Windows Movie Maker Audio File is Invalid or Corrupted: Troubleshooting Tips & Tricks

2010-11-24

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Windows Movie Maker Audio

Windows Movie Maker is technically a full service non-linear video editing program, but in reality it is a very simple and broken down program that attempts to make the concept of video editing and post-production a little more manageable for those who are complete novices. Because of this, Windows Movie Maker takes the concepts that are common to professional video editing programs and then shrinks the number of options while making the appearance much more user friendly. This can also cause problems because the types of media that are recognized as valid by Windows Movie Maker are limited, and the work is often subject to different types of errors. When you are working in Windows Movie Maker it is not going to be uncommon to find error messages that list that a Windows Movie Maker audio file is invalid or corrupted. Here is a look at what it may mean if you see that a Windows Movie Maker file is invalid or corrupted.

Accepted Audio File Types

Windows Movie Maker will only use specific audio file types, which are .wav, .snd, .au, .aif, .aifc, and .aiff files. Any other audio file will not be usable in Windows Movie Maker and must be converted to the proper format before being used. If you see that a Windows Movie Maker audio file is invalid or corrupted one of the main reasons for this is likely that the audio file type that is being used is not one of the acceptable formats.

Windows Movie Maker Codecs

Sometimes if a Windows Movie Maker audio file is invalid or corrupted it can be caused by a problem with the Windows Movie Maker codecs. The best way to try to start off this solution is to just make sure that the Windows Movie Maker version you are running is up to date and that the latest service packs are updated. A missing codec could be from some type of rearranging of files, so double check to see if you have deleted any specific codecs and then you can search for them online for download.

File Corruption

The indication that a Windows Movie Maker audio file is invalid or corrupted can actually mean that the file is corrupted itself, and not that Windows Movie Maker is actually having a problem with reading the audio file. To test this you may want to try opening the file in other programs, and if the audio is then seen as not the proper format then you should try running it through conversion software first. You may even want to try burning it to a CD and then recapturing the audio from that audio CD to make sure that the audio comes across properly. If it does not work in different players or formats then it is likely a corrupted file.

Possibly a Different Problem

That a Windows Movie Maker audio file is invalid or corrupted is a common error message, but without the proper indication this will likely not be the problem. There could be issues with audio playback in Windows Movie Maker, you could have issues hearing the audio you thought you added because of the singe audio track in Windows Movie Maker, or even because Mute was selected in the audio options.

This post is part of the series: Windows Movie Maker Troubleshooting Tips and Tricks

This article series will provide you with several Windows Movie Maker troubleshooting tips and suggestions to help make Windows Movie Maker run smoothly.