J
John Kelly
Movie Maker FAQ 1 Last updated 6th January 2005
Crashing and Hanging
1) What is a Codec?
==============
A Codec is software that was first created to deal with the transposition of
data from one form into another. One of the first important Codecs was a
procedure still used today called Soundex. I believe the first proper use of
Soundex was by the Mormons. Most of us use Soundex or its equivalent every time
we use a spell checker. The Mormons use it in their vast database of all
persons baptised by them. It enables very fast data searches on similar sounding
words that are not necessarily spelled the same way. Soundex though is a one
way procedure. Its a CODER The other part of the word Codec is derived from the
word DECODER. Joining the two parts together we get the word CODEC.
With regard to Codecs and any Video or Audio playing software. MP3 or WMA audio
files have been compressed using CODER routines. When you play those files on
your computer you are using the DECODER routines to produce a sound or video
signal that can be seen/heard on your machine.
With regard to Audio/Video editing software. A Codec is used to compress the
data so that it occupies as small a space as possible usually on a hard drive.
But in the case of editing a file the codec must first expand the compressed
data before the edit can occur and afterwards compress it again when the data
is saved to a new file.
The problems with Codecs arise from "Calls" A call is the expression used to
define the way one software module talks to another so that information can be
passed between the two. The problem occurs when the Call is not properly
formatted, or the reply is not understood. This becomes a problem that the
calling software must handle. When the calling software fails to handle the
error it can do one of a number of things....the correct way is to contain the
error and respond with an alternative approach and possibly inform the user
that the error occurred, the other approach we are all to familiar with, either
the software or the machine crashes and probably taking all of
your hard work with it.
You will find advice elsewhere that certain Codecs are known to cause Movie
Maker a problem. The statement as given is NOT true. There are certain programs
which are now out of date, that will cause problems. The latest release of those
programs do not.The programs referred to are most often, but not restricted to
DVD playing programs.
2) Movie Maker crashes, what can I do?
============================
From item one above there is a good chance that your problem arises from a
problem with a Codec. Movie Maker version 2.1 was supposed to address this
issue by giving you the user the ability to disable one or more of the Codecs on
your machine. The problem however is not fully addressed and results in some
Codecs not being exposed to the disable option. If its that particular codec
that is causing the problem you are stuck.
You need to know which Codec it is, where it is, possibly what other software
installed it and what other dependencies exist. In other words you need to know
a LOT of things. The proper way of dealing with the issue would be to remove the
offending codec but that's not very practical as you may really need the other
software that depends on it.
There is a temporary solution available in the form of a program called "Rename
Codecs" It has been in use for perhaps a year now by many hundreds of people
and with great success. There have been a total of 6 times that the program did
not solve the users problem (At the time of writing this) You can obtain your
FREE copy of the program from www.the-kellys.org It is strongly recommended
that you check out the short interactive tutorial also on the website so that
you can get a feel for how it performs. The basics of the program are that it
will offer you the option of temporarily renaming Codecs that are known to be a
problem for Movie Maker. You would do that before using Movie Maker. Once you
are finished using the program you again run Movie Maker and use the RESTORE
option to put those Codecs back into operation...its very easy to use.
There is an additional option. You can use the options within XP to turn off the
various levels of video acceleration that your graphics card has. Doing this is
not a good idea but if you do you must understand that every program that relies
on those abilities will either run badly or not at all. To turn the
acceleration down right click your desktop and select PROPERTIES, then SETTINGS
then ADVANCED and then TROUBLERSHOOT. You will then see a slider bar which
should normally be positioned on the far right. You can move it one step at a
time and then close the dialog down and re-try Movie Maker. You can repeat
those steps until (and if) Movie Maker works properly.
A lot of video programs give you the opportunity of taking a snap shot of the
video displayed, Intervideo WinDVD 5 does a good job of this. Movie Maker also
has this option. BUT, if you turn the acceleration down as above, you will no
longer be able to take those snapshots. This is not a great problem of course
as you can change the acceleration back. But it is rather tedious.
3) How do I make my system perform better and stop Movie Maker crashing
=======================================================
This is by far the best way of doing things. Whilst the Rename Codec program is
a MUST when you really do need to keep "other" software on your system, the
following approach will ensure that your system runs at its best speed and will
be less likely to crash at all from Video or Audio problems.
You need to download the latest versions of DirectX and the Windows Codecs pack
together with the latest version of Windows Media Player. You should NOT try to
install these packages via the Internet, you should get the standalone versions.
The reason is obvious once you know it. Suppose those updates you did some time
back are not working properly...it may be that they were not installed properly
or it may be that a file is either corrupt or simply missing. How would you
know??? The more experienced may spot the problem but the average user will
not. So why download the full package??? That's easy. When you unzip a package
several checks are made to ensure the integrity of the files inside the zip. If
there is a problem you will be told there and then...the file is corrupt or
damaged in some other way....you do not need to trust an install over the
internet and the possibility of data being missed....
You can get the packages via these links...
Codec Pack
-----------------
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx
DirectX
----------
http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=1081813
Windows Media Player
---------------------------------
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en
Movie Maker for XP
---------------------------
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.aspx
The link for Movie Maker is actually a link to SP2 (Service Pack 2). This a
large download. Its not to bad if you have a reasonably fast broadband
connection, but if the download fails its a long way back to the start!!!
Personally I would recommend you obtain A CD version of SP2...its available on
the Windows Magazine and from Microsoft directly
Drivers for your graphics card
----------------------------------
I have discovered that most people are confused on the issue of drivers for
their graphics card in that when advised to acquire the latest driver they go
straight to the Microsoft website and get one from them. Their is a problem with
that in that the drivers supplied by Microsoft are Generic.
I made the mistake of going direct to Microsoft some time back and the result
was that I could only run the machine in the basic "Safe Mode" the driver was
the most up to date and was definitely more recent than the existing driver. It
took some time to understand what was going on I must admit......
The graphics card was an NVidia GForce 4 etc and was manufactured by
Gainward. After several attempts at getting the Microsoft driver to install I
decided that the download MUST BE corrupted in some way, So I went to the
NVidia website and downloaded their driver (Same version number as the one from
Microsoft) I had the exact same problems!!! In the end I went to the Gainward
website and downloaded the most up to date driver they had.....once installed
the
graphics card performed better than ever and with more configuration options
than I would ever need.
So why did an older driver work better than the most recent from NVidia ??? Its
simple when you know why .... Gainward produce high capability cards and in
order to achieve some of their aims they change the way the NVidia chipset
works. This requires a modified driver....and they produce their own. The card
is still based on the NVidia and conforms to the basic design....but it runs
very much faster because of code optimization, and that optimization is missing
from the Microsoft or NVidia drivers.
The result of all this is that you should ALWAYS go to the website of the
MANUFACTURER of the card and not the manufacturer of the chipset (in my case
NVidia)
The Method
-----------------
Reboot your computer and install SP2. After the install has completed you should
reboot your computer twice...yes boring but desirable
After the reboot you should now install the DirectX pack and reboot again.
After that reboot install the Codec Pack and reboot yet again.
After that install Windows Media Player and reboot again
Finally install the latest driver for your graphics card.
Rebooting the machine does perform an important task. It completes installation
process's and ensures that previously existing file locks are removed. Under
certain conditions XP will not overwrite a file if it has been locked. Note that
this is not the same as marking a file as Read Only.
Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility
---------------------------------------------------------------
This utility can be obtained here...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/decoder.mspx
A very useful program but with a problem. It reports that I have the MGI MPEG-2
Video Decoder on one of my machines...I have NO MGI software on my system!!
I would not let that put you off using it as it does have a useful purpose even
though the same objective can be achieved via other already existing routes
within XP. I am in favour of this program as it does give good advice on which
Codec you should select as the preferred Codec
4) What files does Movie Maker NOT like?
==============================
Any MPEG based file will cause Movie Maker problems even though they seldom
cause problems for Media Player. There are a number of reasons...Media Player
does not need the CODER part of the Codec and there are many
methods/procedures/algothims used to Code an MPeg file and its that wide range
of methods that Movie Maker can not address. Its not really a bug but the
method of dealing with the issue, well there is no method...Movie Maker gives an
error and crashes or it just crashes. The particular file extensions are Mpeg,
MPG and MP3.
JPeg still images can also be a problem and for similar reasons to MPeg files.
There are a number of formats for a JPeg and it seems that the older formats
are not properly dealt with. To work around the issue you can reduce the
compression used in creating the JPeg and NOT use the progressive format method
The best solution for these problems is to convert the file into a more
acceptable format, and as it happens a format that is more easily worked on by
Movie Maker...the conversion you should employ are
MPeg, MPG convert to AVI, MP3 convert to WAV and JPeg, JPG convert to a standard
bitmap BMP
NOTES
======
There are several other approaches you can take to solving a codec issue. I have
seen several other methods of solving the problem, and basically they don't.
Instead they treat the symptom and not the problem itself. Several other methods
involve damaging the picture of your computers layout (that's a bad pun by the
way) and simply doing that method involves the risk of permanent damage to that
picture.
The program Rename Codecs also damages that picture of your system but it does
at least provide a user friendly way of restoring your system and that method
requires no prior knowledge on your part about where, which and how to make
those changes.
All efforts are made to ensure that the information is accurate. As no one is
perfect I would be happy to hear of any errors found in this document. If you
have any doubts at all over following the advice given here you should NOT
attempt it.
The contents of this FAQ are liable to change with out prior notification.
--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
----
\|||/
(oo)
----------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work
Crashing and Hanging
1) What is a Codec?
==============
A Codec is software that was first created to deal with the transposition of
data from one form into another. One of the first important Codecs was a
procedure still used today called Soundex. I believe the first proper use of
Soundex was by the Mormons. Most of us use Soundex or its equivalent every time
we use a spell checker. The Mormons use it in their vast database of all
persons baptised by them. It enables very fast data searches on similar sounding
words that are not necessarily spelled the same way. Soundex though is a one
way procedure. Its a CODER The other part of the word Codec is derived from the
word DECODER. Joining the two parts together we get the word CODEC.
With regard to Codecs and any Video or Audio playing software. MP3 or WMA audio
files have been compressed using CODER routines. When you play those files on
your computer you are using the DECODER routines to produce a sound or video
signal that can be seen/heard on your machine.
With regard to Audio/Video editing software. A Codec is used to compress the
data so that it occupies as small a space as possible usually on a hard drive.
But in the case of editing a file the codec must first expand the compressed
data before the edit can occur and afterwards compress it again when the data
is saved to a new file.
The problems with Codecs arise from "Calls" A call is the expression used to
define the way one software module talks to another so that information can be
passed between the two. The problem occurs when the Call is not properly
formatted, or the reply is not understood. This becomes a problem that the
calling software must handle. When the calling software fails to handle the
error it can do one of a number of things....the correct way is to contain the
error and respond with an alternative approach and possibly inform the user
that the error occurred, the other approach we are all to familiar with, either
the software or the machine crashes and probably taking all of
your hard work with it.
You will find advice elsewhere that certain Codecs are known to cause Movie
Maker a problem. The statement as given is NOT true. There are certain programs
which are now out of date, that will cause problems. The latest release of those
programs do not.The programs referred to are most often, but not restricted to
DVD playing programs.
2) Movie Maker crashes, what can I do?
============================
From item one above there is a good chance that your problem arises from a
problem with a Codec. Movie Maker version 2.1 was supposed to address this
issue by giving you the user the ability to disable one or more of the Codecs on
your machine. The problem however is not fully addressed and results in some
Codecs not being exposed to the disable option. If its that particular codec
that is causing the problem you are stuck.
You need to know which Codec it is, where it is, possibly what other software
installed it and what other dependencies exist. In other words you need to know
a LOT of things. The proper way of dealing with the issue would be to remove the
offending codec but that's not very practical as you may really need the other
software that depends on it.
There is a temporary solution available in the form of a program called "Rename
Codecs" It has been in use for perhaps a year now by many hundreds of people
and with great success. There have been a total of 6 times that the program did
not solve the users problem (At the time of writing this) You can obtain your
FREE copy of the program from www.the-kellys.org It is strongly recommended
that you check out the short interactive tutorial also on the website so that
you can get a feel for how it performs. The basics of the program are that it
will offer you the option of temporarily renaming Codecs that are known to be a
problem for Movie Maker. You would do that before using Movie Maker. Once you
are finished using the program you again run Movie Maker and use the RESTORE
option to put those Codecs back into operation...its very easy to use.
There is an additional option. You can use the options within XP to turn off the
various levels of video acceleration that your graphics card has. Doing this is
not a good idea but if you do you must understand that every program that relies
on those abilities will either run badly or not at all. To turn the
acceleration down right click your desktop and select PROPERTIES, then SETTINGS
then ADVANCED and then TROUBLERSHOOT. You will then see a slider bar which
should normally be positioned on the far right. You can move it one step at a
time and then close the dialog down and re-try Movie Maker. You can repeat
those steps until (and if) Movie Maker works properly.
A lot of video programs give you the opportunity of taking a snap shot of the
video displayed, Intervideo WinDVD 5 does a good job of this. Movie Maker also
has this option. BUT, if you turn the acceleration down as above, you will no
longer be able to take those snapshots. This is not a great problem of course
as you can change the acceleration back. But it is rather tedious.
3) How do I make my system perform better and stop Movie Maker crashing
=======================================================
This is by far the best way of doing things. Whilst the Rename Codec program is
a MUST when you really do need to keep "other" software on your system, the
following approach will ensure that your system runs at its best speed and will
be less likely to crash at all from Video or Audio problems.
You need to download the latest versions of DirectX and the Windows Codecs pack
together with the latest version of Windows Media Player. You should NOT try to
install these packages via the Internet, you should get the standalone versions.
The reason is obvious once you know it. Suppose those updates you did some time
back are not working properly...it may be that they were not installed properly
or it may be that a file is either corrupt or simply missing. How would you
know??? The more experienced may spot the problem but the average user will
not. So why download the full package??? That's easy. When you unzip a package
several checks are made to ensure the integrity of the files inside the zip. If
there is a problem you will be told there and then...the file is corrupt or
damaged in some other way....you do not need to trust an install over the
internet and the possibility of data being missed....
You can get the packages via these links...
Codec Pack
-----------------
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx
DirectX
----------
http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=1081813
Windows Media Player
---------------------------------
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en
Movie Maker for XP
---------------------------
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.aspx
The link for Movie Maker is actually a link to SP2 (Service Pack 2). This a
large download. Its not to bad if you have a reasonably fast broadband
connection, but if the download fails its a long way back to the start!!!
Personally I would recommend you obtain A CD version of SP2...its available on
the Windows Magazine and from Microsoft directly
Drivers for your graphics card
----------------------------------
I have discovered that most people are confused on the issue of drivers for
their graphics card in that when advised to acquire the latest driver they go
straight to the Microsoft website and get one from them. Their is a problem with
that in that the drivers supplied by Microsoft are Generic.
I made the mistake of going direct to Microsoft some time back and the result
was that I could only run the machine in the basic "Safe Mode" the driver was
the most up to date and was definitely more recent than the existing driver. It
took some time to understand what was going on I must admit......
The graphics card was an NVidia GForce 4 etc and was manufactured by
Gainward. After several attempts at getting the Microsoft driver to install I
decided that the download MUST BE corrupted in some way, So I went to the
NVidia website and downloaded their driver (Same version number as the one from
Microsoft) I had the exact same problems!!! In the end I went to the Gainward
website and downloaded the most up to date driver they had.....once installed
the
graphics card performed better than ever and with more configuration options
than I would ever need.
So why did an older driver work better than the most recent from NVidia ??? Its
simple when you know why .... Gainward produce high capability cards and in
order to achieve some of their aims they change the way the NVidia chipset
works. This requires a modified driver....and they produce their own. The card
is still based on the NVidia and conforms to the basic design....but it runs
very much faster because of code optimization, and that optimization is missing
from the Microsoft or NVidia drivers.
The result of all this is that you should ALWAYS go to the website of the
MANUFACTURER of the card and not the manufacturer of the chipset (in my case
NVidia)
The Method
-----------------
Reboot your computer and install SP2. After the install has completed you should
reboot your computer twice...yes boring but desirable
After the reboot you should now install the DirectX pack and reboot again.
After that reboot install the Codec Pack and reboot yet again.
After that install Windows Media Player and reboot again
Finally install the latest driver for your graphics card.
Rebooting the machine does perform an important task. It completes installation
process's and ensures that previously existing file locks are removed. Under
certain conditions XP will not overwrite a file if it has been locked. Note that
this is not the same as marking a file as Read Only.
Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility
---------------------------------------------------------------
This utility can be obtained here...
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/decoder.mspx
A very useful program but with a problem. It reports that I have the MGI MPEG-2
Video Decoder on one of my machines...I have NO MGI software on my system!!
I would not let that put you off using it as it does have a useful purpose even
though the same objective can be achieved via other already existing routes
within XP. I am in favour of this program as it does give good advice on which
Codec you should select as the preferred Codec
4) What files does Movie Maker NOT like?
==============================
Any MPEG based file will cause Movie Maker problems even though they seldom
cause problems for Media Player. There are a number of reasons...Media Player
does not need the CODER part of the Codec and there are many
methods/procedures/algothims used to Code an MPeg file and its that wide range
of methods that Movie Maker can not address. Its not really a bug but the
method of dealing with the issue, well there is no method...Movie Maker gives an
error and crashes or it just crashes. The particular file extensions are Mpeg,
MPG and MP3.
JPeg still images can also be a problem and for similar reasons to MPeg files.
There are a number of formats for a JPeg and it seems that the older formats
are not properly dealt with. To work around the issue you can reduce the
compression used in creating the JPeg and NOT use the progressive format method
The best solution for these problems is to convert the file into a more
acceptable format, and as it happens a format that is more easily worked on by
Movie Maker...the conversion you should employ are
MPeg, MPG convert to AVI, MP3 convert to WAV and JPeg, JPG convert to a standard
bitmap BMP
NOTES
======
There are several other approaches you can take to solving a codec issue. I have
seen several other methods of solving the problem, and basically they don't.
Instead they treat the symptom and not the problem itself. Several other methods
involve damaging the picture of your computers layout (that's a bad pun by the
way) and simply doing that method involves the risk of permanent damage to that
picture.
The program Rename Codecs also damages that picture of your system but it does
at least provide a user friendly way of restoring your system and that method
requires no prior knowledge on your part about where, which and how to make
those changes.
All efforts are made to ensure that the information is accurate. As no one is
perfect I would be happy to hear of any errors found in this document. If you
have any doubts at all over following the advice given here you should NOT
attempt it.
The contents of this FAQ are liable to change with out prior notification.
--
Best Wishes.....John Kelly
www.the-kellys.org
www.the-kellys.co.uk
Check out free video hosting at www.the-kellys.org
----
\|||/
(oo)
----------ooO-(_)-Ooo-------------
All material gained from other sources is duly acknowledged. No Value is
obtained by publishing in any format other peoples work