Programs for File management - HELP


I know it is only a matter of time before my cd player becomes a thing of the past. I have ripped some of my music in a lossless format (WAV) and want to invest the time to rip the remaining music. I am actually going to selectively rip songs I love from about 1000 cd's, so you can see my concern with doing this right the first, and hopefully only time.

My frustration in my past experience with ripping discs is the organizational issues that occur with proper labels, tagging and access of the library that has been ripped. I am not an APPLE user, so Itunes is not for me.

What programs provide the best or most efficient system for ripping and tagging the music? What system/program will be best for the future as technology becomes better to access and identify this digital data?

As I am just starting to develop a plan to develop a PC based system to adjunt (Not replace) my high end source, I don't want to wait. I have purchased a few 320gig dedicated hard drives to store and backup the music I rip.

I have always found these forums to be incredibly honest and useful...please take the time to share your thoughts and advice.
gerarddunn
Let me say once again, THANK YOU to all of you for taking the time to share. I am learning a great deal, and I am sure you have saved me hours of frustration by giving me insight on different means of setting this system up. Please, keep this going...I am absorbing all of it!
Gerry
I don't own a MAC either. Yes I bought an ipod but before I got it I downloaded iTunes and was amazed at the quality of the music (you can rip to non-Apple formats), how fast it rips a CD and the dbase features.

Download the software for free itunes.com and rip one CD

Try it you'll like it.