I need to upgrade but where do I go from here ?

I have used Movie Studio HD Platinum Suite V11 since 2013. Unfortunately I have been in and out of hospital(s) for treatment for the last 10 plus years and have only recently been able to revisit my editing and PC  program since then. I have had to buy a new PC with a good speci as my old one was slow, temperamental and running Windows 7 but the new one has Windows 11, which on my opinion, I find to be unnecessarily complicated.

My SVMSP won't load into it nor did several other programs I used over time. Over the years I have lost touch with what is available and 'recommended' on the market, but before health problems overtook me and around the time Magix took over Vegas, I purchased the downloaded version of Vegas Pro 17 Suite in 2020 for £329.00. I still have everything they sent me including Serial Number; Order Number; DVD Architect etc. Unfortunately this will not load into my new PC running Windows 11.

After lots of effort without success, I assume Magic is no longer supporting it and to be honest I have had enough of it and have decided to start afresh, wipe the slate clean and purchase something that is more up to date and is supported by Win 11. To this end I ask for your advice as to what I should purchase.

I still have SVMSP 11 on a laptop and I had just finished a family project prior to hospitalisation and it runs perfectly on Vegas but it will not allow me to render it, stating that;
A) I don't have enough disk space. I have an external 10TB drive that I have happily used many times in the past to render to, so space is not a problem.
B ) Some files are corrupted. The project runs perfectly on the laptop so I checked the setting for rendering and they are the same as I have always used. However I have now had enough and I just want to start anew.

Any suggestions / information on what you deem to be the best editing program for me to purchase would be gratefully appreciated. 
Keep up the good work, as I am certain Movie Studio Zen is still the best information and tutorial sites available.

Thanking you in anticipation, 
Frank Barron from Mullingar in Ireland.

Hi Frank

It's 1:30 AM in the morning here in Australia and I'm just about to go to bed.
Strangely, I just read a story about Enya, of all people, because a video of hers was recommended to me on YouTube.
Just about to turn the computer off and I remembered I had to check something on the  forum and was SHOCKED to discover your unanswered message from the 6th August 2025.
I am very, very sorry! I don't know how that happened. It was not intentional that I missed your message from over a month ago now.

I edited your message so it was easier to read.
That is very strange that VEGAS Pro 17 is not working on Windows 11.
I have even older versions of VEGAS installed on Windows 11 and they are all working just fine.

The first thing I would like to do, is a bit more investigation about why VEGAS Pro 17 is not working ?
Could you be more specific in exactly what doesn't work.
At what step can you not get it installed or to work ?

If you don't want to try one more time, that's OK.

The problem with V11 of VEGAS Movie Studio Platinum not having enough disc space, is that VEGAS has defaulted to your C-Drive.
I don't have that old version installed anymore, but in the render window, you need to manually set the Output Folder Location to your External Hard Drive before you attempt a render. If you can do that, it should work.

Not sure about corrupted files? That could be anything???

With all of that out of the way, VEGAS Pro 23 has just been released on the 9th September 2025!
This is a really great version of VEGAS Pro, especially if you are on a new computer.
If you wanted to buy this, you would qualify for the upgrade pricing.
I RECOMMEND NOT JUMPING IN STRAIGHT AWAY AND SPENDING ANY MONEY JUST YET!

Download the free trial and test it out first.
There should be no reason why it would not work, but I want to be sure.
I don't know if you get emails from MAGIX, but there is some extra discount code that has been sent to some people.
You would qualify for the UPGRADE price and the extra discount.
Just click the AD at the top of this page and it will take you to the right web page, where you will see a FREE TRIAL button.

Like yourself, I've had a lot of hospital time for a couple of years. However, my health is dramatically improved right now.
I am about to start making tutorials again and will be focusing on VEGAS Pro 23.
I plan to do a full beginners guide, so folks don't feel overwhelmed or lost !

Let me know any way I can help and this time you'll get a reply immediately from myself.

Once again, I'm very, very sorry that your message slipped between the cracks.
I am going to blame the Leprechauns. I am suspicious there is one lurking around my place and causing mischief, because a lot of weird things has happened recently.
I am a direct descendent of two Irish convicts - a thief and counterfeiter. Apparently they met and fell in love on the prison ship, during the long voyage to Australia.

Regards
Derek Moran

Hi Derek,
I also missed your reply, apologies.
After using Vegas for many years I bit the bullet and bought a new PC. The OP is Win11 and everything is brand new.  I also purchased Vegas Pro 23 and to be honest it is a whole new ballgame for me. It is excellent, exactly as you said in your review and it is great to see the results.
However I have a problem with rendering. In the manual and in various You Tube videos on the subject, it starts by telling me to go to RENDER AS, but there is not a Render As in the dropdown menu only RENDER and REAL TIME-RENDER.  I have tried both settings and also used settings recommended by MAGIX in their manual.and other YouTube suggestions but all I get is a rendered MP3 audio and no video.   I have tried many different settings to see if I was getting it wrong somewhere in the render settings but I always get Audio MP3 but no video. I checked the video and audio settings in the time line and everything seems to be set as required. 
If you require my PC specifications I can send them to you.  Alternatively if there is one of your terrific tutorials buried somewhere in Movie Studi Zen that I haven't found then I will be forever grateful if you can tell me where to find it. 
Finally a belated Happy New Year to you and all the MSZ folk.
Keep up the excellent work I am certain it is appreciated world wide.
Frank Barron
Mullingar
Ireland.
 

Hi FrankTo help Dr Zen with his diagnosis, yes, please provide further information on your PC specs incfluding CPU, RAM, Graphics Card and what disk drives youn are using..  “Render As” has been abbreviated to “Render” in VP23.When you click on “Render” a dialogue box will open.  As Derek mentioned in his VP23 review, on the top right of that dialogue box you will see a funnel-like symbol with a down arrow that opens a drop-down pick list.  If not already checked, select the “Show all formats” option which will open an expanded list of render options. If that doesn’t help, by all means come back to the forum and Dr Zen and the MSZ folk will see what else we can come up with to help you out.  It would be helpful if you can give some indication of what output you are seeking to produce eg files for DVD, Blu-ray, uploading to YouTube, etc.

Cheers, Robbie
PS ... and yes, here's hoping 2026 is a better and happier year for all the MSZ community! 
 

Hi Robbie,
Thank you for your email. I'm sorry I am a little late replying but I have had a touch of 'flu for that last few days and it laid me low. 
I have scanned the complete description of my system and I attach thembelow:  Thank you and Dr. Zen for helping me in this matter it is much appreciated.
In answer to your question; I am merely a keen hobbyist who has been producing video for various charities (free of all charges to them I might add).
I started this in this 1980's and I video most of their events and burn them to DVD for use on either TV, at home or other uses such as PC., depending on the house managers request. I don't do YouTube or Blue Ray as most of the clients only have DVD players.
It is not unusual to have to produce over 70+ of special  events where members have won medals or specific trophies.
The charity I'm helping at the moment is a sports club for adult intellectually disabled folk as I became involved with them when my own son was born with the condition. I am currently organising a 60th birthday for my him in February and because we are a truly 'In ternational Family' we have family coming from the UK, France, Switzerlad, Germany Switzerland and of course Ireland. That is one of the reasons I upgraded for Vegas Pro 23 especially as Dr. Zen gave it such a well deserved and glowing report.
Apologies for the tome, as I suspect you dont want to waste your time, reading all this stuff.
I will try the RENDER in Vegas tomorrow and let you know how I get on.
Again, many thanks.
Frank Barron (Durrow)
 

Thanks for the additional information Frank.
A late thought and supplementary question .... How were you previously producing DVDs - creating the DVD from within VMSP or by renderingt Video/Audio files from VMSP and importing them to a DVD authoring program such as DVD Architect (DVDA)?

If creating from within VMSP, then in VP23 go to the TOOLS Menu and choose BURN DISC and then DVD.  In the burn disc Dialog Box you can then select your preferred Video and Audio formats.

If using DVDA (or othrer authoring program) you should be able to find the video and audio encode options under RENDER after selecting SHOW ALL FORMATS.

Cheers Robbie

Hi Frank and Robbie!
I've personally had a lot going on recently, with two parents dealing with serious health problems at the same time.
Just getting back to the MSZ Forum today and ready to get back to work!

Thanks for supplying some help Robbie 

Thank you for uploading your new computer's specifications Frank! That helps a lot.
You have a great new computer for video editing - perfect !!
Some of the things I will mention may seem a bit technical, but it will all make sense in the end.
There are many different things that could be causing you a problem and some explanation is needed first.

1. New Render options in VEGAS Pro 23
VEGAS Pro 23 has a new video rendering engine.
As part of the new features in VEGAS Pro 23, the old "Render As" window is now simply called "Render".
To render a video, go to File / Render.

Your new computer will allow VEGAS Pro 23 to provide three different options for rendering video in the new "Render" window, due to your hardware configuration. This is good!

a) Obviously you can render with your Intel CPU - this is often the safest and most stable option.
Render templates that primarily use your CPU, will say stuff like Internet HD 1080p 25fps.

b) However, your Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 Processor 265 also has an integrated graphics engine, called Intel Graphics.
This means you can render using the Intel Graphics core, which is part of your Intel Core Ultra CPU. Intel Graphics can often render video very, very fast!
In the Render window, Intel Graphics render templates will look something like this: Internet HD 1080p 25fps (Intel QSV).
Intel QSV = Intel Quick Sync Video.

c) Your computer also has a dedicated Nvidia RTX 4060 ti graphics card. Because most Video Effects are GPU accelerated, selecting your Nvidia GPU to render video, is often a very good option. In the Render window, Nvidia GPU render templates will look something like this: Internet HD 1080p 25fps (Nvidia NVENC).

2. How is your Monitor connected to your Computer ?
I have to ask this basic question, to rule out a common mistake.
Because your computer has an Nvidia Graphics Card and Intel Integrated Graphics (part of CPU), there are 2x different ways your monitor can be connected.
You need to make sure your computer's monitor is directly connected to the Nvidia GPU HDMI port (or Display Port).
The correct HDMI port will be closer to the bottom of back of computer - you should see 3 or 4 HDMI ports and/or Display ports in a row.
If you have accidentally connected to the HDMI port near top of computer (at the back), this is WRONG - switch to option near bottom - this is your Nvidia GPU.

3. VEGAS Pro 23 Configuration Settings for Graphics
VEGAS Pro 23 is pretty good at getting the important Settings done Automatically.
However, just in case something went weird, I recommend you check both these settings:

1. Go to Options / Preferences / Video
Open drop down box next to GPU Acceleration of Video Processing
I recommend setting to Nvidia on your system.
You should also see an option for Intel graphics as well.

 

2. Now go to Options / Preferences / File I/O
It should have set to Auto (Nvidia)
If it set to Intel, switch back to Nvidia

 

4. Windows 11 Updates
VEGAS Pro relies on special Windows programs, like Microsoft .NET Framework to work.
If updates are not installing, it may cause VEGAS Pro to not work correctly.
Right-click your Windows Start button and select Settings.
Select Windows Update on bottom left side.
Select Advanced Options
In next window, turn first 4 options on. Take note of Optional Updates section.
Now go back to main Windows Update window and press Check for Updates.
Install everything that may appear. Once finished, go back to Optional Updates and check if anything is here as well. Install everything Windows may find.
Then re-boot system.

 

5. Nvidia Driver Updates
Check to see you have latest Nvidia Drivers installed.
To check Driver version, right-click Windows Desktop, select Show More Options, then select Nvidia Control Panel.
Select System Information in lower left corner.
Latest Drivers are: 591.74
I have found direct download links for your Nvidia RTX 4060 ti.
If you are not a Gamer, I recommend installing Studio Drivers which work better with VEGAS Pro.
Studio Driver link here:  www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/260362/
Gaming Driver link here: www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/260405/

I recommend doing a CLEAN INSTALL of Drivers and NOT installing GeForce Experience!
I have instructions on how to do that here:
Scroll down to dark green/black screen shots and follow instructions from this point.
www.moviestudiozen.com/forum/general-discussion/3213-sony-vegas-crashing-when-clicking-render-as#15980

6. Render window test in VEGAS Pro 23
Start new test project.
Add simply video with audio.
Go to File / Render
Press Filter button and turn on Show All Formats.
Open Video folder
Select AVC (H.264)
You should now see the same options shown in my screen shot below.
Select something.
Check Folder output address is set to something you recognize.
Press COG next to Render button and make sure nothing is selected!!
Press Render.

 

Hopefully you have video with audio now!

Regards
Derek