ToyL,
I do have a few suggestions re: resources on your Vaio.
1: Make sure that you have nothing running in the background of your computer. Press CTRL/ALT/DEL & check to see what is compromising your memory. When I record, I have only systray & explorer running in the background. Everything else is turned off.
2. Do you have a lot of programs listed in your system tray at the bottom of your puter next to the clock like aol instant messenger or internet explorer, or real player etc. Those are all compromising your ram. Get rid of them. Not the actual programs mind you, just the "quick starts" . Go to Start > Run & type in "msconfig" . Select the startup tab & uncheck anything that you know is safe to uncheck (If you don't know what the program is, don't touch it!). If you uncheck enough, you can bring your available memory up to the 85-90% . Mine is literally at 99% free when I start up my computer. You can check your available memory by right clicking your "my Computer" icon & selecting the "system performance" tab. I would say that anything under 80% is not acceptable. (**be very careful in msconfig. If you uncheck the wrong stuff you may not be able to get your computer started again**) If you have Sony support available to you, call them & have them walk you through the process.
3. Be a regular defragger. I defrag my disk at least 3 times a week.
4. Clean out your temporary files at least once a week. I do it every day.
5. More memory may help. & it just isn't that expensive anymore.
These actions pretty much have resolved any hard disk or memory issues when I record. I hope it helps you.
** best scenario though is to buy an additonal hard drive for use with nothing but your recordings, but this is a whole other ball of wax.