Hi!

I'm in the market for a new machine and I'd like to make the best decision I
can, since I only buy machines every 7 years or so.  :-)

I know that many of you Squeakers are into multimedia & recording; I'm
hoping you can give me some good tips on what sort of machine I should buy.

My main goals:

1.  DVD recording -- I've got lots of footage I'd like to put into DVD
format (audio & video)
2.  Audio recording -- I'm an amateur singer/guitarist.  My plan is to
record some stuff into a high-quality CD audio format -- I'm currently
recording single track songs on my Sony MD player -- apparently I can
transfer these files to a PC via USB2.  I'm thinking that I'll get a copy of
ProTools, and start experimenting with multi-track recording.  :-)  :-)  :-)
3.  I'd like to scan in my family photos & put these on DVDs too.

Other goals:

1.  Since I'm a software developer, I would prefer my machine to have lots
of juice and disk space.  Of course, Squeak must rock on this machine.
2.  I will also want to be able to surf the web from this machine and,
perhaps, hook it up to my old machine (Pentium Pro, 200MHz).

At this time, I'm thinking my best bet is a P4 with plenty of disk space.
I'm not really that concerned about the cost (I've been saving my pennies),
but I do want to make sure that my multimedia recording quality is top
notch.  I've decided on going the Windows route because, though I used to be
Apple (owned a ][e and a ][gs), I've been burned too much by Apple and
recent reviews on Ars Technica suggest that they're a bit behind the
technology curve on hardware just now.  Unix is not an option for me.

Can you please help me by recommending:
1.  A very good sound card -- can you explain why it's good?
2.  Windows XP home or Windows XP Pro?
3.  A very good (affordable) scanner & a recommendation of what software may
be good for my goals (family photo album)
4.  How much memory do I need?  I was thinking 512MB, but perhaps I need
more?
5.  Is there anything else you recommend?  I'm a little rusty at buying
computers.

Thanks *so* much!

Cheers,

---==> Chris