If problems with recording or playing occur, check whether disk caching is enabled (you should be able to find the corresponding options in the Control Panel/System/Performance/File System dialog box).
If problems persist, read the explanations given below carefully and try out the rescue devices.
First, check if recording/playing problems are specific to DART XP Pro. If other software packages (e.g., applications that came with your sound card) do not work either, your computer may be simply too slow for audio applications. If problems occur only when handling very long audio files, try the Disk defragmenter application in the Programs/Accessories/System tools folder of the Start menu - some of your sound files may be stored in too many small pieces scattered all over the hard disk surface which puts an unnecessary stress on the playing device.
If the other record/play software packages work properly do not panic! In order to provide nonstandard features, like the ability to separately play two channels of a stereo recording, or to detect signal clipping during recording, the recording/playing routines provided in DART XP Pro were programmed using low-level instructions, i.e. they refer to some low-level Windows specifications. Generally, DART XP Pro may fail to record/play correctly for two different reasons:
Case 1 (more likely)
The extra record/play overhead DART XP Pro has compared to other programs is causing your machine to choke, especially under extreme conditions (the highest sampling frequency, very long audio files). This is good news for you as you should be able to remove the cause of the problem by changing the audio card settings as described below:
Symptom: problems occur during recording (the system locks, messages about general protection faults appear on the screen, etc.)
Remedy 1: check the Use fake VU display box in the Preferences dialog available from the Options menu
Explanation: by default DART XP Pro checks every signal sample during recording to provide an accurate level/clip display (VU bars shown in the Record dialog). Some audio cards issue the record overflow messages used by the related software. Since such messages are not standard we cannot rely upon them. When the Use fake VU display box is checked only one in 128 samples is examined which significantly decreases the computational overhead during recording.
Remedy 2: decrease the number of record status updates per second using the Preferences dialog accessible from the Options menu.
Explanation: the default number of counter updates during one second equals 6. If you decrease this number the time/volume displays will be updated less frequently preventing the system from locking.
Symptom: problems occur during playback (longer files are played with skips and pauses)
Remedy : decrease the number of cursor position updates per second (Buffers per second during play) using the Preferences dialog accessible from the Options menu.
Explanation: the default number of cursor position updates during one second of playback equals 16. Reducing this number you will decrease the computational overhead during playback at the expense of accuracy of cursor imaging. For small number of buffers the cursor will be skipping along the overview strip rather than sliding smoothly. Of course, if your machine is fast enough you can also increase the number of buffers above 16, allowing for more accurate cursor positioning.
Case 2 (less likely)
If changing the sound card settings does not solve the problem it may be that the card your computer is equipped with is not fully Windows compatible, i.e. does not comply with the low-level Windows specifications. Note: the applications, which communicate with your audio card at a higher level and/or refer to some of its nonstandard features, may work fine. This is of course bad news for you. It means you have the plug, which does not fit the standard socket we provide.