Windows Movie Maker help?

So I'm joining the 20th century and trying to use Windows Movie Maker to make a movie. I'm getting an error message when I try to import an MPEG file into the story board.

The file C:\Documents and Settings\Desktop\filname.MPG cannot be imported because the codec required to play the file is not installed on your computer. If you have already tried to download and install the codec, close and restart Windows Movie Maker, and then try to import the file again.

What do I need to do?

thanks!

Ted

 

I think if you have some other programs that do editing or converting they may be using a file that WMM uses.. happened to me about 2 mths ago when I was doing some things making a movie for YOuth and installed some other capture software.... deleted them one by one till WMM worked..

do a search about that error message you will find the answer.. I may even have i t linked but I am on my macbook in bed upstairs about to go to sleep...

 

he said windows movie MAKER.. not player

 

http://forums.techarena.in/windows-moviemaker/915620.htm

maybe

 

Sounds like you just need the right codec. Can you play the movie you are importing?

You can use this free tool to check which codec you need for that media file, if you don't know.

 

all I am saying is this was happening to me... some other program was using the required file/codec for some strange reason and wouldnt allow WMM to use it... I un-installed some programs I had installed recently and voila.. it worked again...

 

Thanks for the help guys! I will do some more work at home tonight.

I don't even know what a codec is. If I click in the MPEG icon on the desktop or in the folder, it will play with the windows viewer. I'm at work and can't remember the program that I use to view it...

 

A codec is a piece of software used to encode and decode video. It comes from "Coder/Decoder" and has been shortened to "codec." All media files have one specific codec that was used to create them, so you if you get a media file encoded with a codec you do not have installed, you have to find and install the codec to watch (or sometimes just hear the audio) the video.

Applications like Windows Media Player come bundled with a large number of codecs, but depending on where you get your video from, you may need to install more.

 

http://www.free-codecs.com/

try this one first...
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_lite_codec_pack.htm

 

Thank you very much for the help guys!!! I took the video with my Sony digital video camera. I'll try those when I get home and let you know what happened. Thanks again!!!

 

Any idea which one I should download?
http://www.free-codecs.com/K_lite_codec_pack_download.htm

K-lite Codec PAck 4.4.2 / 4.4.5 (Basic / Standard) FULL /Mirror/Standard/Basic??

 

Check to see what codec you need for your video using the tool I posted above. Then google to download..

 

I would do the whole pack... it should install whatever you need/are missing

 

I downloaded this one: [ K-Lite Codec Pack 4.4.2 FULL ] and then removed it and then downloaded this one [ K-Lite Codec Pack 4.4.5 FULL ] and both programs yielded the same result. Movie Maker will let me import them and I have audio, but I can't get video. **When I drag the file into the timeline, it will only let me drop it into the Audio timeline, NOT the video one.

for the 4.4.5 one, I carefully went thru the check boxes to make sure MPEG files were allowed, but not on the first one.

My MPEG files on my desktop (the ones that I am working with) are now represented by the windows media player icon thing- the cicle with the "play" triangle in them.

I CAN still double click the icon and open them with Windows Media Player

Sorry for my ignorance guys, and thanks MUCH for all of your help.
:cheers2:

 

I did some looking around and it looks like WMM doesnt accept MPEG-2 which more then likely your camera captures in.. maybe put the file through a converter first and convert it to another format...


http://www.moviecodec.com/topics/1668p1.html


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308464

 

I downloaded Windows Media Encoder 9 and installed it but I don't know how to use it. I am really considering just going to buy a program...