If you drill a hole in the cd air and or water will get to the aluminum coating and oxidize to a non reflective frosty look. A light coating of glue or clear fingernail polish can seal a small opening. Have to be very carefl cutting them or the foil will rip off. On some cd's the foil isnt fused to the plastic except around the perimeter. A good sun catcher can be made by tying a string through the hole and around the cd. Give yourself 3 or 4 inches of slack then tie on another cd. Keep on going to make as long a string as you like. Put a weight on the end of the cd chain and hang it from a high limb where the morning and afternoon sun can hit it. Pretty interesting light show. Cats and dogs are often freaked by the display, but birds just kept right on like nothing was new. If you would like a little neater chain, use silicon glue to put the cds together with a 10 of 15 pound test clear fishing line running through the middle. Just looks like cds hanging magically in the air. Real flashy. Hanging the things way up in a tree. Bow and arrow beats rock on a string. Have fun!

I picked the easy way out and bought for under $100 a USB turntable that connects to my computer. Software made by Cakewalk came with it as well as Audacity, but the Cakewalk software is very easy to use. I can save in different formats, burn to CD, etc. So much easier than any of the other methods I have read about. The turntable I bought is made by Audio-Technica, although there are several different brands available. I found mine by doing a search using Google, and after I decided on this brand, I searched for the best price I could find. I bought through an online merchant for a price much better than CC or BB for the same model. Sad to say, I haven't done very much with it as yet, converting only a few albums to digital, but I listen to the albums just for the fun of it. By the way, it has a dust cover, so I have it sitting on a little table next to my computer desk.

louh wrote:- i>and don't think it would be legal anyway I am sorry, I don't buy that theory if I have spent good money on a product. You are not looking to sell or mass produce, you simply want what you paid for. Having to put a CD in the drawer to play rather than be allowed to install onto the hard drive seems obscene to me.

Hi, I downloaded this software from the website listed below to record my albums and tapes to CD, using the computer. It was very easy to use. The program comes with audible instructions and wizards to walk you through it (including which jacks to use on your computer). It will automatically set the record level or you can adjust it however you like. It did not require a pre-amp...just plug in the tape deck to your computer. The turntable may or may not need a pre-amp, but the program will detect it, to let you know.I got the wire to hook it up at Radio Shack for just a few dollars. One end will have the RCA ends for your stereo equipment, and the other end will have the miniature jack for your computer. There was no loss of quality, and I was able to actually get a better sound on some songs with the built in equalizer. Hook the stereo equipment to the computer, put a blank CD-R disc in the drive, and the program will do the rest. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Record Albums to CD