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fishbulb:
>>>> In other words, am I running the risk of slowing down the process or causing errors on my rips or burns? Or should I just not take a chance either way and just "step away from my computer" until the process is over? <<<<
The answer is YES, any sort of PC use while you are ripping or while you are burning means you are multi-tasking, and this means you are increasing the possibilities and the risks that things will go much more slowly, and also that you may suffer bad burns, coasters, etc.
Multi-tasking CAN be done, of course. But I try not to, due to the increased risks. I have found (back before I learned my lesson) that multi-tasking during the ripping phase will automatically mean a serious hit on the speed, and result in a time increase. I never had problems with actual errors while ripping, but I also do not use any compression when I rip, so my ripping is not as processor-intensive as it is for those who do.
I also found if I multi-tasked in any way while burning, I would occasionally cause a true burning error, one which would result in a wasted disc. I experienced some errors using DVDDecrypter to burn, and also using Nero to burn. This was not economically acceptable for me, so I stopped. Now, I just walk away, and find other things to do.
Ohers are bound to report different experiences, but you should understand that your PC is different from those of many others (amount of memory, speed of processor, free space on hard drive, fragmentation of files, system resources in use due to other hidden programs such as anti-virus, anti-spyware stuff, Instant Messenger crap, and even malware which may be hiding in the background, working away...) What one person's PC might handle fine might overtax the next person's.
I have a P4 at 3.40 GHz processor, with 2 GB of RAM, and two hard drives -- one is RAID with 340GB of room, the other 250GB of room, one hard drive is dedicated to only ripping, and gets defragged once every 24 hours. Both hard drives are NTFS. My previous system was much less stable in these matters, but it had only 758 MB of RAM memory and only a P3 processor.
I would advise most not to risk any sort of multi-tasking, it is simply not worth the potential cost of ruined blank discs for most.
-Bruce
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. July 2005 @ 21:23
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