Attached Link: Windows XP Home System Requirements

Um, folks, Memory is not equal to hard drive space. Memory is handled on your RAM chips. Memory is volatile. You lose it when you quit a program or turn off your computer. Your hard drive stores data. When you run programs, the computer takes the information from your hard drive and stores in memory to do its work. (Pardon an old tech for giving this mini-lesson). One thing to watch out for: sometimes when we deal with a computer that has a small hard drive, and an old operating system, we're talking about an older computer. Some older computers may not be able to handle Windows XP. We want to provide the best advice possible to help with this problem. That's why it's best to tell us about your computer (including free hard drive space, processor and memory) right off... It will help us provide the best potential upgrade strategy for one thing. I've included a link to a page which describes the Windows XP Home System Requirements in case it helps. You can use that as a starting point for more Windows XP information.

"I have 512 MB RAM, about 6GB left on the HD and Windows ME." Do you really only have 6 GB left on the hard drive?! That's not much room when you're dealing with graphics. If that is indeed your free hard drive space, you need more room on the hard drive. I had used Poser 4 with Windows ME, and found it to be a most frustrating experience. Poser 4 still has lots of bugs and used to bring my computer to its knees at times. The best solution I found was to increase my memory to 512MB (the max my computer can handle), install Windows XP. I also installed Poser on its own 30GB hard drive, and strive to keep the maximum amount of free space for Poser to do its work.

My computer works tolerably well with Windows XP, 512MB of RAM, and a Celeron processor. Poser didn't work as well with less memory. Poser would work better if I had a more powerful computer. My computer is old enough that I really can't do anything more to upgrade the hardware itself. What am I trying to say? Memory is important to an extent. I wouldn't consider using less than 512MB of RAM for serious Poser usage. The best combination is to have an up-to-date computer, and at least 512MB of RAM.

OK, I've experienced this problem, and believe it only happens if you're on a network, and the printer is networked. Basically, Poser "polls" the network to find the printer. If the printer is not found, then Poser won't load. You get no error message. The weird thing is that the printer does not need to be on!!! Believe me on this one. I've previously had extensive communications with Curious Labs (makers of Poser) on this issue. My solution is easy: The printer is on my wife's computer. Her computer remains on, while I use my computer. The printer remains off unless I need it. You might not know this problem affects many other software titles. Here is a list I've formed from my own experience: 1.) Poser 2.) PhotoShop 5.5 3.) Ulead PhotoImpact 4.) ThumbsPlus 5.) Daytimer 98 (Contact Manager) I probably forgot a few titles, but you get the idea.

Attached Link: http://www.curiouslabs.com/

Before you seriously consider Poser 5, you might want to look at your computer hardware to see if it is up to the task. Generally speaking, and older computer might be challenged. That alone could convince you to buy Poser 4. I've provided the link to the Curious Labs web site where you can read the product descriptions and come up with your own conclusions. Poser Pro Pack is only of interest if you have very specific needs. I would hazard a guess that the newbie won't see any need for Poser Pro Pack. I didn't and still don't. Now, if you're a techno-geek like me, you might find Poser 5 of interest. I just had to have it myself. However, after a few weeks or months, I find myself using Poser 4 more and ignoring Poser 5. Some of that is due to my older computer. I really would need to buy a newer computer to make Poser 5 more practical. The other reason is the learning difficulty posed by an unhelpful manual, and the apparent lack of the type of tutorials that would demystify some of the more compiicated Poser 5 features. I will admit I can be a slow learner at times.

Attached Link: http://www.curiouslabs.com/

You're running into two possible problems: 1.) You have too many items installed (I believe about 250 in a given category is the limit). The best answer for that problem is PBooost. It costs about $20 and I think you can find it in the Renderosity Marketplace. 2.) Poser Pro Pack had a problem with long filenames. That fix was handled by the latest Service Pack. I've provided the link to the Curious Labs site for your convenience in case you need further research.

Attached Link: Victoria 2 CD

I think if you're getting started, you might want to get the most possible for the best price. With that in mind, you might consider the Victoria 2 CD. For $69, you get the following: 1.) Victoria 2.) Hair 3.) Body Texture 4.) Clothes You can literally get a great start with Victoria, for a great price. Just click the link to look at the deal.

Attached Link: http://www.crucial.com/

You might want to check the Crucial web site. They had the best prices on memory the last two times I bought it. Heck, the last time they gave me Next Day delivery for free! I was impressed.

Attached Link: Windows XP Compatibility Resources

If someone has a computer with Windows 98, they really should investigate before upgrading to Windows 2000 or Windows XP. It is possible that hardware or software may not be capable of handling the upgrade. You really want to follow this link and look things over.

I installed Poser on its own 30GB hard drive (one partition), and the Insufficient Disk Space error almost totally disappeared. On the rare times it appeared, a defrag did the trick. I never messed with resetting virtual memory. I see no need to do so in the future. The trouble with making multiple partitions for a hard drive is that too often you run out of space in one partition or another.

This question has been answered numerous times before. The error seems to only show up with Windows 2000 or Windows XP computers. Here are the solutions: 1.) Curious Labs official recommendation is to readjust your Windows swap file. 2.) My main solution was to reinstal Poser onto a different hard drive than my Windows XP hard drive. After that I rarely got that error message. When I did, it was time to defrag the hard drive. By the way, your hard drive partitions really don't allow much hard drive space when you consider that Poser graphics can consume large amounts of space. You're better off having one hard drive with one partition. Just to give you a contrast, I have a 30GB hard drive that has Poser 4, and miscellaneous Poser-related files. I only have 8GB free, and it is time to move some stuff to CD disks and free up some space.

There is a potential problem here because Poser Pro Pak and Poser 5 don't use "bum" file extensions for bump maps. They use jpg bump maps. I'd run into some confusion in the past because of this difference. I decided to install most of my Poser resources in a runtime folder called "Poser5B." I have installed very little into the Poser 5 folder itself. I don't access the Poser 4 runtime folder from Poser 5 at all. I think some folks have problems because too many Poser resources have incorrect texture references. CorrectReference fixes that problem.

Actually, I've decided to watch the Platinum Club to see how it develops over time. For now, I feel the total quantity is still rather small, and along with that goes the inevitable percentage of what I would find of interest. If the Platinum Club goes in the same direction as "the Premier Club," then I'll never become a member. In some ways, the "regular" or Premier DAZ stuff suffers from the same problem for me. I've just reached a point where I am more selective. I'd also rather wait and see if a product would be supported over the long haul, rather than buying something when it is new. The Millennium Kids and Stephanie weren't so great in this regard. Musclebound Mike was a total waste of money. Vicky 3 is an obvious safe bet, and she already has loads of great supporting merchandise. This is a great time to just wait and see. I haven't totally given up on the Platinum Club. It's just that I don't see anything at this moment to justify my spending $100 without actually getting anything for my money except "future potential savings."

I think another big consideration is your computer. If you have a pretty new and powerful computer, Poser 5 might be ok. I have an older computer, and Poser 5 pretty much bogs down on my computer. Poser 4 runs very nicely, and it is much easier to learn. I've been fiddling with Poser a few years now, and much of Poser 5 still eludes me.

To be more accurate, I am the only one who actually posted a negative opinion on this subject. I know from experience that many folks have agreed with me on the various items discussed. You only need to view other threads in which people have asked for more stuff for the Millennium Kids, for instance. The Coke and Pepsi analogy doesn't apply here. DAZ sold us Stephanie and the Millennium Kids. It appears Stephanie and the Millennium Kids have been abandoned pretty much from the start. I suppose the only way you could compare this to Coke or Pepsi would be if the companies involved got us hooked on Coke or Pepsi and then stopped making the products? But even that analogy doesn't really compare.