Error message when you try to start Windows Movie Maker in Windows Vista: "Movie Maker has stopped working"

When you try to start Microsoft Windows Movie Maker on a Windows Vista-based computer, you may receive an error message that resembles the following: Windows Movie Maker does not start.

This issue can occur if an incompatible video filter is installed on the computer.

To resolve this problem, start Movie Maker in safe mode, and then configure Movie Maker so that the incompatible video filter is not loaded.

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click All Programs.
2. Click Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
3. At the command prompt, type CD \program files\movie maker, and then press ENTER.
4. Type moviemk.exe /safemode, and then press ENTER.
5. When Movie Maker starts, click Tools, and then click Options.
6. Click the Compatibility tab.
7. In the Filters section, click to clear the check boxes of any third-party video filters that are not required.

A video filter is a component that is used to decode audio and video. Movie Maker supports several different video formats. Movie Maker tries to use the appropriate filter when a filter is needed. In some cases, Movie Maker tries to use an incompatible filter. This can cause Movie Maker to stop working. You can use the Compatibility tab to disable third-party components and codecs so that they are not used. However, sometimes Movie Maker stops working before you can configure these settings. In these scenarios, you can use the Safemode command switch option to make the needed changes.