Driver Date/Size: 7/21/2008 14:09:00, 305152 bytes
A good place to start is updating your old video driver.

http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Barry correctly points out that your driver is out of date, 3 years in fact.
What type of media are you trying to edit, If you are editing HD, you computer will struggle, it's not powerful enough, even with standard definition, if your project is large with lots of titles/transitions, chapters etc. it will still struggle, my laptop which is more powerful than your system, has great difficulty with large projects, when rendering I often get a white screen until rendering is completed.

Robert Intel i7 930, 16GB ram, Radeon HD 5770 1Gb,Ver. 14.12 Win7 64 bit
Intel i7 7700 HQ, 16 GB ram Nvidia GTX 1050Ti 4GB dual drives 1 TB SSD + 1 TB HDD Win 10

PDtoots

when rendering I often get a white screen until rendering is completed.

Robert, can you give more details of the issue in a new topic please? I don't get that and my system is not as powerful as yours.

I certainly can (and should) update my video drivers but I am dismayed and disappointed to learn that even though my computer meets the system requirements stated, I will "struggle" with this program. OUCH.

All I was doing was putting together about 4 "mini" clips (less than 3 minutes each) as a test -- nothing fancy. It froze up (99% CPU usage) as I was trying to import the media files from my computer (they are mp4 files).

If I can't handle even that task with my computer, I have a feeling a just wasted $70. Oh, drat!

Can anyone recommend a less resource intensive program I can use just to put together some simple movies?

Barbara

We're trying to help, but you must update the driver FROM THE LINK I gave you, and if you can afford it, add 1G ram.
That would be a better course of action than asking us to recommend a different editor. HP Envy Phoenix/4thGen i7-4770(4@3.4GHz~turbo>3.9)
Nvidia GTX 960(4GB)/16GB DDR3/
Canon Vixia HV30/HF-M40/HF-M41/HF-G20/Olympus E-PL5.
Tape capture using 6 VCR, TBC-1000, Elite BVP4+, Sony D8 camcorder with TBC.
https://www.facebook.com/BarryAFTT

Thanks, Barry, but the reason I got PD was that I assumed I could use it on THIS computer, without upgrading RAM to more than is stated as the system requirements.

I definitely will update my video driver (which has been adequate for everything else I do ... I'm not a real 'power user <G>') But since I am not inclined to update my RAM just for this program, it's best that I find an alternate, less powerful one.

Some day, when I get a better system, I'll be able to join the "big boys" and get a decent program like this. But for now, I'll have to set my Ken Burns aspirations aside.

BarabaraB;
Barry is correct..you must update your video drivers. Older drivers did not manage memory well and the manufacturer has fixed many issues and added new technology in 3 years.

You do not need a RAM upgrade..XP 32BIT only addresses 3GIG, so you are getting the max in your current machine.

PD9 ships the 64BIT and 32BIT applications as one...then installs the correct version for your machine. It is good that you are running the latest update of PD9 build 2930.

Do the driver update, reboot, even if NOT prompted, then try again.
P.S. - If you need help locating the exact video driver update for your machine, PM me and I will find it for you.

Thanks, FredB ... I'll definitely try to make this work before I give up on PD. I went to the site given and they have tutorials on how to upgrade the driver (and even a 'detect and choose' option!).

I'll give it a shot tonight (why do these things make my so nervous??? I've been using computer since the old Kaypro and DOS days, but I still put these kinds of updates off until they become absolutely mandatory!)

Yes driver updates can go awry. In XP, create a restore point first:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/948247

That way if something fails, you can just restart in SAFE MODE and restore to the old driver or a date before you installed this new driver.

Fred .... Yup, that's always my first step! Thank goodness for RESTORE!!

I'll update everything tonight and post my results tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Final update:

I updated the video drivers and it did seem to help the CPU usage quite a bit -- never got over 50%.

However, the program still wouldn't work. I tried to import a media file (one small mp4 file, less than 3 minutes long) and I finally gave up after 12 minutes.

I even uninstalled and reinstalled the program, but I gave up after 16 minutes after trying to import that same file (it was stuck at 170,004K memory for the last 12 of those 16 minutes). If that is the way it's supposed to work, it's too slow for me. I'm 61 now and want to finish my first film before I turn 70.

I have to just admit that my computer isn't up to the task of running this program.

Thank you ALL for your help and support ... it was really sweet of everyone to work with me on this (if nothing else, I now have an updated video driver!)

Barbara

BarabaraB;

If you haven't given up yet, there is one more step to do that will probably solve the problem with starting! Hopefully before any of us are 70!!! So far you have done it all correctly (including a full reinstall) and the video drivers are VERY necessary, so you didn't waste your time.

You installed the original program from Cyberlink, however, both the Download and DVD (hard copy) full versions are OUT OF DATE. Did you reinstall the 2930 patch, also?? To determine this, go into the program and click on the word POWERDIRECTOR in the upper right. You will see a build (mine is ULTRA64 9.0.0.2930) If yours is not 2930, you MUST install the newest patch (yes an update, but hang in there..this patch fixes many issues) and this may solve it for you.

If you are not running 9.0.0.2930, go to the top of this page and click DOWNLOADS, Software updates, then open the Powerdirector category...download that 2930 build (or the one you already said you downloaded) and apply it. I bet this will fix it for you!!! I think your machine has limited horsepower, but should run the program.

If you don't receive this message (cause you gave up), then I leave this message for those having similar issues as you.

Hope you get this!

Hi Fred ... I am running 9.0.0.2930, so I'm afraid that's not the situation.

I'm getting outta here before I'm tempted to use this as an excuse to buy a brand new super duper computer <G>

I'll see you all again in a year or so when I have a computer that will do justice to this program!

Barbara

Does this only happen with mpeg4? What happens if you uninstall 3ivx and update QuickTime? __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

The only video files I have at the moment are mp4 - - I have a cheapie little "Flip" video camera and that what it takes.

At this point, I think I'm going to opt to give up on PD, uninstall it, get a refund, and move on. I've found that when I need to go to such lengths to get something to work, it ends up being the wrong choice. Thanks anyway for the tip.

Barbara

Did you contact tech support regarding this ?

I suspect PD doesn't handle the 3ivx video well. Can you attach a short sample clip for other users to try. Also, try putting a clip in the timeline and produce it with making any edits. tell us if that completes.

You do need to have something that is compatible with your camera, but lets make sure it is not PD before you give up. __________________________________
CORNBLOSSOM

Yes, please share the file so that we can also check

I found a short avi clip and tried it ... but it did the same thing.

I didn't think I could upload any of the mp4 files because they are large (23 MB or so), but I put one here:

www.bardenterprises.com/stuff/squirrels2.mp4

Unfortunately, because I applied for a refund, I had to uninstall PD, so I won't be able to try other fixes.

Barbara