Have NOTEBOOK PC-Explain-Need Card and/or USB for DVD Burner

[Jay Jay]

Hello All,

I have read many of your posts, and am learning plenty. Thanks in advance for any advice you may give me on this. You all are great.


I am new to this, so feel free to give me as much information as possible, please.


Let me attempt to explain my setup with my NOTEBOOK PC:


My PC is a Gateway 400VTX NOTEBOOK
with a Pentium 4 ( CPU P4 2.2 Ghz)

The description when we purchased it (on box) says:
MEM 512MB DDR (2-256MB)
MEM 512MB DDR (2-256MB)
(I guess the 512 = 256 + 256)
(it has that already or can have it when use cards?)

and HDD of 40GB VATA Hard Drive

It has Windows XP.

The PC has 2 USBs, a CD Drive (NOT DVD output), a PC Card socket (type II or III)-(PCMCIA?), a Memory Card Reader (two slots for this says can use for Compact flash, IBM Microdrive, Memory Stick, Multimedia Card, Secure Digital or SmartMedia) and a place for a headset, and a place for a microphone, and a Parallel Port and a Monitor Port. It may have another "connection area", but I am not sure, so it if is important to your answer PLEASE tell me what it looks like please!! (ha, ha, sad huh, but true. But I am learning slowly).

So, we have our Sony DCR-DVD201 (DVD Camcorder).

We have been using Image Mixer (I agree, it stinks!!), and just bought ROXIO EASY MEDIA Creator 7.

We managed to shoot and get on our DVD201 Mini Disks (so far just using Memorex -R or -RW), videos, and some with still photos too. We connected the camera to one of the USB and got the Videos and Stills into Image Mixer. We have not noticed any problems with speed or quality on getting the videos from the camcorder into the computer via USB.

We plan to start using the ROXIO EASY MEDIA Creator 7 soon (so far have played with the Windows Movie product and Image Mixer).

NOW we want to buy an EXTERNAL DVD Burner (dual sounds like the best idea), but we need to understand whether to connect by USB and/or the card slots, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND the card slots at all. I have read some posts, but need to know for example what kind of card(s) to buy, and do I use the existing USB port too? (Is a Notebook PC, not getting an Internal Burner).

Please explain the best options in simple terms for me, if you would be so kind. What would you purchase as far as a burner, cards, and or cables, etc? What criteria should I be aware of?

Your advise is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!

Jay Jay

[redwudz]

For external DVD burners, I like ones with USB2.0 and Firewire inputs. Then you can try it with the USB2.0 and if it works good for you, great. However, USB2.0 DVD burners often have problems. You would have the option then to purchase a Firewire PCMCIA card for about $50US and a Firewire cable and it is almost guaranteed to work well. The combination of inputs on the external burner make it much more useful and just add a little to the cost.