Back to basics - this subject ain't that hard - unless you want it to be. You need:

- A PC with a soundcard that has mini stereo jack
- An external playing device, radio, VCR, turntable, cassette deck.
- An audio cable to connect between your playing device. In some cases the output device will have a mini stereo socket (for headphones) or a pair of RCA sockets - that'll cover 95% od cases. Check at your local audio shop, Radio Shack or PC shop. Many new PC's are sold with RCA to stereo mini plug leads, so you may already have one.
- Some simple sound recording software, eg Sound Recorder.
- About 5 Mb per minute of proposed recording time on your PC.
- Windows 3.1 or better.
- A CD Burner or some form of removable media such as Zip Disc or Memory Stick.

Simply connect the audio lead to the AUDIO OUT socket/s of your playing device, with the other end plugged into AUDIO IN of your soundcard. Follow the instructions for your sound recorder software, but basically it's the same process as recording a record onto a cassette tape:

- Select the recording options.
- Start the recorder
- Start the player output device.

The Wave File recorded on your PC will be at least as good as any non-commercial recording produced prior to 1990.

If you can get the above to work as a trial. it's just as easy to record from any other playing device you might want to use in future.

Regards, John