When using my computer to convert a home made movie (on PAL VHS tape) to a DVD, there is picture but no sound. I can get around this issue by playing the tape to a Sony Digital NTSC camcorder, and then outputting the camera to the computer. While this does work, the double-handling involved in this process is a hassle. Can I output the video directory from the VHS player to the computer? A second (unrelated) problem is when playing movies from my laptop to TV there is sound but no stable picture on the TV. The TV is a multisystem and changing the format on the TV (PAL, NTSC, SECAM) does not fix the issue. (more…)

I am looking for some audio recording software which will allow me to transfer my old music tapes to my computer. Do you have any recommendations for such software? (more…)

I have been playing music CDs on my computer for many years without issue until recently when I purchased a CD with ‘Copy Control Technology’. When this CD is inserted into the computer, a different player than usual appears and proceeds to play the music CD. Now, I am unable to play any normal (non-copy control protected) music CDs on the computer. When I insert one of these CDs, the normal player appears and the time counter runs, but no sound is heard. The sound does work for other applications, so it appears to be a problem with the CD player as opposed to a system-wide problem with the computer sound. Attempts to seek help from the CD publisher have been unsuccessful. The computer is running Windows 98. (more…)

I want to legally buy and download music from the internet. There are a number of .com sites which claim to allow access to ‘millions’ of music and movie files for a subscription fee. Are these sites legal and safe to use? (more…)

When I insert certain CDs into the computer, Windows Media Player does not recognise the CD so I cannot rip tracks off the CD. Instead, a small window appears like the CDs own in-built player. How can I rip tracks off the CD? The computer is running Windows XP with Windows Media Player 10. (more…)