[garww]

1. Software (Cubase) will have "System Requirements" telling the buyer what operating system, how much RAM, how much disk space, etc. that you need. And they usually have a "Recommended" for better performance.

This sound interface may require special USB drivers, so you just need to make sure there are drivers for your system.

So, there is supposed to be a new Windows 7 coming out, and much of the stuff I have may not work so well. It takes awhile for smaller companies to develop new drivers for a new OS. The old drivers may work fine - ya never know.

2. Ya, a desktop will usually have capability for expansion of this sort. You may not need to get fancy by any stretch, but you should be aware that you can increase disk performance. Usually, you record a few tracks at a time - you, guitar, a couple MICs. After you record the 10-20 tracks, it's a done deal for recording and it's now processing and just playback. If you record two-three instruments, two vocals, and MIC a drum set all at once, then maybe you need to be concerned. I don't do any of that, but I would guess that eight tracks at once would be OK on a decent NEW standard desktop - not a bargain box, but a upper mid level box.

3. Here's a link to Sweetwater (chosen for the web layout). I sorted it it priced low to high, and price is just number of inputs and features. These are USB interfaces, but here are other ways to do it. You normally use the software on the computer just as you would a mixer, so you just need a interface. You gotta' go to page five to see the 8-input models.