Is there an easy way to scan 35mm slides to make a CD?

The proper way is use a TMA (Transparent Materials Adapter) for your scanner. some manufactures include one with the scanner, for some models it's an operational extra and other models there isn't one available. For example - http://www.hp.com/united-states/consumer/digital_p...

You need one of these because of the way the slides are designed to be viewed (with the light shining through the material instead of a picture where the light is reflected off of it) and the way that scanners work - shining a bright light onto the material and picking up the reflected light.

However, I've done work before scanning negatives and slides where I've got good results without using a TMA.

Sometimes though you really do need one, but you can make one yourself out of poster board - http://www.abstractconcreteworks.com/essays/scanni...

Quantify "ton" and define your budget.

There are a number of special purpose scanners that can accept slides, but because it's a niche market they aren't particularly cheap. You might want to search the web for conversion services or decide if a $200 dedicated scanner http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/store_a... that you can scan 16 slides at a time is the better option for you: