OFF97: Problems Replaying .avi Files Created by MS Camcorder

When you double-click a .avi file that you created in Microsoft Camcorder, the file will be played back, but the video may be an all-black image.

You may experience this behavior if you installed ActiveMovie on your computer.

If you want to view a .avi file that you recorded with Camcorder, you can either:

• Open your .avi file in Camcorder, and then click Play.
  
  -or-
• Make a standalone movie from your .avi file using the "Create Standalone Movie" feature of Microsoft Camcorder, and then run the standalone movie.

Save a Movie as a Standalone Executable

1. If your movie is not currently open in Camcorder, click Open on the File menu. If your movie is already open, skip steps 1 and 2.
2. In the Open dialog box, locate and select a previously recorded movie, and then click Open.
3. On the File menu, click Create Standalone Movie.
4. In the Create Standalone Movie dialog box, select a folder in which to save your movie, type a name in the File Name box, and then click Save.

This will save a file with a .exe file extension in the selected folder.

Running a Standalone Movie

If you do not have Camcorder installed on your computer, you can still play back a movie recorded (and saved as a standalone movie) by Camcorder. To play back a standalone movie:

1. Double-click the .exe file that contains the standalone movie.
   
   When you run the .exe file, it will decompress and play back the movie automatically.
2. Press ESC on your keyboard or click the Stop button to stop the movie.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

Microsoft Camcorder is a screen-capture technology that allows easy creation of movies. It is a simple but powerful movie recorder and play back utility. It captures screen events, stores them as a portable file, and allows play back. This utility enables you to create movies and save them in an .avi file format or export them in a .exe file format. The greatest advantage is that people who receive the .exe file can play the movie without having Camcorder installed on their computer.

ActiveMovie enables play back of popular media formats on the Web, including MPEG audio and video, .avi files, QuickTime, AV, .wav, MIDI, and AIFF. ActiveMovie is not installed when you install Microsoft Office; it is part of the ValuPack on the Microsoft Office compact disc. To install ActiveMovie, double-click the Amovie.exe file in the \Valupack\Amovie folder on the Microsoft Office compact disc.