Using PhotoStory 3 on a 64bit (Windows 7) PC
There is no real point in running PhotoStory 3 on a 64bit Win7 PC unless you also make it "LARGEADDRESSAWARE" (so it can get access to a full 4Gb of RAM) = see end of this page
Authenticated Windows XP users can download MS PhotoStory from the Microsoft Photo Story 3 web page.
If you don't have a PC running XP (or when MS removes the download page), you will need to find the "Pstory.msi" package elsewhere (it should be 5,271,552 bytes exactly, with a MS Digital Signature from VeriSign dated "12 November 2004 03:13:32" = anything else will be a junk-ware installing trojan from some sham 'web repository')
If you want to use Preview (and build your Stories), you will need to install Windows Media Player 10 first
You will also need a Windows XP PC to get the WMP10 installer (MS web site refuses to allow a Win 7 computer access). The package you need is "WMP10Setup.exe", 12,754,672 bytes, MS VeriSign dated "28 January 2005 23:14:22". Again, anything else will be a junk-ware infected trojan.
Since Microsoft 'does not support downgrades', Windwos 7 is not going to allow you to simply install WMP10Instead you will first have to remove the current WMP version (and then avoid making the mistake of allowing an automatic "Windows Update" to over-write WMP10 later)
Of course, if you double click to launch "WMP10Setup.exe", the installer will abort when it detects Windows 7 with the message that WMP10 is "not compatible" with Windows 7.
This is, of course, just a simple lie. MS wants to force you to use the 'latest' version (along with 'enhanced' DRM and other embedded 'features' that just seem designed to get you 'on-line' to Microsoft. To load WMP10, you will have to 'unpack' the WMP10 installer and load each of the .ini files manually
Be warned - Windows Update will automatically over-write WMP10 as soon as it gets a chance :-)
Installing WMP10 on Win 7
Microsoft only wants you to use it's dumbed down "children's" media applications ('Live' this and 'Silverlight' that) = so it makes all your attempts to install the fully functional older versions a Right Royal Pain
What follows below are the steps necessary to get WMP10 (and thus PhotoStory 3) working on Windows 7 64bit. Note that I spent a very frustrating week getting this 'working' and it's entirely possible I did something vital 'by mistake' that I have failed to make a note of below = so good luck !
Start by making sure you are 'logged in' on Windows 7 using an account that has Administrator rights
Then make a 'System Restore Point' before trying the rest of this ... (when it fails, and you loose access to all your existing Media components, you will need to 'roll back')
1) Remove all existing 'Windows Media Components' from Windows 7: Open the Control Panel and select Programs and Features. Click "Turn on and off Windows Components". Un-check "Media features" Hit the "OK" button. Restart your computer 2) Using your Windows XP machine, download WMP10Setup.exe from the MS web site (or from here if Microsoft has removed it). Using 7-zip (or similar), unpack the WMP10Setup.exe installer package to a folder on your XP PC. Copy the unpacked folder to your Windows 7 machine. 3) On your Windows 7 machine, for each and every .INF file in the unpacked WMP10 folder except for wmp10.inf, right click on the .INF file and select "Install". Ignore the error messages that say 'this type of installation is not supported' and DO NOT restart your computer. 4) Finally, right-click and 'install' the LAST .inf = wmp10.inf Restart your computer now 5) Your .wmv files will now be 'associated' with wm_setup.exe (which, as we know, will just 'abort' if you try to 'launch' it). So 'right-click' on any .wmv file, select 'Open With', 'set new default' and browse to the "wmplayer.exe" which should now be in C:\Programs Files\Windows Media Player. Of course, on 64bit Windows 7, the 'Compatibility Assistant' will now prevent the 32bit wmplayer from running :-)
[I eventually worked out that this is because the .ini files just installed 32bit WMP10 into the (64bit) 'Programs' folder, rather than the 'Programs(x86)' folder. You can move the .exe, but that will then 'break' all the Registry paths you just set-up by using the .ini files !!]
To avoid having to move the .exe to Programs(x86) and track down the broken Registry entries, you can disable Program Compatibility Assistant instead :- 5a) To disable Program Compatibility Assistant: Open command prompt from the Start menu (or press WIN+R). Type in gpedit.msc and press Enter. Navigate to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Application Compatibility. Then on the left side under "Setting" double click on "Turn off Compatibility Assistant". Click on "Enabled", then click the "Apply" button and the "OK" button. Close the Local Group Policy Editor. 5b) Delete the 'wm_setup' key, 'just in case': Open command prompt from the Start menu (or press WIN+R). Type in regedit and press Enter. Search for and delete the following 'Key' set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ MediaPlayer \ Setup Restart your computer
Do not skip the 'Restarts' = WMP10 will only install correctly if other Windows Media components have been 'deactivated' correctly by the first 'restart' and will only run after it has been 'activated' by the second 'restart'
If you have problems with any of the above (I did), 'roll back' to the initial 'System Restore' point and try again in "Safe Mode"
If it's still not working, I suggest consulting Google (and especially the 'bleepingcomputer.com' forums)
Installing PhotoStory 3 on Windows 7
Once you have installed WMP10, you can just go ahead and install PhotoStory 3.
Of course, you can't just download PhotoStory 3 from the Microsoft web site using a Windows 7 computer ... Instead, you will need to use a Windows XP machine to download the pstory.msi installer from the Microsoft web site (or from here if (when) Microsoft removes it). Once you have that, it can be installed on Windows 7 'without problems'
All my warnings about accepting software from dubious 'driver' sites still applies (you can find MS 'components' on any number of helpful 'repository' sites, however often this will come with adware infections and browser hijackers = pstory.msi is 5,271,552 bytes, Digital Sig time-stamp MS Corp 12 Nov 2004 = anything different is not pstory.msi)
See below re: making PhotoStory3.exe 'LARGE ADDRESS AWARE' (so it can get access to 4Gb of RAM i.e. the maximum possible for a 32bit application running on a Windows 7 64bit machine) so you can build HD resolution Stories (for AVCHD)
I made the mod. using my XP computer and then simply replaced the PhotoStory3.exe in the Windows 7 32bit Programs folder
Making PhotoStory3.exe /LARGEADDRESSAWARE
By default, all Microsoft 32bit apps only get access to 2Gb of RAM. Lucky for us, any app. built using Microsoft tools has a 'flag' in the .exe file 'header' that can be set to 'over-ride' the default and allow access to a full 4Gb
To set the flag, use the Microsoft Visual Studio utility 'editbin.exe' from a Start, Programs, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft Visual Studio Command Prompt window as follows :- cd bin editbin.exe /LARGEADDRESSAWARE "C:\Program Files\Photo Story 3 for Windows\PhotoStory3.exe"
To check if this flag has been set, use the dumpbin.exe utility:
dumpbin.exe /headers "C:\Program Files\Photo Story 3 for Windows\PhotoStory3.exe"
In the first section (FILE HEADER VALUES) under '12F characteristics', you should find "Application can handle large (>2GB) addresses"
After setting the /LARGEADDRESSAWARE flag, PhotoStory3.exe (on a Windows 7 64bit system fitted with at least 6Gb RAM) will be given access to a full 4Gb = the absolute limit for any 32bit application
Whoopee ! It works == but whilst this means I can now 'build' much larger Stories, it makes no difference to the 'jitter' you can get on 'high speed' pan and zooms st high resolution output (i.e. you still need to use a minAudio profile and add the audio back in later).