OK, now that we have a better idea of what you're comfortable with and want to do, here's another stab at it. Since it sounds like you'd like to do-it-yourself, here are two other options for getting your VHS stuff onto DVD.

You could buy a combination VCR/DVD recorder console. Most consumer electronics stores like Best Buy should have a model or two. You put your tape in, and a blank DVD, and basically just hit record. I can't comment on the quality since I've never done it, but that's about as easy as it gets.

As an alternative, you can buy an external DVD burner that can actually hook up directly to your VCR, video camera, or even TV. You don't even need a computer to transfer video to DVD. I believe HP is the only one with one now. And you can use it with your PC as a regular DVD burner, too, to back up data or archive stuff. Here's a description of it. If you want to get a sense of how difficult it would be, you can check the online instructions here . A bit more involved than the VCR/DVD combo option, but still quite straightforward.

Regarding the slides, if you haven't already, you may want to read up on how to handle old transparenices. You may inadvertently destroy something if you're not careful or don't know certain tricks to make it easier. However, if you get a scanner and use the included slide carrier, you won't need to worry about fiddling with the slides much, unless they're stuck together or something.

Actually, if they're really important slides and you wanted to keep them as slides as well, you might consider having a professional make new dupes of them if the film is getting really fragile. Or if the film is OK and it's just the mounts that are fragile, you could get them remounted with new ones. Just a thought. Like I said earlier, I really like slides.