Captured video too fast (only 1 sec for ~ every 3+ sec)

[Guest]

Doesn't seem to matter what video setting I use, the captured video is fast
and choppy. One second of the captured file actually spans about 3 seconds
on the tape. Since neither the audio or motion in the video aren't smooth,
it seems like maybe the computer is not getting all the frames from the tape?
Any suggestions for things I can change in the software or the camera would
be appreciated...even if it means using a different program to capture. (I'm
using a Sony DCR-TRV103, connected with a IEEE1394 FireWire cable; the
computer has more than enough horsepower and memory to handle things.)

 

[Wojo]

First thing I would do is to defragment the harddrive.
A computer can have all the space and memory you want and still be slow if
the harddrive is severely fragmented.
See this website about optimizing your computer for capturing, I can't say
it any better than Graham already did:
http://www.myvideoproblems.com/Tutorials/OptimiseMyPcForVideo.htm