With USB Turntable

• 1). Purchase a turntable that has a USB port for optimal audio transfer to a computer, such as those available from Audio-Technica. Connect the USB cable to an open port on your computer, and the red-and-white-pronged RCA cable to your stereo as well if you choose.
  
  
• 2). Power up your computer and insert the accompanying audio software (Audacity or a similar program) into the CD-ROM drive and follow the on-screen prompts to install.
  
  
• 3). Open your computer's Start menu and click "Control Panel," then select "Sounds and Audio Devices," as your computer will accept the turntable as a microphone. Click the "Voice" tab in the window that pops up. Select your computer's internal sound card in the "Voice Playback" option bar, and "USB Audio CODEC" in the "Voice Recording" bar. Click the "Audio" tab and repeat the process, then click "Apply" and "OK."
  
  
• 4). Return to the Start menu, select "Classic View" and click on "Sound." Click the "Recording" tab, and ensure that "USB Audio CODEC" is selected as the default recording device, and then do the same in the "Playback" tab.
  
  
• 5). Open the audio software program and select "Preference" in the "Edit" tab, and set the Playback and Recording options to the same settings as the previous tabs, first selecting the internal sound card and then the USB CODEC. Set the other "Preference" options to your liking, using your user's manual as a guide or by accessing the "Help" option.
  
  
• 6). Choose a name for the recording by clicking "File," then "Save Recording As" and entering the title. Put the record on the turntable, move the arm to begin playing it at the desired point, and click the red "Record" button when you wish to begin recording. Press "Stop" when finished.
  
  

With Non-USB Turntable

• 1). Ensure that your computer has a microphone or line-in jack, purchase a stereo RCA to 1/8 inch single-pronged TRS cable and connect it from your record player to the line-in jack on your computer.
  
  
• 2). Download an audio software program--Audacity, EZ Vinyl/Tape Converter or the like (those two are free to download). Follow the on-screen prompts to install to your computer.
  
  
• 3). Enable sound from the line-in jack by clicking "Playback," "Speakers" and "Properties" in the Sound menu. In the "Levels" tab, click "Mute" under "Line In" to disable the default mute setting.
  
  
• 4). Open the audio software program, set the preferences to your liking and execute Step 6 from above to play the record and transfer the music to your computer.