Movie Maker 2 stops responding when you try to save a large movie file

When you try to save a movie in Microsoft Windows Movie Maker 2, Movie Maker 2 may stop responding (hang). You may receive the following error message:

This problem may occur when the file size of the movie exceeds the available RAM on your computer.

To work around this problem, use one or more of the following methods.

Method 1: Reduce the Size of the Movie File

To reduce the file size of your movie, remove as many pictures and video transition effects as you can.

Method 2: Reduce the Movie Setting Size

Select a smaller movie setting on the Movie Setting page of the Save Movie Wizard. To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Movie Maker 2, open the movie file that is causing the problem.
2. On the File menu, click Save Movie File.
3. Follow the instructions on the Save Movie Wizard.
4. On the Movie Setting page of the Save Movie Wizard, click Other settings, and then click High Quality Video (small).

Method 3: Increase the Size of the Paging File

To change the size of the paging file, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Do one of the following:
   • If Control Panel on your computer is in Classic view, double-click System.
   • If Control Panel on your computer is in Category view, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
3. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
4. In the Performance pane, click Settings.
5. In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
6. In the Virtual memory pane, click Change.
7. Click Custom size, and then in the Initial size (MB) box and the Maximum size (MB) box, type a number that is larger than the number that is currently listed.
8. In Movie Maker 2, save the movie.

Method 4: Save the Movie in Smaller Sections

Save the movie in one half, or one third sections. This reduces the complexity of the storyboard or timeline by reducing the number of individual clips that appear on the storyboard or timeline. To save the movie in smaller portions, follow these steps:

Part 1: Remove and Save One Section of the Movie

1. Select a portion of the items in the storyboard or timeline.
2. On the Edit menu, click Cut.
3. On the File menu, click Save Movie File.
   
   Note This saves the portion of the movie that is still on the timeline or storyboard, not the section that you cut in step 2.
4. In the Save Movie Wizard, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the save process.
5. In the Movie Setting dialog box of the Save Movie Wizard, click Show more choices.
6. Click Other settings, click High video quality (large), and then click Next.

Part 2: Import the Portion and Save the Whole Movie

1. When the Save Movie Wizard is complete, on the File menu, click Import into Collections.
2. Click the file that you saved in steps 3 through 5 of Part 1, and then click Import.
3. Right-click the imported file, and then click Copy.
4. Click the area of the storyboard where you want to insert the file.
5. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
6. On the File menu, click Save Movie File.
7. Follow the instructions in the Save Movie Wizard.
8. Click to clear the Show movie when I click Finish dialog box, and then click Finish.
   
   If the problem continues to occur, repeat this method to divide the movie into smaller portions.

Method 5: Perform a clean startup in Windows XP

For more information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

If this issue continues to occur, you may have to install additional RAM. Contact your computer manufacturer or vendor for more information about how to install additional RAM.