-----Original Message-----
Generally, analog camcorders only have an analog output
(either the yellow video RCA jack or an S-Video jack). To
input an analog signal to a PC running Windows XP, you
would need:
1) A video board that has built-in video capture.These
boards are generally high-end OR
2) An USB Video Adapter that converts the camcorder's
analog signal to a USB output. Most electronics stores
sell them. They consist of an RCA video female plug, a
little "black box" converter and a female USB plug that
plugs into the back of the PC. If your PC is so old that
it doesn't have USB ports, it's probably too slow to
support fooling around with video editing anyway.
3) You will also need 3rd party video editing software,
if it doesn't come bundled with the item in 1) or 2).
Digital camcorders generally have either USB or 1394
Firewire output built-in and also come with the software
when you buy the camcorder.
In addition to Chairman Mao's good advice, as an
alternative to #2, there are also PCI capture cards
available. Do a Google search for Avermedia--they make
both PCI and USB devices.