This cribbed from the PremierPro documentation but it seems very good advice equally relevant for Vegas.
1. Make sure that the system meets the hardware requirements
2. Check hard disk speed.
To check the hard disk speed--and determine if it's fast enough to capture DV without dropping frames--test with a third-party hard disk utility, such as TCD Labs HDTach.
Note: Before running a speed test on your hard disk, we recommend that you defragment your hard drive. For instructions, refer to your Windows documentation.
If you work with analog or Hi-definition (HD) video, then contact the manufacturer of the capture card for hard disk speed requirements. If you work with DV video (IEEE 1394), then Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 requires a hard disk that can sustain a minimum data rate of 5 MB per second for smooth playback. If you work with HDV video, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 requires a hard disk that can sustain a data rate up to 20 MB per second (for best performance use a RAID array with two or more disks) for smooth playback.
In addition, disks should have a rotational speed of 7200 rpms or greater. As you save more content to the disk, access and transfer times to the disk increases and performance decreases. If you work with disks at near-capacity, then add another hard disk or use a faster disk (for example, one with a speed of 10,000 rpms) to compensate for the decrease in performance.
If you use external drives, then make sure that the cables can handle the drives' data rates and rotational speeds. Adobe recommends that you use large capacity UDMA 133 IDE/SATA or SCSI drives dedicated to video only. Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 doesn't support multiple devices on a FireWire chain or multiple devices on a FireWire card.
3. Repair and defragment hard disks.
System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks, either by using the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or by using a third-party disk utility (for example, Symantec Norton Utilities). You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition. More information about the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter appears below; for more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for the utility.
The Error-checking tool repairs bad sectors, lost allocation units and file fragments, cross-linked files, and invalid file names. To access the Error-checking tool, choose Start > My Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the menu. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking area.
Note: To prevent Disk Defragmenter from moving files to bad sectors of a disk, run the Error-checking tool before running Disk Defragmenter.
Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files and free space on your computer so that files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous block. To access the Disk Defragmenter utility, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
4. Verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.
Device drivers are files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as capture cards, video display adapters, SCSI cards, and disk drives. Contact the device manufacturer to ensure that you have the latest driver for it.
For instructions on how to verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista, refer to your Windows documentation.
5. Disable nonessential applications that load during startup.
To disable startup items and services:
Quit all applications.
Choose Start , type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then click OK. If you are asked for permission to continue, click continue.
Click the Startup tab, and select Disable All.
Select startup items that are essential for your work (For example, any capture card related files or utilities. Contact your card's manufacturer for a list of required startup items). If you are unsure if an item is essential, leave it selected.
Click the Services tab, select Hide All Microsoft Services, and then select Disable All.
Click OK, and then restart Windows.
Right-click to close or disable any items in the Notification Area (called the System Tray in earlier versions of Windows).
Note: To enable the startup items, perform steps 1-2 and select Normal Startup from the General tab.
6. Adjust the size of the virtual memory paging file.
Virtual memory enables the system to use hard-disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Windows manages virtual memory using a paging file. To improve performance in Premiere Pro, adjust the size of the paging file to a maximum of twice the amount of installed RAM.
To adjust the size of the virtual memory paging file:
Log into the system as an administrator.
Quit all applications.
Choose Start > Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Select Advanced system settings. If you are asked for permission to continue, click continue.
in the Performance section, select Settings, and then click the Advanced tab.
In the Virtual Memory section, click Change.
Deselect Automatically manage paging file size for all drives
From the Drive list, select a hard disk that has available space equal to at least twice the amount of the installed RAM on the system. For example, if your computer has 1 GB of RAM, select a hard disk that has at least 2 GB of free space.
Select the Custom size: option
Enter an Initial Size equal to the amount of RAM installed on the system plus 12 MB (i.e. 1036 for a system with 1 GB of RAM. 1 GB = 1024 MB)
In the Maximum Size box, enter a value equal to twice the amount of your computer's installed RAM.
Close the System Properties Window:
Click Set, and then click OK.
Click OK System Properties dialog box
Click OK in the Performance Options dialog box.
Click OK in the System Properties Window.
Click Restart to restart the system
1. Make sure that the system meets the hardware requirements
2. Check hard disk speed.
To check the hard disk speed--and determine if it's fast enough to capture DV without dropping frames--test with a third-party hard disk utility, such as TCD Labs HDTach.
Note: Before running a speed test on your hard disk, we recommend that you defragment your hard drive. For instructions, refer to your Windows documentation.
If you work with analog or Hi-definition (HD) video, then contact the manufacturer of the capture card for hard disk speed requirements. If you work with DV video (IEEE 1394), then Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 requires a hard disk that can sustain a minimum data rate of 5 MB per second for smooth playback. If you work with HDV video, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 requires a hard disk that can sustain a data rate up to 20 MB per second (for best performance use a RAID array with two or more disks) for smooth playback.
In addition, disks should have a rotational speed of 7200 rpms or greater. As you save more content to the disk, access and transfer times to the disk increases and performance decreases. If you work with disks at near-capacity, then add another hard disk or use a faster disk (for example, one with a speed of 10,000 rpms) to compensate for the decrease in performance.
If you use external drives, then make sure that the cables can handle the drives' data rates and rotational speeds. Adobe recommends that you use large capacity UDMA 133 IDE/SATA or SCSI drives dedicated to video only. Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 doesn't support multiple devices on a FireWire chain or multiple devices on a FireWire card.
3. Repair and defragment hard disks.
System errors can occur if hard disks contain damaged sectors or fragmented files. Repair and defragment hard disks, either by using the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter utility included with Windows or by using a third-party disk utility (for example, Symantec Norton Utilities). You should run such utilities on each hard disk or partition. More information about the Error-checking tool and Disk Defragmenter appears below; for more information about a third-party disk utility, refer to the documentation for the utility.
The Error-checking tool repairs bad sectors, lost allocation units and file fragments, cross-linked files, and invalid file names. To access the Error-checking tool, choose Start > My Computer, right-click the desired hard disk, and choose Properties from the menu. In the Local Disk Properties dialog box, click the Tools tab, and then click Check Now in the Error-checking area.
Note: To prevent Disk Defragmenter from moving files to bad sectors of a disk, run the Error-checking tool before running Disk Defragmenter.
Disk Defragmenter rearranges the files and free space on your computer so that files are stored in contiguous units and free space is consolidated in one contiguous block. To access the Disk Defragmenter utility, choose Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
4. Verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.
Device drivers are files that allow Windows to communicate with devices such as capture cards, video display adapters, SCSI cards, and disk drives. Contact the device manufacturer to ensure that you have the latest driver for it.
For instructions on how to verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista, refer to your Windows documentation.
5. Disable nonessential applications that load during startup.
To disable startup items and services:
Quit all applications.
Choose Start , type msconfig in the Start Search box, and then click OK. If you are asked for permission to continue, click continue.
Click the Startup tab, and select Disable All.
Select startup items that are essential for your work (For example, any capture card related files or utilities. Contact your card's manufacturer for a list of required startup items). If you are unsure if an item is essential, leave it selected.
Click the Services tab, select Hide All Microsoft Services, and then select Disable All.
Click OK, and then restart Windows.
Right-click to close or disable any items in the Notification Area (called the System Tray in earlier versions of Windows).
Note: To enable the startup items, perform steps 1-2 and select Normal Startup from the General tab.
6. Adjust the size of the virtual memory paging file.
Virtual memory enables the system to use hard-disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Windows manages virtual memory using a paging file. To improve performance in Premiere Pro, adjust the size of the paging file to a maximum of twice the amount of installed RAM.
To adjust the size of the virtual memory paging file:
Log into the system as an administrator.
Quit all applications.
Choose Start > Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Select Advanced system settings. If you are asked for permission to continue, click continue.
in the Performance section, select Settings, and then click the Advanced tab.
In the Virtual Memory section, click Change.
Deselect Automatically manage paging file size for all drives
From the Drive list, select a hard disk that has available space equal to at least twice the amount of the installed RAM on the system. For example, if your computer has 1 GB of RAM, select a hard disk that has at least 2 GB of free space.
Select the Custom size: option
Enter an Initial Size equal to the amount of RAM installed on the system plus 12 MB (i.e. 1036 for a system with 1 GB of RAM. 1 GB = 1024 MB)
In the Maximum Size box, enter a value equal to twice the amount of your computer's installed RAM.
Close the System Properties Window:
Click Set, and then click OK.
Click OK System Properties dialog box
Click OK in the Performance Options dialog box.
Click OK in the System Properties Window.
Click Restart to restart the system