Recording DVDs, moving video, media players.
BB FlashBack's default record mode in Windows XP is 'GDI', and this is the mode you should use to record moving video. You should not use 'capture driver' mode - this mode is better at recording more static applications like MS Office.

• To select GDI mode: Go to the Record mode step in the Record wizard or the Record mode tab in the Recorder Options window, and select GDI mode.

If you want to record video from a media player type application, you'll also need to turn off 'hardware acceleration' in Windows, or you'll end up with a black rectangle where the video should be. 

• To turn off hardware acceleration: Select GDI mode and check the 'turn off hardware acceleration while recording' box on the Record mode step of the wizard, or Record mode tab of the Recorder Options window.

Note: we make no promises on PC performance and recording quality when recording moving video - this is very dependant on your video hardware.

Text and/or menu options are missing from the movie.
Use GDI record mode.

• To select GDI mode: Go to the Record mode step in the Record wizard or the Record mode tab in the Recorder Options window, and select GDI mode.

• BB TestAssistant has an API which allows commands such as “start record to filename” and “stop record” from your own code. You can find out more about the TestAssistant API from the BB TestAssistant help file.
• The BB FlashBack SDK is designed to give software developers the ability to use recording technology in their own applications and fully supports receiving recording commands from a development environment.

1. Browse to the installation folder for BB FlashBack.
2. Run the program in this folder named "FlashbackDriverInstaller.exe".
3. Select "uninstall BB Capture Driver".
4. Restart your computer (the program will probably prompt for this).
5. Upon reboot, run the FlashbackDriverInstaller.exe program once again but this time select "Install BB Capture Driver".
6. Try recording in Capture Driver mode again.

• The recording mode
  GDI mode should be used to record moving video or animation. Capture Driver mode is at its best when recording 'standard' Windows applications that don't include movement and animation.
  
  For older PCs, Capture Driver mode may give noticeably better performance than GDI mode.
  
  You can select which mode you want to use on the Record Mode tab of the Options window or on the Record Wizard.
• The Frames-per-second setting
  In GDI mode, the frames-per-second (FPS) value will also affect performance while recording. A higher value has more impact on PC performance while recording but a smoother movie. A lower value means less impact on PC performance but a less smooth movie.
• The level of graphical detail on the screen
  Recording simple Windows applications requires less processing power than recording moving video. Switching off windows graphical effects can also slightly speed up the recording performance . You can disable Windows’ graphical effects in the Record Mode tab of the Options window, or on the Record Wizard.
• The hardware resources available.
  The key resources tend to be CPU speed and graphics card specification. Running background processes and extra applications while recording will of course also slow down recording.

• Material recorded
  File size is mainly determined by the material recorded, and the number of changes drawn to the screen, not the duration of the movie. Material which will boost file size significantly includes high quality images, photos, web graphics, animations or smooth scrolling.
• Inclusion of sound
  Recording or adding sound to your movie file will increase file size. Using MP3 files or enabling MP3 compression upon sound recording (and these are enabled by default) reduces the impact on file size when using audio.
• Windows graphical effects
  Windows XP includes graphical effects such as menu fading and shadows. Switching these off before recording can dramatically reduce movie file size. You can set BB FlashBack to automatically disable graphical effects upon recording in the Display tab of the Options window, or on the Wizard.
• Output format (movie file type)
  The movie file format will have a very large effect on the size of your file.
  
  An EXE export may be much smaller than a Flash or AVI format export of the same movie.
  
  Experiment with export settings to find the best balance between movie file size and quality.
  
  For AVI and WMV formats, the codec selected upon export will have a large effect on file size.