Member Avatar for dlh6213

I'm not sure if this is better off in the hardware forum or software since it involves both, but I decided to try here first and see how it goes.

I have a Dazzle 150 (this would be the hardware) and Pinnacle Studio 9 & MovieMaker 5 for software.

I can use the Pinnacle software, so I know there's no problem with drivers or anything like that. But when I try to use MovieMaker, there are no devices listed under Video Device, so I can't use it.

I would prefer to use MovieMaker because it uses less then 2,000K of memory, whereas Pinnacle uses over 240,000K! Since I only have 384,000K installed, I have to close everything, including my antivirus, in order to use Pinnacle.

I tried contacting Dazzle, but since Pinnacle took it over, they say they no longer support MovieMaker and won't even try to help me.

If anyone has any ideas on how I can get MovieMaker to recognize the Dazzle I would really appreciate it! Or, some other programs that will work without using so much memory.

WindowsXP is the OS

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— short expert summary and practical steps tied to the other replies.

Movie Maker only shows devices that present themselves to Windows as a DirectShow/WDM capture source; older or wrong drivers (VfW-only, missing WDM filter, or improperly installed USB drivers) will make a capture box invisible to Movie Maker. See Microsoft’s note on how capture devices appear to Windows. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/directshow/about-video-capture-devices). Pinnacle/Corel also list the Dazzle DVC‑150 as legacy hardware, so current driver support can be limited. (https://kb.corel.com/en/126257).

Practical checklist (quick, in-order):

  1. Confirm the Dazzle shows in Device Manager (look under “Sound, video and game controllers” and “Imaging devices”). Use Device Manager → Properties → Driver → Driver Details to record the .INF/.SYS names if present. (general Device Manager guidance: https://www.howtogeek.com/167094/how-to-use-the-windows-device-manager-for-troubleshooting/).
  2. Test whether the device appears to DirectShow: run a small capture/test app (AMCap or GraphEdit) to see a live preview and device property pages. If AMCap sees it, the problem is Movie Maker’s device list; if not, the driver is the issue. (AMCap info: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/directshow/amcap-sample).
  3. If the driver is missing/wrong, try the correct Pinnacle driver for the model (or an archived Pinnacle driver bundle). If a working old machine exists (as @BILLS noted), extract the exact driver package names from that system or use a driver‑backup tool before copying — record the driver filenames first rather than guessing.

If Movie Maker still won’t list the device, the least‑pain workaround is capture → file: use a small capture tool (AMCap or VirtualDub) to record an AVI directly to disk, then import that AVI into Movie Maker for editing. VirtualDub is lightweight and good for capture-to-disk workflows. (https://virtualdub.org/).

Cautions: create a System Restore point before installing drivers and avoid unknown driver sites; prefer official Pinnacle/Corel downloads or verified archives, and scan any archived installers.

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Member Avatar for dlh6213

I had this in the Hardware forum for several days with no response, so maybe someone that can help will see it here :)

Member Avatar for BILL S

I just thought I'd ask about my old Digital Photo Maker USB capture. (different thread that linked to yours) I had no luck finding the drivers I want, and I had been using it with Movie Maker, in fact! Luckily, my old computer still has that setup, I hope if I get lucky I can move the needed files to XP, perhaps... Just not that knowledgeable. I forgot how I set it up, for one thing...It's been quite some time!

Bill

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