HowTo: Transfer a *complete* project to another computer

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Guest

I created a big, complex project on one computer, saved the project to "My
Videos", and wrote the entire "My Videos" folder to a CD. Sadly, when I tried
to work on the project from another computer, based on the data saved on the
CD, very little of the data was actually there on the CD.

This seems like a classic case of non-microsoft intuition so could someone
please un-educate me on how this is really supposed to be done?

Thanks a Ton!

Jim
 
An understanding of what a project is would help you.
A project is all links to clips, the size of each clip, any cuts you have
made to any clip and where, all links to transitions you use, the places
where these are used, links to music you have selected.
It does not contain any clips/music/transitions.
It is purely a list of references which movie maker uses to find the
information on the pc.

To move the whole lot to another pc you need to save all the clips and music
files to the cd as well - or more likely multiple cd's/ext hdd - and use a
copy of movie maker which is the same as yours. The project files must have
the same location when saved, so it must point to the cd for any clips you
are using, or when you open up hte project you'll get hte saem error as you
get now I suspect, which is MM cannot find clip a do you want to locate it?

Graham
 
Thanks! This is just the education I needed... I was hoping for a solution,
but you have explained why I cannot transfer a project on one computer to
another computer.

Thanks again! Jim
 
You can move or a copy a project created on one computer to another.... or
make the project portable and work on it on various computers. But your
options are limited by your resources.

I usually create and work on projects on my laptop, but it doesn't have
enough hard drive space to save them all for the next sessions. So I copy
the source and project files to another computer on my home network, using
the wireless connection between the laptop and the other computers. I can
work the project on the other computer or copy it back to the laptop for
another session.

Last night I copied a project from the laptop to a plug-in thumb drive....
source files and the project file. I was then able to work on the project
directly from the thumb drive, using my laptop or another computer.

As Graham says, you should have the same version of Movie Maker.... and when
Movie Maker gives you the red X's because it can't find the source files,
you need to browse to them to re-establish the links.

How big the source files are, and your options to copy or move them from one
computer to another, will determine your options for doing it.... but you
can.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
Photo Story 3 - use the menu branch at www.papajohn.org

..
 
Cool ! this gives me some hope !!

If I follow what you are saying, I could use this general process:

1) I should first copy my source files to a session-project folder (to the
degree that resources are available).

2) Import them into the project collection to be added to the movie.

3) When moving the session project folder to another computer (by network or
CD), since the links are absolute links as opposed to relative), when the big
red x shows up, I tell mm to resolve the link one big red X at a time.

OK! I'll give that a try!
 
Even easier!! You don't need a collection database.... if your clips are
moved into a project file (MSWMM) you only need the project file and the
source files. The collection database is just a stepping stone toward
getting them in the project.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
Photo Story 3 - use the menu branch at www.papajohn.org

..
 
And you only need to redirect MM2 to one of the missing source files....
it'll find and correct the others that are in the folder....

so yes, a common project-specific folder with the source files and the
project (MSWMM) in it works easiest.

--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 - www.papajohn.org
Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org
Photo Story 3 - use the menu branch at www.papajohn.org

..
 
I've tried that but I'm having problems. I was in Cancun and created a
family video. I then tried saving the movie at DV-AVI (640x480) and other
formats and the final video hangs on a different picture each time I tried.
Tried saving at lower resolutions 320x and under and all played fine. So,
even though the video is only still pics and 5minutes long, I figured maybe
it was to complex for the laptop - 2gh/512/40g/etc (pitiful if that was the
case).

Upon returning home, I created directories on my computer that matched the
locations of the source material on the laptop "c:\docu-sett\tony\my
docs\music and \video" I then copied over the project file 2.1 megs.

Now, I can open MM2.1 without fail. then trying to open the project I get
an unspecified error. Only with that project. Any projects I create locally
are fine.

Also, yes, the QASF file on the laptop was out of date in the registered
packages directory. However, after updating it, and re-running the DV-AVI
file save, it still hung at a picture 1 minute or so into the video, while
the audio still played.

Any thoughts Papajohn? Would love to get this project finished and start
some new ones.
 
PapaJohn said:
"and when Movie Maker gives you the red X's because it can't find the source
files, you need to browse to them to re-establish the links"

How do you re-establish the links to the source file. I had to change out
my hard drive and the replaced drive is D:\ instead of F:\ like it used to.
My MSWMM collection is looking for the source on F:\ instead of the new
designation D:\. How do i redirect it to look at the new location without
re-naming my drive?

Thanks,
Eric
 
Once you've opened the project, double-click on the red X's on the
storyboard/timeline and MovieMaker will ask you for the new location.
Regards
Dean Rowe
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
 
Thanks. I also found that I can select Edit ... Browse for Missing File ...
and it updates all of the clips that have that source.

Eric
 
Thank you so much! I thought I had to start al over with a project that I
worked on for 5 hours. This discussion is just what I needed. THanks again!
Boukje
 
I am trying to save the 6th project this way - no success!!

What a crappy software, Windows Movie Maker (WMM), I can’t believe that
serious people install it on new computers, when it was not debugged properly
– shame on you!

1) It cannot work with a big files, so forget doing home video editions, may
be just a set of 100 pictures.
2) It cannot speed up a clip, it runs only the speed provided in AVI.
3) I try to open the saved project – and I can’t – the message is
“unspecified errorâ€. First I thought it might be memory problems. I cleaned
the harddrive, killed some big files which were in “collection†for some
projects. I have 700 Mb RAM and 17 Gbt harddrive disk memory, so the memory
should not be a problem.
4) I tried to save just a little project, with one clip – it gives the same
error and does not open it.
5) By some reasons it opens all the collection, even when I don’t need it in
my new project. I suspect that it wants to find all the references, even the
old and deleted ones and does not want to work on the new project without it.
6) Allright, I made my N6 attempts to save at least a small part of the
project (700 Mbt) as a movie, and not only as a project. Save as a movie,
please, all the clips are in the directory in front of me, no crossesâ€, all
of them are playing fine – Nope, it says that can’t save as it is missing
some clips or sources are missing or modified. I did not touch the sources,
but edited a clip directly in the timeline.
7) By some reasons it keeps memory of my very first project, which I lost,
and so I deleted references to it. When I try to save it as a movie or when I
check new project file properties it shows the 1st project name… Does it let
me to work on the new project or I am stuck with the unfinished old one?

Over to you, I am not closing this N6 attempt untill I save it somehow...
It's a humiliation to force people to repeat the same editing-by frame 6
times for big projects...

IT
 
There's nothing in your list that are not routine startup or learning
issues... things that can be resolved, and others that will blend into the
background as you learn the features of Movie Maker and how to use them.
Pretty much the same startup curve you'll have with and video editing
software.

Yes.... it's frustrating at times. I've been there and come across new ones
every day.
--
PapaJohn

Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 website - http://www.papajohn.org
MM2 Tips and Tricks: http://www.simplydv.co.uk/simplyBB/viewtopic.php?t=4693
Online Newsletters: http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/PapaJohn/Index.aspx
 
1) it seems that the program can't get rid from the first project and does
not let me open or save new, short projects...

2) There is not "crosses", and the program does not want to write a new
movie based on 2 clips, not associated with the 1st project

You call it normal... So far it from reading your links I didnot find what
to do next...
 
A Movie Maker project file does not save the data, per se - - it saves the
executions you have made in that project -- you need to have also saved the
original movie file in the same folder on your computer, then save the
project and the movie to the same folder on your CD.
Hopeflyy Papajohn agrees with me on this - - make sure to get his comments.
 
Yes, I agree.... with one added comment

Somtimes Movie Maker will accept source files in another folder... but
sometimes it'll say the replacement isn't close enough to the original, in
which case it needs to be not only in the same folder location, but the
drive name/letter needs to be the same.
 
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