Place your microphone on the stand, and plug the audio input device to your computer via USB or FireWire, and connect the microphone to the device with an XLR cable.
Put your pop shield on the microphone stand, keeping it between the microphone and the speaker. Attach the pop shield by tightening the vice end onto the mic stand.
Turn on your computer, and install the appropriate hardware drivers for the audio input device, if needed. The drivers usually are bundled on a CD with your audio recording device.
Go to your computer's Control Panel---the location will vary, depending on your operating system---and set the audio options so that the input device can be used.
Open the recording program, and test out your recording levels. If they are set incorrectly and in the red, the end result will be distorted audio that is unpleasant to listen to.
Minimize any ambient noise, such the hum of a fan, that could be picked up by the microphone, or relocate to a quiet location.
Click on "Record" in your recording program, and begin recording. Once you're done, adjustments can be made through the equalizer or software to improve the recording quality.