Movie Maker 2011/2012 - Installs on One Computer, But Not (An Identical) Other

I've got an HP Probook 6450b, running Windows 7 Professional. The laptop was purchased used, and runs the 64-bit version of Windows 7, on the Intel Core i5 CPU, at 2.4Ghz, and with 3.8MB RAM, and the Intel HD Graphics card. The laptop has run without any problems in the roughly six months I've owned it.

Recently, I realized that I needed the Microsoft Movie Maker, of which I had an earlier version, as part of an older Microsoft Office suite of applications. The Movie Maker 2011/2012 is available for free for Windows 7 users, under the Microsoft Live Essentials download - which includes the Microsoft Picture Album, Outlook, and a couple of other applications - in addition to Movie Maker. I successfully located the official download locations for both Movie Maker 2012 and even Movie Maker 2011.

After numerous installations (of both MM2012 and MM2011), when invoking the Movie Maker application - I get the same error dialog box, that in essence says that Movie Maker cannot start on my computer, because it lacks the required resources (or words to that effect . . .).

So, I have researched nearly every relevant online reference/solution citation imaginable, to include Microsoft, HP (laptop and graphics card). I've checked the various configurations, including the memory, graphics card, DirectX support, and almost anything else you can think of, but without any luck (although the Windows Live Photo Gallery does install successfully). In frustration, I admitted defeat and defaulted to installing the older 2.6 version of Movie Maker.

In a final chapter of drama (or supreme irony), I was using my wife's identically configured Probook 6450b, and got the "inkling" to try installing Windows Live Essentials, and the Movie Maker application. To my amazement (and not a small amount of consternation), the Movie Maker installed successfully and the application launched successfully. So, these two laptops are practically (and intentionally) essentially the same laptop. There may be some small configuration variations and some other applications installed variations - but in terms of hardware, they are identical - and yet, Movie Maker will (or won't) install on one of them. Any good ideas on how to deconstruct the actual difference which is creating the barrier to the successful installation of Movie Make on one of the laptops.

I almost wish there was way to "transfer" the application and registry settings from the successful laptop, to the problem laptop - although while I'm willing (and capable) of working on the registry, it seems overly ambitious. Other ideas?