Capturing - dropped frames and preview mode

[mdrury]

Is there a way to disable preview mode when capturing analog? I am looking at all possible ways to minimise dropped frames, including shutting down programs that run in the background, but I read that disabling preview mode will help, too, as it is processor-intensive.

I'm capturing via an external Plextor USB-2 device, and the check box in settings for preview mode is checked but greyed out, so I can't uncheck it.

Would capturing directly to MPEG help address the dropped frames issue?

I'm using MF 4.03


Thanks.