Dropped Frames - I figured out the problem
 

It was my Sound Blaster Xfi sound card . I figured out its the reason I was getting dropped frames .

The problem I was having is it would drop frames , but it wouldn't really be noticeable until around 30 minutes into a recording and as the recording continued , it would continue to get worse , so around an hour into a recording , huge chunks of video was missing and it was all choppy , seconds of video were missing .

I tried EVERYTHING . I formatted my hard drive , re-installed Windows XP and the ATI driver/MMC software Lord Smurf provided here on the site , and the Installation CD that came with my Sound Blaster Xfi card . That was it ! Nothing else installed , not connected to the internet , NOTHING . I wanted a dedicated capturing system . I tried using service pack 1 and 3 , MMC 9.14 and 9.16 . Every combination I could try and setting in MMC but still got dropped frames . Using task manager , I would check the system usage and the CPU was only using 20-30% and only 200 mb of the 1 gig ram .

So about to give up I tried disabling the Sound Blaster Xfi card , using device manager , and that fixed the problem .

So when I capture I disable the sound card , and when I watch the video , I re-enable the sound card . Also the MMC file player crashes when you try to fast forward with the sound card enabled , so theres some kind of conflict between the ATI software and the Sound Blaster Xfi software .

I'm using the ATI software Lord Smurf provided on this site and the original installer CD for the Xfi card , I have no idea why the two don't get along .

But I am able to capture now and the video looks great . So I'm happy , glad I can record with this computer now , just thought I'd share in case someone else is having this problem .

I'm not sure what model this Sound Blaster Xfi card is , I got it back in 2005 when it came out and it has outputs for 5.1 surround sound .

Yep, you've got to test each piece with a process of elimination, and sometimes it's very frustrating because you're not sure where the error lies. This is one of the reasons we tell people video is not easy. There's just so many variables going on -- far more than just "computers". Felt your pain many, many times. Audio card are actually a typical problem, especially SoundBlaster from the 2000-2004 era.

So it's an awesome feeling when it's solved. Remember to celebrate your win with a beer, coke, piece of cake, etc! :D

Yes its an awesome feeling ! At the point of giving up , to trying one last thing , and it worked .

I didn't know soundcards were a typical problem .

From now on if I ever get another PC for capturing video , its not gonna have anything install except windows and the ATI card , thats it , no internet , no other cards or software .