CJB wrote:
OK - I've double checked the laptop and manual and it states that audio
input has to be via the SVHS port. It has two ports one for analogue
camcorder capture and one (presumably) for a small video camera. I
have capture software in the form of various MS applications, and
Audacity. I have built-in video and audio capture cards - presumably
connected to the SVHS ports. Yup - this is a strange set up - but it
was how the laptop was designed. CJB.

Unless you have a strong reason for doing so you do not want to mess
about with the audio on the SVHS port which is likely to poor quality
(although it is worth checking because some are OK) but to use a normal
audio interface to get CD quality. If you do not have a sound card in
your PC or you have a poor one but do not want to spend much money then
I would suggest an iMic at about $30 which is a small portable device
that will plug into your USB port and perform A/D and D/A conversions
between your casette recorder and PC. You can get slightly cheaper or a
bit better and a lot more expensive.