Don't have the time or the technical savvy to rip your CD collection? The time part we can understand: ripping even a few dozen discs can consume the better part of an afternoon, and if your library numbers in the hundreds, you could be looking at a couple of weekends to get the project done. As for the tech know-how, well...you did read tip 2, right?

Too lazy to rip your own CDs? Send them in to RipDigital, and you'll get them back archived on DVD.

Whatever your excuse, there's someone willing to tackle the job for you. Services such as RipDigital convert your CDs into MP3s or a lossless format. Just ship off your discs using a supplied spindle and prepaid box; in about a week, they'll be back on your doorstep--along with your newly ripped digital music collection. The ripped songs are sent back on one or more DVDs (along with your CDs, of course), so make sure your computer is equipped with a DVD-ROM drive or a DVD burner. Otherwise, you won't be able to read the disc and copy the songs onto your hard drive.

	How useful was this tip for you?  Very  Somewhat  Not at all    View results

The service doesn't come cheap. RipDigital charges $129 for 100 CDs, $179 for 150 CDs, $199 for 200 CDs, and so on. For users who prefer a format other than MP3 (and a bit rate other than the standard, relatively high-quality 224Kbps), the company offers other encoding options--AAC, WMA, and FLAC--at a variety of bit rates, including Apple Lossless and Windows Lossless. Lossless formats are especially popular with digital archivists, for reasons mentioned earlier. The company can also send you a portable hard drive with all the music stored on it, which is a nice option. Of course, special orders will cost you extra; use the online sales form to request a custom quote.