flogen

Hey, I've used MDs a lot to record stuff for college etc., but the model that I currently own is pretty useless for what I need. I have a Sony MZ-N510 (type-S), which doesn't have a regular 'mic in' port, just a line-in (optical) port. When I plug a mic and record there is pretty much no sounds at all. So can I get an adaptor for a regular mic, or even a mic with an optical lead on it so I can record good quality tracks through my optical port or is it a lost cause? Secondly, as the machine is a Net MD I can connect it to my PC. I'd like to be able to transfer tracks via USB onto my HD rather than using the manual technique of headphone - mic jack, is there software available to allow me to do this? I found a link on this forum for WinNetMD but it doesn't work. And if I can't do the above, can I use the optical line in to transfer audio to my laptop (through an optical in on the laptop, of course) Thanks very much for your help, I know stuff like this has probably been asked before, I'm just totally new to this!