[Ted Snow]

Thanks for the in depth reply John. That’s good enough for me.

[Ted Snow]

John, just so I understand you correctly…say you have a fatal HD crash or your MB goes bad and you need to do a fresh install of the OS (still only using one PC)…this is allowed? I have had this happen with my WIN XP and reinstalled it but then again it was the retail version.

Here is what I copied and pasted from a major software reseller in there description between OEM, full retail, etc.

“OEM does not come in a retail box, it does not include printed manuals, cannot be transferred to another computer (even if the original computer breaks), and is not eligible for free technical support from the manufacturer. Help files can usually be found on the disc and printed out. OEM software is the same software as the Full Retail and can be upgraded, it just comes in different packing”.

I am aware of all the other things as far as no box, no manual, no support, etc. but the part I have highlighted in bold had me concerned. Sometimes when you change out components of a computer it looks like a different PC when it comes to registering software.

As long as I am covered if I have a fatal crash and need to reinstall the OS I would much rather go with the OEM version.

Thanks again everyone for all your help.

[Ted Snow]

I bought a Tascam US-1641 USB interface a few months ago for doing remote audio with my laptop which has WIN 7 Home Premium. I did a lot of research reading reviews on several different interfaces. M-Audio got terrible reviews simply because of their drivers. Almost everyone who tried to use one with Windows OS (especially WIN 7) said they had constant crashes or wouldn’t work at all. M-Audio is geared toward the Mac platform even though they claim their WIN drivers work great.

My Tascam works great but then again I usually don’t record more than 5-6 tracks at once.

I’m kind of “old school” and still like using my Alesis HD24 in my recording studio for tracking but I really like mixing with VEGAS.

[Ted Snow]

Thanks John…this is stuff I did not know. Although I feel that I am building a very stable workhorse (by today’s standards) we all know very well how fast this stuff gets outdated and obsolete. So all things considered, looks like it might well be worth going with at least PRO.

I suppose it also makes sense to go ahead and get the full retail version. From what I’ve read, the OEM version will only allow one installation (even if your computer crashes and is no longer usable). To me that would be kind of a rip off…buying an OS and not being able to re-use it even after a fatal crash. I read this on a software retailer’s description of the different versions…Full Retail, OEM, DVD+key, etc.

Thanks for everyone’s input.

[Ted Snow]

Thanks Stephen…you guys have answered my question.

[Ted Snow]

Thanks Thomas. It was my understanding with XP that the PRO edition had more features aimed at online / server stuff. And was just curious if this was similar with WIN 7. Having stuff you don’t need sometimes can hinder more than help.

Since this will be primarily for editing only I would rather not have anything that will hinder the machine. More is not always better.

Thanks again.

[Ted Snow]

You could drop the individual clips to separate tracks and add the FX to each of those tracks.

[Ted Snow]

Thanks Ed, I’ll pass on the info to him.

[Ted Snow]

I have been using the cheap ProDisc inkjet printable discs from CD-DVD-Supplies.com for 3 years. Have probably used at least 1500 of them and have had great luck with them but like others have said…I burn at 2X. IMHO burning any disk at maximum speed greatly increases the probability of errors.

[Ted Snow]

[docgab] “I hit the end arrow and it took me right there.”

It’s always a good idea to do that before you start a render just to make sure.