Hangs after clicking on "Capture from video device" + other probs

[elmojr]

Please forgive my reposting my problem, but after three days there have
been no solutions/replies posted, plus there is new info about this
frustrating, consistent problem.

I'm using Windows Movie Maker Version 2.1.4026.0 on a new Dell WinXP
Media Center, 3.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM system, with an NVIDIA GeForce 6800
video card, an Angel TV tuner card, and an SB Audigy 2ZS Audio (D8CO)
sound card. Even though this is a brand-new computer, there are
problems with WMM right from the beginning.

Problem #1: When I first run WMM after turning on my computer, and
click on "Capture from video device", the cursor changes to an
hour-glass, but never stops. I have to do a Ctrl-Alt-Del, which opens a
Windows Task Manager window saying "Untitled - Windows Movie Maker -
Not Responding", so I click on EndTask, which does indeed stop and
closes WMM.

I then go to Start/All Programs/Windows Movie Maker and again start
WMM. This time when I click on "Capture from video device", a WMM
window appears, saying "The video device is currently in use. Close any
other application that is using the device and try again." I select OK,
and another window opens, "Video Capture Wizard: Angel MPEG Device",
saying "Video Capture Device. Select the video capture device you want
to capture from and configure the device if necessary." From that point
WMM seems to run OK most (but not all) of the time.

Problem #2: However, it sometimes hangs up after capturing video, when
the Import window says "Importing files..." The green progress line
underneath that (just over filename.wmv) extends all the way to the
right, but the progress line underneath that remains completely white.
When I click on Cancel, the cursor turns into an hourglass, but never
finishes. A Ctrl-Alt-Del must be performed, losing all the data, of
course.

Problem #3: Another problem is that often (although not every single
time that WMM is run) the text of a command, such as "Adjust Audio
Properties", "Cut", etc., will appear onscreen in a little rectangle
and not go away, even after closing WMM. It appears onscreen, on top of
whatever else I'm doing. The computer must be rebooted to get rid of
it.

Thanks in advance for all suggestions...

 

[Wojo]

With so many different problems and given the fact that the computer is new
and therefore you probably haven't installed too much on it yet I would
recommend doing a reinstall using the WinXP and drivers disks supplied with
your Dell computer. Normally a reinstall is the last thing recommended
except by computer tech support people but in this case it is what I would
recommend. Some of the problems listed below could be WMM related but some
(such as the screen tips that won't disappear) are more likely related to
XP. Your video capturing problem could be WMM or it could be a driver or
codec problem. With such multiple problems and a new computer reinstalling
just seems to be the easiest and fastest solution.