Windows Movie Maker: Backup Collections Keep You From Losing Valuable Footage

2008-08-23

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Useful Tool

One easy and effective feature that Windows Movie Maker offers is the ability to backup Collections that you have made alterations on. If you have used effects on a clip or even deleted some sections, it is a good idea to save those changes, especially since video projects are so sensitive and can take a toll on your computer memory. If you accidentally remove critical media, or make non-reparable cuts on one of your clips, you can back track and save some of your lengthy editing work. Though it does not back up the original files you are using in the program, it will protect the editing project itself.

Back It Up

Go to either My Computer or the web browser you are using and look for the folder “\Documents and Settings\UserAccountName\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Movie Maker.” Once in the folder select the file Mediatab.dat. Copy this file and then paste it into a file that you have specifically allocated for backing up your editing Collections. It is recommended to copy them onto an external hard drive, CD, or Thumb drive for safe keeping. This will help to protect you even if your computer has a serious software or hardware malfunction that could compromised saved data.

Restoration

If you would like to restore a Collections file from when you last backed it up, you first close Windows Movie Maker. Go to the backup folder you created, where you saved the Mediatab.dat file, and select that file. Copy this file and then paste it back into the “\Documents and Settings\UserAccountName\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Movie Maker” folder. Now it will appear in Movie Maker as it did before the last back up.

Be Safe

This is a fairly easy process buts allows you a lot of security with your project. All artistic endeavors are susceptible to poor judgment and technical failures. Thankfully, you have a way to provide a little permanence to your work.

This post is part of the series: Windows Movie Maker

This series of articles cover the different tools in Window’s on-board editing program, Windows Movie Maker, teaching you all you need to customize your video production.