I used to have this set-up working but my computer has been moved several times and now I can't get the damned thing to function. This is driving me freaking insane.

I'm in the process of trying to copy a bunch of records to CD (these are out-of-production records, before the copyright police come after me, so nobody is losing money, and I'm doing it for preservation only, not to share). The program is MP3 Maker Gold, which is probably out-of-date now but has worked OK for me in the past.

I've got the 1) record player, 2) amplifier thingie, 3) computer. The player is attached to the red-and-white "phono" ports on the back of the amplifier. The amplifier is attached to the "sound in" port on the back of the computer (not the microphone one, the regular "sound in" one). The computer speakers are attached to the "sound out" port on the computer. Everything is plugged in and turned on. The record player needle and the record have both been cleaned.

When I start recording, I can't get any audible sound through the speakers unless I turn the volume up all the way on both the speakers and the amplifier, but the sound barely registers on the computer and the resulting recording is "sketchy". It sounds sort of like something is not connected securely.

I swear I had this set-up working fine before. I've got CD's to prove it. I could even do it without turning the sound all the way up.

Any ideas what could cause this, and what do I check next? The ends of my connectors do not appear corroded. The various wires are relatively new and should not be damaged. Nothing seems loose.