Please Recommend Burning Software

[Guest]

I'm working on a Compaq 12XL125 laptop with 533MHZ AMD processor and 184MB
RAM (maxed out) that originally ran WIN98SE. I have replaced the original
6GB HDD with a 20GB 5400RPM drive and the original DVD ROM with a Pioneer
DVR-K16 DVD + - R/RW dual layer & DVD-RAM writer.

I am going to upgrade to WIN XP Pro and would appreciate a recommendation
for CD & DVD burning software that is compatible with my DVD burner and my
low-power processor, small RAM, and small HDD. With this hardware I'm not
going to do video capture or editing. I do want to make backups of CDs and
maybe DVDs if possible with this hardware. But mostly I would like to save
files and make backups to CD and DVD.

Any coomments/suggestions appreciated.

 

[Maincat]

I'm working on a Compaq 12XL125 laptop with 533MHZ AMD processor and 184MB
RAM (maxed out) that originally ran WIN98SE. I have replaced the original
6GB HDD with a 20GB 5400RPM drive and the original DVD ROM with a Pioneer
DVR-K16 DVD + - R/RW dual layer & DVD-RAM writer.

I am going to upgrade to WIN XP Pro and would appreciate a recommendation
for CD & DVD burning software that is compatible with my DVD burner and my
low-power processor, small RAM, and small HDD. With this hardware I'm not
going to do video capture or editing. I do want to make backups of CDs
and
maybe DVDs if possible with this hardware. But mostly I would like to save
files and make backups to CD and DVD.

Any coomments/suggestions appreciated.

Nero http://www.nero.com/eng/index.html

Steve

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I'm working on a Compaq 12XL125 laptop with 533MHZ AMD processor and 184MB
RAM (maxed out) that originally ran WIN98SE. I have replaced the original
6GB HDD with a 20GB 5400RPM drive and the original DVD ROM with a Pioneer
DVR-K16 DVD + - R/RW dual layer & DVD-RAM writer.

I am going to upgrade to WIN XP Pro and would appreciate a recommendation
for CD & DVD burning software that is compatible with my DVD burner and my
low-power processor, small RAM, and small HDD. With this hardware I'm not
going to do video capture or editing. I do want to make backups of CDs and
maybe DVDs if possible with this hardware. But mostly I would like to save
files and make backups to CD and DVD.

Any coomments/suggestions appreciated.

Why would you be thinking of upgrading that machine to WinXP? I'm
afraid, given those specifications, that the the word "glacial" comes to
mind.

Acceptable performance is, of course, a matter of personal opinion
and depends entirely upon what *you* expect to do with your computer. If
all you want to do is play WinXP's built-in games, send and receive
simple emails, browse the Internet (while avoiding the more "ornamental"
web sites) etc., such a machine may well meet your needs. If, however,
you plan to take advantage of WinXP's multimedia capabilities, play
graphic-intensive games, or do advanced word or data processing, such a
machine would probably be woefully inadequate.

If you turn off all of WinXP GUI eye-candy, it will still be very
slow, but it might be usable for simple word processing, email,
web-browsing, etc. It won't be any good for graphics-intensive
applications, and most newer games. (During the public preview period,
I tested WinXP on a 500 MHz machine with 256 Mb of RAM, and it was much
slower than I like.)

To help improve WinXP's performance on older machines:

1) Right-click the Task Bar > Properties > Start Menu, ensure "Classic
Start menu" is selected.

2) Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop > Properties > Themes >
select "Windows Classic."

3) Right-click My Computer > Properties > Performance > Settings >
Visual Effects, ensure "Adjust for best performance" is selected.

Have you verified that all of your PC's hardware components are
capable of supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's
manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog:
(http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx)

You should also take a few minutes to ensure that there are
WinXP-specific device drivers available for all of the machine's
components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for
Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine
with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent
hardware quality requirements. This is particularly true of many early
models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's
consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K
before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard
hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will
still support Win9x.

HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639

Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Guest]

I'm working on a Compaq 12XL125 laptop with 533MHZ AMD processor and 184MB
RAM (maxed out) that originally ran WIN98SE. I have replaced the original
6GB HDD with a 20GB 5400RPM drive and the original DVD ROM with a Pioneer
DVR-K16 DVD + - R/RW dual layer & DVD-RAM writer.

I am going to upgrade to WIN XP Pro and would appreciate a recommendation
for CD & DVD burning software that is compatible with my DVD burner and my
low-power processor, small RAM, and small HDD. With this hardware I'm not
going to do video capture or editing. I do want to make backups of CDs and
maybe DVDs if possible with this hardware. But mostly I would like to save
files and make backups to CD and DVD.

Any coomments/suggestions appreciated.

Hello,
For the dvd/cd burner software.
http://www.protectedsoft.com/
Try the free version of "FinalBurner".
take care.
beamish.

 

[Guest]

Steve,

You recommended Nero. I have looked at their products and what I saw were
large suites that take up a lot of disk space and have many functions that I
won't be able to use due to hardware limitations or have no interest in. Do
they have a simple cd/dvd burner product? Is there a specific product that
you recommend for me?

 

[Richard]

I agree with the other posters about this machine being too slow for XP.
If you're just going to use it for burning & CD/DVD backup I would save the
money of buying the XP license & Nero (if that's what you choose to use)
license & install a very basic version of Linux using K3B
http://www.k3b.org/
I don't often get involved in the Linux v Windows threads, but for such a
low powered machine & if burning is all you're going to do I would save the
cash & go down this route.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I'm working on a Compaq 12XL125 laptop with 533MHZ AMD processor and
184MB RAM (maxed out) that originally ran WIN98SE. I have replaced
the original 6GB HDD with a 20GB 5400RPM drive and the original DVD
ROM with a Pioneer DVR-K16 DVD + - R/RW dual layer & DVD-RAM writer.

I am going to upgrade to WIN XP Pro and would appreciate a
recommendation for CD & DVD burning software that is compatible with
my DVD burner and my low-power processor, small RAM, and small HDD.
With this hardware I'm not going to do video capture or editing. I
do want to make backups of CDs and maybe DVDs if possible with this
hardware. But mostly I would like to save files and make backups to
CD and DVD.

Any coomments/suggestions appreciated.

If I were in your shoes, I would reconsider the decision to upgrade to
Windows XP. Almost regardless of what you use the computer for, it's highly
unlikely that you will be happy with Windows XP's performance on that
hardware. I'd stay with 98SE.

 

[Guest]

Bruce,

I want to do the XP upgrade because I need to use this laptop on a college
campus (night classes) where they want a specific software configuration
before connecting to their wireless network, including a version of MacAfee
that they provide and XP SP2 with firewall enabled.

When I installed the new hard drive I purchased Compaq QuickRestore disks
and used them to install all the original software and drivers. For some
reason these disks installed Win ME, so that's what I'm running now. But you
are correct that the laptop has a stricker "Designed for Windows 98".

On the Compaq (HP) website for the 12XL125 I found XP drivers for the
touchpad and multimedia keys (these are both .exe files).

I would not upgrade ME to XP. Instead I would do a clean XP install. I
purchased WIN XP Pro full install at the college bookstore. If this would not
work I could go back to WIN ME; I've already done a clean install of ME on
this laptop.

I really appreciate the information you provided about slimlining XP. Since
my experience goes back to Win 3.1 I prefer the "classic" views.

I'm seeking a recommendation for burning software so I have everything lined
up for when I make the move to XP.

Again, thanks for your help.

 

[Guest]

I really appreciate your advice about XP running slowly, but I need to use
this laptop during my college classes (night school) connecting to their
wireless network. The college requires everyone connecting to their network
to be running XP SP2 with the firewall enabled and a version of MacAfee
anti-virus that they provide which apparently will only run on XP. (I tried
installing their MaCafee with my ME OS and I got missing files errors.)

For what it's worth the 20GB hard drive is new (5400 RPM) and this
replacement of the original 6GB 4500 RPM drive really sped up the computer.
(I switched from 98SE to ME at the same time because that's what the Compaq
QuickRetore disks installed, but I don't believe that OS change would have
increased the computer speed.) I'm thinking that the faster HDD might make
virtual memory bearable as will be necessary with 184MB of RAM.

If XP on this machine does turn out to be a disaster I can always reinstall
ME with the QuickRestore disks. It's just a lot of effort and time.

 

[Guest]

I really appreciate your advice about XP running slowly, but I need to use
this laptop during my college classes (night school) connecting to their
wireless network. The college requires everyone connecting to their network
to be running XP SP2 with the firewall enabled and a version of MacAfee
anti-virus that they provide which apparently will only run on XP. (I tried
installing their MaCafee with my ME OS and I got missing files errors.)

For what it's worth the 20GB hard drive is new (5400 RPM) and this
replacement of the original 6GB 4500 RPM drive really sped up the computer.
(I switched from 98SE to ME at the same time because that's what the Compaq
QuickRetore disks installed, but I don't believe that OS change would have
increased the computer speed.) I'm thinking that the faster HDD might make
virtual memory bearable as will be necessary with 184MB of RAM.

If XP on this machine does turn out to be a disaster I can always reinstall
ME with the QuickRestore disks. It's just a lot of effort and time.

 

[Guest]

Richard,

Burning is not the only thing I will be doing with this machine. I was
describing the burning functions I believe I need. My primary use is MS
Office - primarly Word but also Excel. I use this laptop for all of my
college work like lab reports and writing classes. I also run Mathcad.

My college requires all computers connected to their wireless network to be
running XP SP2 with the firewall enabled and a version of MacAfee Anti-Virus
that they supply. Many professors use the wireless link instead of an
overhead projector so you are expected to use your own laptop on their
wireless network.

I really need to try XP on this machine and then buy a new laptop if the
trial fails.

So that's why I was looking for a recommendation for burning software.

 

[Maincat]

Steve,

You recommended Nero. I have looked at their products and what I saw were
large suites that take up a lot of disk space and have many functions that
I
won't be able to use due to hardware limitations or have no interest in.
Do
they have a simple cd/dvd burner product? Is there a specific product
that
you recommend for me?

Have a look on eBay for an older version of Nero - you only really need
something called Nero Express. I just found a copy going for £0.01.

 

[Richard]

OK, you could download a few trials & see how you get on with them?

Richard,

Burning is not the only thing I will be doing with this machine. I was
describing the burning functions I believe I need. My primary use is MS
Office - primarly Word but also Excel. I use this laptop for all of my
college work like lab reports and writing classes. I also run Mathcad.

My college requires all computers connected to their wireless network to
be
running XP SP2 with the firewall enabled and a version of MacAfee
Anti-Virus
that they supply. Many professors use the wireless link instead of an
overhead projector so you are expected to use your own laptop on their
wireless network.

I really need to try XP on this machine and then buy a new laptop if the
trial fails.

So that's why I was looking for a recommendation for burning software.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I really appreciate your advice about XP running slowly, but I need
to use this laptop during my college classes (night school)
connecting to their wireless network. The college requires everyone
connecting to their network to be running XP SP2 with the firewall
enabled and a version of MacAfee anti-virus that they provide which
apparently will only run on XP. (I tried installing their MaCafee
with my ME OS and I got missing files errors.)

OK, if that's their requirement, then that's what you need to do.

For what it's worth the 20GB hard drive is new (5400 RPM) and this
replacement of the original 6GB 4500 RPM drive really sped up the
computer. (I switched from 98SE to ME at the same time because that's
what the Compaq QuickRetore disks installed, but I don't believe that
OS change would have increased the computer speed.) I'm thinking
that the faster HDD might make virtual memory bearable as will be
necessary with 184MB of RAM.

I don't think so. Even a faster drive (and 5400 rpm is not particularly fast
these days) will be *many* times slower than RAM.

If it were me, instread of buying a copy of Windows XP, I would look for a
decent used laptop (with at least 256MB) that came with Windows XP.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Bruce,

I want to do the XP upgrade because I need to use this laptop on a college
campus (night classes) where they want a specific software configuration
before connecting to their wireless network, including a version of MacAfee
that they provide and XP SP2 with firewall enabled.

When I installed the new hard drive I purchased Compaq QuickRestore disks
and used them to install all the original software and drivers. For some
reason these disks installed Win ME, so that's what I'm running now. But you
are correct that the laptop has a stricker "Designed for Windows 98".

On the Compaq (HP) website for the 12XL125 I found XP drivers for the
touchpad and multimedia keys (these are both .exe files).

More important would be the drivers for the laptop's network and video
adapters; it'll be fairly useless without them. Audio drivers would be
useful, as well.

I would not upgrade ME to XP. Instead I would do a clean XP install. I
purchased WIN XP Pro full install at the college bookstore. If this would not
work I could go back to WIN ME; I've already done a clean install of ME on
this laptop.

I really appreciate the information you provided about slimlining XP. Since
my experience goes back to Win 3.1 I prefer the "classic" views.

I'm seeking a recommendation for burning software so I have everything lined
up for when I make the move to XP.

Again, thanks for your help.

As I said, acceptable performance is entirely subjective, so that
computer may suffice for your needs.

For a "low impact" CD/DVD burning utility, you might try CDBurnerXP Pro
Freeware:
http://www.download.com/CDBurnerXP-Pro/3000-2646_4-10409087.html


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell