to save your projects, you should also be looking at how complex a video project you're creating. Essentially Microsoft is acknowledging that it's possible that the video project that you're creating is a little more complex than it can handle, but stating that out right would be embarrassing.
 

I hope this helps...

 

Thank you,
Larry Henry Jr.
LEHSYS.com
 

…via Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12.5