IF you have the original file from Movie Maker - you can put that into Roxio. I know there are several different versions of "Roxio" - but this is how I do it on mine. I open up DVD Builder - and add the "movie". I take out the Roxio intro - drives me nuts, LOL THen I burn the "Movie Maker" slideshow to DVD. WOrks great! I love using Movie Maker - the only drawback is that it doesn't burn to DVD. WHen I create the Movie Maker project, in step 3 - Save To Computer - I choose "Other Settings" - High Quality Video (NTSC) - then I burn onto DVD, that saved project using Roxio. Hope this is clear - LOL! I am not sure it makes any sense to anyone but me?

Loralee, regardless of the software you will eventually settle on, you will need to use multiple DVD's unless you opt for an external hard drive. I suggest that you take an afternoon and use a disk burning application (I can't stand Roxio, more on this later) to back up the files and folders of your choosing. If your DVD writer is capable, use double layered DVD-R's as they are 8.5 GB each. Then, get in the habit of backing up new files to dvd on a regular basis. A real simple solution would be to buy an external USB or Firewire hard drive and copy over your precious files, though I would still make DVD's and put them away. Most, if not all, external drives come with some sort of "back-up" software. As Ravencajun suggests, Trueimage is pretty good. I do not recommend anything by Roxio as their software has proven to conflict with hardware drivers and also creates problems when installed with other software. It doesn't play well with other software. I have made many repairs to friends and family computers that Roxio has caused. There are many other cd/dvd burning software solutions available, I am partial to Nero. I also suggest Total Commander as a file manager. It far exceeds the capability of Windows Explorer and once you use it, you'll never look back. If you get an external hard drive and use total commander, you'll be done in no time at all. Good luck.

Mike, I have an Inspiron 1545 - is this what you mean? Let me know if you need more info. I would still like to download the driver for my laptop, but how do I do that? I do consider myself "adventerous", but not when it comes to computers, haha. owbist: thanks so much for the info, but like I told Mike, I don't feel comfortable when working on the hardware in computers. This morning I'm NOT able to burn a CD, but right before that I was able to play a movie. I don't know what is going on. Now I'm sure I'm not able to watch a movie either. So, how do I "download" this driver file. I see it, and it is actually in my download folder, but when I try to download it, it says there are no files to download. When it says download, it says "save file", not RUN, like I want it too. Any suggestions on this? Thanks! I appreciate all the advice.

I'll try to give you some pointers, I have a Panasonic VCR/DVD combo also. Yours is newer so probably a different model. Your machine should take several types of disks. For the DVD-RW, you may have to format the disk before recording. I use DVD+R, which do not need to be formatted, but do need to be finalized after recording. So find your type of disk in the manuel and follow instructions. There should be a section in the manual explaining the types of disks that your machine uses. You will probably push the Functions button on your remote, get a menu and go to Disk Management (that's how I finalize on mine.) ONce you've got the disk ready, it's very easy to record: The record speed (just like on a VCR) has to be set before you start. Push the Mode button and you should get a box on the screen that tells you the recording time on the disk: SP for 2 hours, etc. That's what I use most of the time. If you want to get 4 shows on one disk, you can use the 4 hour mode, the quality will be little worse. Remeber, disks are pretty cheap. Once you have the speed set, and your show is on, just push the Record button. Now, if you're going to record more than one show, you won't be able to finalize the disk until you have everything on it that you want. ONce you finalize that type disk, it's not recordable any more. The exception to this is the RAM disk, which your Panasonic should also use (check manual). You can record, re-record, edit, etc. But they are more expensive. If you aren't saving the shows permanently, you might just buy a few RAM disks and record over them. They don't have to be formatted or finalized. If you want to set the machine to record while you're gone, you have to go through the menus and set it up, just like a VCR. You'll have to read the manual and try going through the menu, can't help you much there. I hope this helps a little, I know that the manual and menus can be confusing, but it's not much different than a VCR once you do it a few times. Good luck.