Windows Essentials 2012 will reach end of support on January 10th 2017

An update on installing Essentials 2012 and the problems encountered. With the Fall Creators Update due shortly it's time to see if it can still be installed.

When I first tested this back in April I said that...

Bree said:

...It is interesting to note that the install now fails on 1607 too. It would appear that whatever makes the install fail is a recent patch common to all versions, rather than anything specifically new in 1703.

Subsequent updates appear to have made the install even more difficult. I have just tested the offline installer on Windows 10 Pro (x86) Creators Update version 1607 os build 15063. 674 (October's cumulative update). Just running wlsetup-all.exe gives the usual 'failed' error messages, but now it really does fail - only Windows Live Messenger was installed.

It is now necessary to run the installer in compatibility mode for Windows 8 before Movie Maker and Photo Gallery can be successfully installed (though still reporting a failed install). When trying to install the whole of Essentials at once I could not install Mail or Writer at all, even in XP compatibility mode. It may be possible to install each package one at a time though.

I tested the newly installed Movie Maker by stringing together a few photos, applying a crossfade to each transition and saving it as an mp4 video. All seems in working order.

I then upgraded the test PC to Fall Creators Update, version 1709, 16299.15 using install media made with the new MCT (it has been leaked ahead of the official launch date). Movie Maker survived the upgrade intact and working, tested by successfully making another slideshow movie.

The final test was to try installing Essentials 2012 on a system that has been upgraded to Fall Creators Update 16299.15, but has never had Essentials installed before.

This time not even Messenger would install by running wlsetup-all.exe 'straight'. Again, compatibility mode was required before anything could be installed at all. Windows 8 and XP compatibility only managed to install Messenger when 'install all of Essentials' was selected. Movie Maker was finally successfully installed by running the installer again in XP compatibility and selecting a custom install of only the Movie Maker/Photo Gallery package.

Subsequently I managed to install Mail in the same way, a custom install and just selecting Mail. It opens (with errors) but I didn't test it any further. It may need several attempted installs before everything is installed successfully.

Once installed Movie Maker appears to work without problems. It doesn't need compatibility mode, that's just for the installer. Another movie was successfully created as a test.


Bottom Line: Provided you run the installer in compatibility mode a fully functional Movie Maker can still be installed in 1703 and 1709, though it may take several attempts. Mail and Writer now appear to be difficult to install. Susequent updates can only make things even more difficult, if not impossible.


PS: If you haven't got the offline installer, here's one way you can still get it.

Now that windows movie maker is no longer there what do people use

Thanks for the in depth testing. I think its probably time to move on from this software now and find alternatives. At least Microsoft is releasing Story Mode.

dmesal said:

Just curious as to what is so detrimental to win10 to not support the movie maker portion of this this software ?

Probably nothing other than MS want to get rid of proper software and replace it with Apps.