How to convert .mov to .avi for Windows Movie Maker?

Windows Movie Maker (live) cannot import .mov files that some cams generate. Period.
.mov is wellknown for it’s high quality and dense format. Convert a .mov to a .avi and you get a file that is roughly 3 times as big for the “same” quality.

I have been working on such a conversion project for over 12 hours time non-stop, before I realised that it is “impossible”.
I tried Windows XP, Widows Vista, Windows 7, with all kinds of free converters.
I tried Ubuntu 11.04 with ffmpeg/mencoder/mplayer/Kino and much more.

Just nothing seems to work. I keep getting nice converted films, but as soon as I import it into Movie Maker, only a black film is the result.
Very annoying and frustrating.

So finally I tested a trial of a commercial software package I Googled..
I wish I had done that right away… Would have saved lots of time (do the math..)

I tested iOrgSoft Video Converter and it works out of the box:

– It works flawless
– It looks professional
– It has many options for conversion

The test version has a logo in the center of your output file, clever, so not usable for my purpose. So I bought this package for only $35,=
You will receive a download link and a personal registration code. You can pay  for it through PayPal via Regnow (so it’s relyable).

Still no regrets. I can now convert my movies and then import them into Movie Maker to create films for any purpose.
Example: http://youtu.be/-Mku6zFml74