Member Avatar for grandmagail

Hi,

Not sure where to post this question.

I created a slideshow like I do every year for our halloween party in windows movie maker. I imported the music and sounds I wanted, but there is no sound when I playback the storyboard or timeline. If I click on the imported file in collections and select play clip, it plays fine. They play okay in windows media player also.

I downloaded Windows Media Encoder and converted the mp3 files to wma as suggested on another forum even though I haven’t had a problem with sound in the past. I also unchecked a filter ending in .ax. as suggested. I checked the audio levels. Still no luck.

I am running out to time!

Does anyone have any other suggestions I can try?

I have Win XP SP2 and am using Windows Movie Maker 2.1.4026.0

Thanks for your help.

Gail

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Short, practical troubleshooting for the specific case described by (WMM 2.1 on Windows XP): since the audio files play outside Movie Maker, the problem is almost certainly Movie Maker or the system audio path rather than the files themselves. ’s point about formats is useful, but focus first on Movie Maker–specific checks and quick isolating tests.

Quick isolation steps (do these first)

  • Create a new, empty Movie Maker project and import a known-good short WAV (Windows sound or another small file). Put it on the Audio/Music track and press Play. If audio appears here, the original project or clips are the issue; if not, the problem is at the app/system level.
  • Open Windows XP’s Volume Control (Start → Run → sndvol32.exe). In Properties show the Playback channels (Wave, Master, etc.) and ensure Wave is visible, not muted and turned up. Some timeline playback problems look like “no sound” simply because Wave is muted.
  • Try headphones or toggle the audio output (analog speakers vs SPDIF/digital out) via the sound card control panel—this rules out the wrong output device.

Application-level fixes if the quick tests fail

  • Restart Movie Maker, reboot the PC, then test again. If still no audio: update/reinstall the audio driver and DirectX (DirectX 9.0c is the last for XP). Corrupt or outdated drivers often break WMM preview while Media Player continues to play.
  • Reinstall/repair Windows Movie Maker 2.1 (uninstall then reinstall from Microsoft). That clears bad filter registrations or broken Movie Maker settings that can mute timeline playback.
  • If a filter or codec was disabled earlier (the .ax change mentioned), restore defaults before re-testing; Movie Maker depends on DirectShow filters and a disabled system filter can stop preview audio.

Notes and quick workaround

  • For urgent delivery, assemble the slideshow in a different editor or export the audio separately and mux with the slideshow using another tool; then revisit WMM fixes without the deadline pressure.

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Member Avatar for grandmagail

Regarding the format of the music files, as I said, I converted any mp3 files to wma. Plus, there were a few wav files.

Thanks,

Gail

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