I would like to take some old VCR tapes and download them onto my computer and put them on DVDs without spending a fortune. Can it be done with my 10-year-old VCR into my 3-year-old Sony Vaio computer?

– Ben Freda, Valrico, Fla.



In theory, this is a cakewalk, Mr. F., and the price tag isn’t all that high. The downside is that you face big-time boredom standing by while the VCR tapes are converted into computer code in real time: 1 hour of tape 1 hour of computer time.

Some time ago I reviewed a $99 product called DVD Xpress by ADS Tech Inc. designed specifically to transform home video – including VHS tapes – into DVDs. It also can transfer video onto CDs in the VCD and SVCD formats in which a 700-megabyte CD acts like a far larger 4.7-gigabyte DVD in one’s player or on a computer.

Consisting of a box to connect to a USB port and software, the ADS system lets users plug in regular RCA video and audio out cables from a VCR in those familiar yellow, red and white openings.

You make the connection, fire up the software and, when prompted, start feeding VHS tapes into your VCR. The video displays in a small box on the computer’s monitor as the digitizing progresses.

Included software starts with ADS’ own “Easy Capture Wizard” program and Ulead’s “DVD Movie Factory” and “Create Disk.”

The basic software just captures video, down and dirty, and turns it into files to archive and play on your PC. The Ulead movie software is a standout for ease of use and lets you trim out all those shots of tennis shoes and clouds that clutter homemade tapes and the commercials in recorded television programs.

The hardware includes circuitry called audio lock to keep sound in synch with lip movements, and it has various filters to reduce video noise. Happily, it also includes software settings to adjust hue, chroma and saturation, which can be very useful if your tapes have aged and lost some (or a lot) of color and contrast.

Keep in mind that once you’ve transformed those VHS tapes’ contents into video files, there will never again be a color fading problem.

Let me add that I’ve learned through bitter personal experience that it’s always a good idea to make simple backups of raw video files in addition to burning them into the sorts of CDs and DVDs that are supposed to play as shows with menus and chapters on home DVD machines or computers. Those homemade DVDs can be dicey, but it’s always easy to play raw video files using software already built into computers.

I had been using Adobe Reader version 6.0 with no problems until last week, when I upgraded to version 7.0.

Ever since I upgraded, each time I click on a link to display Adobe Reader documents, nothing happens. I then must click on the link again and a pop-up screen comes up. Then when I click one more time, Adobe Reader finally comes up as required.

Any suggestions?

– Joe Serrao

A. That pop-up box is Microsoft’s way of trying to get customers to fix this type of problem themselves, Mr. S., so here is what you need to know.

Your computer isn’t finding the Adobe Reader software when you click on an icon, and so a box pops up that lets users point the computer to the required software and then change settings so that Reader is found properly in the future.

Look for the Browse button toward the bottom of the pop-up and click it. This opens a folder called Programs, where all software is supposed to be located. The list is alphabetical, so “Adobe” will be near the top. Open the Adobe Acrobat folder and then select the AcroRD32.exe icon you will find there. Now look for the check box below the window with the Programs list and you can order the computer to always run that version of Adobe Reader when you encounter an Adobe formatted file, usually with the .PDF ending.

If this seems bothersome, it may be easier to remove Adobe from the computer and then go to www.adobe.com and download a fresh start, which will set the file association you need.

Click on Start and Control Panel and then open the icon for Add/Remove programs. Get rid of all entries for Adobe Reader, but make sure you don’t delete other Adobe products that could be on your machine, such as Photoshop or Photoshop Elements.

Point the browser to Adobe.com, click on the icon for Acrobat reader in the display and follow the prompts to install a fresh copy.

Got a question on personal technology? Send a note to Jim Coates at [email protected]. Questions can be answered only through this column.