Shocking I know, but I currently only have an old laptop, with an AMD chip, 20 Gb and 256 RAM and no internet connection (i am writing this at work) BUT I am getting a Sony AW1000 for christmas and a new Super PC is going to follow in the new year, along with broadband, my acceptance of the 21st century and the throwing out of my oil lamps Now I am going to use either Connect or Sonicstage to rip my CD's into ATRAC format and just want to check that I can do all of this without an internet connection and with my limited capacity laptop Also I am in a dilema about what ATRAC compression rate to use. Obviously I want a good compression rate to get lots of tracks on my soon to be beloved NWA1000, but want a reasonable quality. I will be using a radio transmitter for a 6 week travel jaunt and in the car, but will also be purchasing one of the flashy Sony docking stations/speaker setup things. Any advice on a good balance ? Thanks El Smudge