Nero Vision Express crash/closeout (no error log)

hi all--
I've undertaken a semi-ambitious project to burn to DVD some 20-odd VHS tapes I have had. I am using a different capture method than within nero, but have sucessfully "captured" the vhs's to mpg2 files (and earlier I had them as AVIs); in either case both "exported" into NVE just fine.
Editing proceeds ok- I can cut out commercials, etc.; I've since learned to save after about every cut, as on occasion NVE just completely closes out, w/ no error message or anything... that is semi-rare, and not the main point of this post.
Instead, after I've cut all the commercials out and I now have the entire episode all "seamless", I hit the "create chapter" button.... it goes to the next screen, and it acts like its trying to load up the movie (i.e. the little preview screen stays black w/ teh NVE logo) and then, again, 99% of the time, it crashes-- that is, NVE totally closes out and I'm back to my desktop.

a clunky workaround that really only changes the problem : is that as soon as I start a new project, and have sucessfully 'imported' my mpg to edit-, if I THEN go directly to "create chapter" menu, and just randomly make ~10 chapters (i.e. the number I ultimately really want to make), then go back and edit my movie (cutting out commercials) and EACH TIME after I cut the commercial, go switch to "create chapter" and create my chapter then, switching back and forth, I don't get it crashing.
so it doesn't crash tehre, and I made menus (although it NEVER would show the chapter names in my preview screen) I decided to just say screw it and burn the thing anyway.
I always burn to image file , set it up and went to bed last night, and it had locked up during the night. no error message, but it didn't shut down, it just had done nothing...
a few technical details now:
I have an NVE 3 as part of an OEM nero suite that came w/ my DVD burner-- from the CD its version 3.0.something; I've done updates to the very newest on nero's site, used nero cleantool to totally uninstal, reinstalled, I've used .. 3.1.0.16, 3.1.0.11, 3.0.14; all of them do the same thing.

btw I HAD successfully created several DVDs on this computer (win2K, athlon 1700, 600+MB RAM), but unfortunately the captured source file was low quality (when I was "taping" the VHS onto hard drive) and so I want to redo som, and it it has only then been when I've seen this new problem. the low quality ones were mpg4 (.avi) files I imported into nero w/ no problem, the problem has been w/ .mpeg (mpg2) files. I haven't yet gone back to an older .avi file to see if that is the problem.....

but otherwise I'm at my wits end and very frustrated to spend all my time chopping out commercials (the longest part of the whole ordeal) only to have it inexplicably crash

insights appreciated.
thx
Brent