New to this... Problem encoding with Nero 5.5.6.4

[Freaky_1]

I purchased Nero about a week ago for use with some authoring utilities my wife & I have created. (I'm a hardware man & not software as you'll soon see.

After purchasing the software, I decided it might be nice to convert some of my .avi burns to VCD or SVCD so that the people recieving them (how to video manuals on ICSVCE hardware installation) could play them in their stand-alone players.

Understand that I'm VERY new to this & please look @ this as someone with very little software knowledge.

The problem:
I'm going through my back-log of .avi files (will use mpeg2 direct from now on for the SVCD's, but still use .avi for digital transfers), using nero to encode & burn them as SVCD (I can't get them to encode to VCD @ all). More than 90% of the time, nero will lock up in the encoding process (from .avi to SVCD). This occurs even if I close EVERYTHING in the background, shut down the monitor & walk away. On the rare occasion that it does complete the encoding process, it burns fine.

The machine:
Asus A7V133 m/b
AMD xp Athlon 900
256mb sdram pc133
win98se (can't lose the 98 as the _____ people who provide my digital bookeeping refuse to step into the new millinium, but seriously thinking of adding another HDD on dual boot with win2k)
it's not the nicest machine, nor is my cd-rw, but it's never coastered a disk

I'd prefer to get nero up & working better on the encoding process (actually doing it to completion rather than locking up), but if this is something I can't correct with settings &/ or replacing altered .dll files, I will go for a seperate encoder.

What do ya think? The machine? The OS? Settings? Combination of the above?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Freaky_1

[Freaky_1]

Should U wonder, yes I do have the mpeg2 plugin from nero.
If there's anything I've left out that needs known, please ask.

correction: was typing in my personal pc's info when realized needed corrected.......... left the xp on the AMD cpu, shouldn't be there...
the personal machine is AMD xp 17+ with 1g ddr

[pinoy2201]

Freaky_1 why did you by the plugin NERO is about the number one 1 worst enocder around it makes the worst quality ever if you want better quality stop useing your plugin an use TMPGEnc it is a freeware and it will not cost you it is the best of all encoder around if you want a guide :
http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgenc.htm

if yu want to make supperVCD follow this guide:
http://www.vcdhelp.com/tmpgencsvcd.htm