How to Update Effects for Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker (replaced by Windows Live Movie Maker) is a program included in Windows that allows you to combine video clips captured elsewhere and add in special sound and video effects to create homemade movies. If you want to update the effects in Windows Movie Maker, you must download and install the Windows Movie Maker Creativity Fun Pack, a package of extra effects available from Windows. Installing the Windows Movie Maker Creativity Fun Pack requires that you validate your copy of Windows.

Instructions

1. Visit the Microsoft Download Center at Microsoft.com/download. Type "Windows Movie Maker Creativity Fun Pack" into the "Search Download Center" field at the top of the site and click the "Search" icon.

2. Click the "Windows XP Creativity Fun Pack for Windows Movie Maker 2: Audio" link in the list of search results.

3. Scroll down and locate the "Quick details" section. Click the "Continue" button.

4. Click "Continue" again to download the Genuine Windows Validation tool. Save the file to your desktop.

5. Double-click the downloaded Genuine Windows Validation tool and click "OK." Allow the tool to inspect your system and verify that your copy of Windows is a valid copy. A popup window will appear with a unique alphanumeric code. Click "Copy to Clipboard."

6. Navigate back to your browser and paste the string of letters and numbers into the empty field on the page. Click the "Validate" button to validate your copy of Windows.

7. Click "Download" and save the Windows Movie Maker update file to your Desktop.

8. Right-click the "creativity_mmaudio.exe" file on your desktop and select "Properties" if using Windows Vista or Windows 7. Click the "Comparability" tab and place a check mark next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for." Select "Windows XP (Service Pack 2)" from the drop-down menu and click "OK." Skip this step if using Windows XP.

9. Double-click the "creativity_mmaudio.exe" file on your desktop and click "OK" to run the file. A dialog box will appear.

10. Click "Next," then click "I accept the terms in the license agreement." Click "Next" again, then "Install."

11. Click "Finish" to complete the installation of the Creativity Fun Pack.

Tips & Warnings

• This update only applies for Windows Movie Maker.

References

• Microsoft Download Center; Windows XP Creativity Fun Pack for Windows Movie Maker 2 - Audio; April 22, 2003
• Windows XP; Download the Windows Movie Maker 2 Creativity Fun Pack; April 22, 2003
• Microsoft Windows: Make Older Programs Run in This Version of Windows