Thank you guys for all the input. I'm also toying with the notion (pending certain spousal approval) of switching from PC to Mac. I will try all these tips and report my results. Again....many thanks. =]

I'm in the process of permanently deleting every MP3 on my PC. I've had my final straw with any lossy audio codec and am moving on. I have my sights on a 160GB iPod, and am interested in ripping all of my music to Apple Lossless. The issue is that about a third of my CDs are a little "weathered"...