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| Error 80004003 |
Sorry, Movie Maker can't open this project file. The file might not be compatible with Windows Live Movie Maker or be corrupted.
If you are willing to wait, Microsoft will fix a corrupted file for you. I've also fixed quite a few files for people in the Microsoft Answers forums.
This post is for anyone that wants to know what is happening behind the scenes, or that wants to try to fix the problem on their own.
The first step is to make a copy of the file so you aren't working with the original. Next, right-click on the copy of the project file and choose 'Open With' and pick the Notepad application.
Scroll to the bottom of the file to find a <BoundPlaceHolders> section. It says that the "Text" section has an extentID of 4. Looking just above that you should see a section that starts with <ExtentSelector ExtentID="4" which lists all the added titles and captions by number. Make a note of all these because you'll need them later.
Now search further up for each section starting with <TitleClip. Ignore any sections that have a complete section between the <Effects> and </Effects> tags. Eventually you'll hit a few that just have <Effects/> (an empty Effects section).
Check if that ExtentID in the list of ExtentIDs in the Text section from before (the ones you made a note of). If it isn't you can ignore this, but if you find that it has an empty Effects section *and* it is listed in that block of text ExtentIDs, that's a problem.
Take the empty <Effects> line and replace it with a block of <Effects> ... </Effects> from a working title. I usually fill in the <BoundPropertyStringSet Name="string"> section with a recognizable string like "FIX ME!" so I can find it later. Most often, there is only one caption that is corrupted, so you might be able to stop here. However, you should check all <TitleClip sections to be sure. After replacing the empty Effects sections in all bad captions with good data, you can save the file.
You should now be able to open the project in Windows Live Movie Maker just like before. Look for any caption(s) that say "FIX ME!" and correct the position, text and styling as needed.
As a final step, I'd recommend downloading the latest version of Windows Live Movie Maker. Version 15.4.3555.0308 which was released in March has a fix to prevent this corruption from happening in future projects. It won't fix broken projects, but at least it will stop you from having this problem going forward. It's really not all that magical and can be done easily, if you are careful and only work in a copy.
I have a suggestion for your next add-on to try to make available to us. The rumble effect. Makes it seem as if the video is shaking by zooming in just enough not to cause any unwanted black space, then quickly moves the video randomly. It would be similar to the video effects used for when an explosion goes off.
ReplyDeleteWhile off topic of this post, I appreciate the feedback. I don't usually take requests for effects or transitions, so I can't give any guarantees on whether this may or may not happen. In the meantime, check the pinned post of WMM6 custom add-ons. I'd take a look at 'Earthquake' and 'PIP Bass, Bump and Wobble'
Deletehiii. i tried this stuff but i guess its beyond me. i can't really wait for the windos ppl to fix it up coz its a video for my friend who's leaving for US this week. can you plz fix it for me?
ReplyDeletehttps://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=C0C4EB5AF27B496D!185
I can't guarantee that this (fixed file) will fix all the problems, but at least you should be able to open it. It looks like several of the captions at the end were lost, perhaps. Also, I'm not sure if the project settings are correct.
ReplyDeleteBut you still might want to try asking Microsoft for support to see if they can recover more.
omg! YES! i could open it. thankyouuuu so muchhh! ur my saviour! thankssss :)
DeleteHello, I'm writing from Barcelona, Spain. I have a "error 80004003" and I followed your instructions to fix it but I don't know why it doesn't work. Of course I've contacted the help center from Microsoft but no answer yet. Another thing is that I have the Windows Movie Maker version 15.4.3555.0308. I have 3 projects to give to a NGO for a non profit event and I really need to fix it. Can you help me please???
ReplyDeleteKind regards, Damaris. (damarisbun@yahoo.com)
Don't worry, you'll get a response from Microsoft. They will fix your file within 24-48 hours.
DeleteI hope you're right, :)
DeleteError 80004003 on Windows Live Movie Maker Version 15.4.3555.0308: An Alternate Fix
ReplyDeleteI recently experienced error 80004003. After Microsoft told me they couldn't fix the corruption when I was literally 10 seconds away from clicking [Save Movie], I began looking for other ways to fix my project. I tried what this page said and opened the project as wordpad only to find a blank wordpad starring me in the face.
If fixing you corrupted project proves difficult, here is another way to fix it on Windows Live Movie Maker (worked for me.) Also heed this page and make a copy of the project before attempting to fix a corruption (with any method) in case things go badly.
1)Select [Open Project]
2)Right-click on the corrupted file.
3)Select [Properties]
4)Select [Previous Versions]
5)Select the most recent version before the corruption.
6) By selecting [Open], [Copy], or [Restore], you should have a non-corrupted, albeit possibly unfinished version of your project to work with.
Please not that I've only tried [Restore] so I'm not sure if the other 2 options work. I've never experienced this error on earlier WMM's, but I see no reason this shouldn't work as well.
Just for fun: The project I was making was 12 minutes in length. By restoring a previous version, I lost 30 seconds and 1 caption (far better than starting over.)
I also had the some issue with a project that I was working on. What I did was scan through my project and looked for the tags listed in my I simply removed then entire entry starting with
ReplyDelete2. Goto the section ExtentID's and remove the entry line that you found the error in.
Good to Go ...
Thanks for the tip! Certainly removing the offending caption works too. I left the option of trying to fix the caption, but you can always just recreate it in WLMM.
Deletehttps://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=3A5BE31E0C5D5501!107&authkey=!AIoZdNt2xLKAEwU
ReplyDeletei really need this fixed and skydrive isnt fixing it fast it enough. can you fix it? Its for a school project and i need to give it to my teacher as soon as possible
That project file opens fine in Movie Maker. There isn't any problem with it. However, you need to make sure you have all the same source files. It looks like the project file is referencing video files and/or pictures on a network drive. Are you trying to edit a movie that you started at school? You can't just transfer a project file (.wlmp) and make it work. You need all the associated video and photos. It would be like trying to bake a cake with just a recipe and no ingredients.
DeleteIf you have the source files, but they are somewhere else on your hard disk, you can double-click on a yellow triangle and Find the actual location of the file. Otherwise you'll need to edit the project on the same computer where you started it.
Hi, i've post a question on the microsoft community forum.
ReplyDeletehttp://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-pictures/wlmm-problems-hopeless/4e79cc3d-fd9e-48b4-8278-adb6e0dc8694
My problem is not difficult to explain; i was using win essentials 2011 wlmm, i was looking for more edit effects, so downloaded essentials 2012. Continued working on the file, when ready to render it in HD the trouble started. Found out a lot of people have this problem with the 2012 version. So... I've reïnstalled the 2011 version, but... it wouldn't open the files anymore. Although it has the same extension; .wlmp
the response on the forum sad it is not backworths compatible.
The answer i got, is not very helpfull. Is there a better option?
Thanks
This is slightly off topic, but I'll answer anyway. Yes, the project file format gets updated when you save in Movie Maker 2012. Internally, if you open the .wlmp in Notepad, you'll see that the project number changes from 65538 to 65540. I've not tried this, but see if you can simply change the number back to the earlier number and then open it in WLMM 2011.
Deletethanks, but that didn't work. Guess ive got to start all over again. thanks anyway
DeleteSorry to hear that. I guess the format is too different to work with a simple version change. I hope Microsoft finds a good fix for the issues people are having with MM2012.
DeleteThis post is for those that want to try to fix a corrupted file themselves. If you aren't comfortable with doing that, please request support from Microsoft directly rather than asking me. I'm now providing the information or the link, but I can't fix files directly anymore.
ReplyDeleteDear Blaine,
ReplyDeleteThank you. You save my day. Previously, your explanation was just too alien to me. But somne how I manage to understand, and problem solve. And all my hardwork remain intact. Thank you again and happy new year.