Likey your biggest problem is the OS. Win98 is a good OS and can do alot. However, the more complex your renders get the less effective 98 is. The key here is your virtual memmory (a combination of conventional memory,HDD free space,and your processor). Win98 does not have the ability to adjust the amount of V memory your OS can use. 98 can be ajusted, but there is a limit and the OS alone can adjust the V memory. the newer windows OSs (Win2KPro,XPhome,XPpro) allow the ability to ajust the amount of V memory your system can acess. Windows OS by default set the initial V mem at twice and one half the amount of your comventional memory (example; 64 mb memory = 160 mb V memory ). This is true of ALL windows OS. Video cards and drivers, The sad truth is that POSER4 couldn't care less about them. Poser uses two elements of your system, the processor, and memory. So the truth is you could have a 25 cent video card and poser will use it, as long as the resolution sizes the video card can do are one of the preset resolutions within poser. Hdd, The bigger and faster the better. The bigger to fit all the files needed to run poser and all your figure and prop files. Faster, so that your system can move the files to the procrssor and memory, as well as serve as the place where virtual memory get written to. POSER4, Make sure you have all the update patches for your version of poser (PC or Mac) 4.03 and SP3(pro pack). Also keep in mind that poser is completely unable to clear memory. What that means is, you load a 2000x2000 texture for a figure. Both the figure and texture is loaded into conventional memory, this is great while you are useing that figure. But say, you decide against that model and you delete it from the document, or you decide to use a different texture map. The texture maps is not removed from memory, and cannot be removed untill poser is closed out and even then, some of it will not be removed (memory leak) and will only be fully purged after the system is either warm booted or cold restarted. Also, poser's render engine can, and does, "Get tired" since it has to completely redraw any shadow maps and whatnot every time you render. The most renders I was able to do, back to back, was 30. Past that and the system will do just what happens to you (W98). Sumary: Have an Operating system that allows you to adjust your Virtual memory (Win2K,Xp,XpPro,Me,OS7,Os8,OS9) Have the fastest processor you can afford. Have as much memory as your system can take and you can afford. Have the largest, and fastest HDD you can get, with as much free space on it as possible. ( I have two 40Gb ata100,7200rpm,IDE hdd, one is the OS hdd and the other is poser4 only)