Windows Movie Maker may not run on a Windows Vista Starter-based computer

When you try to run Windows Movie Maker on a Windows Vista Starter-based computer, the program may not run.

Note Windows Movie Maker version 6.0 is preinstalled on Windows Vista-based computers.

This issue may occur if the graphics card in the computer does not support Microsoft DirectX version 9.0. At a minimum, a graphics card in a Windows Vista-based computer must support DirectX 7.0. However, Windows Movie Maker 6.0 requires a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0. Therefore, if a graphics card does not support DirectX 9.0, Windows Movie Maker will not run.

To resolve this issue, upgrade to a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0, Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM), and Pixel Shader 2.0.

To work around this issue, install Windows Movie Maker 2.6 on the computer.

How to install Windows Movie Maker 2.6

1. Download the Windows Movie Maker 2.6 installer file to the desktop of the computer. To download Windows Movie Maker 2.6, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d6ba5972-328e-4df7-8f9d-068fc0f80cfc&DisplayLang=en (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=d6ba5972-328e-4df7-8f9d-068fc0f80cfc&DisplayLang=en)
2. On the desktop, double-click the Windows Movie Maker 2.6 installer file.
3. Follow the steps in the installation wizard to install Windows Movie Maker 2.6.

How to run Windows Movie Maker 2.6

1. Click Start
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   , click Search, and then type Movie Maker in the Search box.
2. After you locate the file, double-click Windows Movie Maker 2.6 to start the program.
   
   Note Search results will be displayed for Windows Movie Maker 6.0 and for Windows Movie Maker 2.6. Make sure that you click the search results for Windows Movie Maker 2.6.

About Windows Movie Maker 2.6

Windows Movie Maker 2.6 is a separate release to address the DirectX issue in Windows Vista Starter. There will be no updates or future releases of Windows Movie Maker 2.6. Windows Movie Maker 2.6 has the same features as Windows Movie Maker 2.1 for Windows XP. The following features are not supported in Windows Movie Maker 2.6:

• You cannot use Windows Movie Maker 2.6 Help.
• You cannot use the Import Video Wizard to automatically import videos from a camera to Windows Movie Maker 2.6.
• You cannot use Windows Movie Maker functionality that is integrated with components that are available only in Windows Vista. For example, you cannot use the disc burning feature or Windows Photo Gallery.
• You cannot open, edit, and save Windows Movie Maker 6.0 projects.

How to determine the version of DirectX that is installed on a computer

Click Start , type dxdiag in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool dialog box displays the DirectX version information.

Note If you see a dialog box together with a message that prompts you to verify that the installed drivers are signed, click Yes.

How to determine the version of Windows Movie Maker that is running on the computer

1. Start Windows Movie Maker.
2. On the Help menu, click About Windows Movie Maker. The About Windows Movie Maker dialog box displays the version information.