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Issue #103: July 12, 2009

Q: I read your previous columns on concerning converting cassettes to MP3 files with great interest as I have many cassettes of music that I would like to put on CDs.

I understand about ripping from CD’s using Windows Media Player but I could not find a way to rip from a cassette.  Could you explain this process?   

– Al F.
Fort Walton Beach,Fla

A: Taking music off a cassette is, by definition “digitizing” as opposed to “ripping”.  When I do this, I simply connect a cassette player to my computer’s audio card, then use audio recording software to make the recording just like you would if you were using a microphone.  I’m partial to GoldWave, which is Shareware, but there are plenty of other audio utilities available for free.  One of the reasons I like GoldWave is that it includes a lot of tools that make it easy to process your audio.  You can clean up your recording to remove dead space on the front and rear, and even filter it to reduce the hiss you get from audio tape.  Then you can save it as an MP3, or a WAV, or whatever you like. 

Regarding the cassette player to audio card connection:  Depending on the type of cassette recorder you use, you may have to obtain a special type of cable to get a good signal.  If you’re hooked into the cassette player’s headphone jack, and/or patched to the microphone input of your sound card, you’ll need what’s called an attenuating patch cord to reduce the signal strength.  Check out your local Radio Shack for these.  If you’re using line-level audio-out jacks (such as RCA connectors on the back of a boom box or home-stereo style player), you should be able to go directly into the line-in jack on your sound card (if it has one).  Regardless of the patching method, once connected, you’ll need to use the Windows Sound Control board (usually available by double-clicking a speaker icon in the system tray) to select the input source, and adjust the audio level to get a quality result.

Once everything is set, it’s a simple matter of hitting “Record” in the audio software, and hitting “Play” on the cassette deck.  When the clip is done, hit “Stop” on both, use the software to trim and filter the digitized audio, then save it in whatever format you desire.

Q: Since I downloaded free upgrade “Internet Explorer 8”, I am having problems.

When I turn my computer on, its shows “ASSERT – ASSERT FAILED\projects\wtkernel\src\wind32\cm\core\cmcodemodule.cpp;90m_co dehandle;=NULL” and again “DDcmigrate.exe application error – The application failed to initialize properly (OX80000003)”.  I just click on “OK” to terminate the application.   Why do these sentences shows two or three times when I first turn on my computer

– Sue S.
Crestview, Fla

A:  After researching this problem, Sue, the only connection I can find is to game software published by a company named Wild Tangent.  These may have been preinstalled on your computer when you purchased it.  To disable these, click Start->Run, enter MSCONFIG, and click Ok.  On the dialog that comes up, go to the Startup tab and look for any entries related to Wild Tangent.  Uncheck the box, click OK, and reboot.  Your problem should be gone.


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